But that optimism was in short supply in some Democratic circles.
The buzzword here, in both Democratic and Republican circles, is privatization.
The speech came after weeks of debate in the Administration and other Democratic circles.
He ran his brother Richard's campaigns for mayor and moved up in national Democratic circles.
He was politically active, both as a rising star in local Democratic circles and among his many friends who had become sick.
There has been no shortage of second-guessing within Democratic circles after the party's devastating losses in the last year's elections.
And his activity of the last few days has sent a jolt of interest through Democratic political circles.
The letter, however, is raising eyebrows in Democratic circles, where many big donors have reported receiving it.
The big question in Democratic circles is, Who can win?