Rise Above: The Fiscal Cliff's Largest and Easiest Target

The Nation's pending financial reset known as the "Fiscal Cliff" is in the news daily, and while there is much talk about the political game of chess, there is very little being talked about in the form of solutions.  And, most unfortunately for American History, even talking about compromise (the very thing that created this Great Nation in the first place) has become taboo, an excuse for ridicule from one's own party or even worse, the other.  It cannot be looked at as a political black mark, it cannot be considered an act of traitorship (I may be creating words, and I'm okay with it) to engage in a process that is the very being of this  country.  That John Boehner has brushed aside Tom Cole's call to action to take a 98% deal is ludacris.

Obama has drawn a line in the sand at letting the Bush-era tax cuts expire for the top 2%.  While I completely undersatnd Boehner's stance that the "Top 2%" of income tax returns hardly denote the wealthiest Americans, as many Mom and Pop businesses would actually fall into this category and potentially pay higher taxes, these businesses also have the ability to manage their bottom lines to reach tax efficiency.  They can use their tax professional to make the system work for them when it changes.

Obama's line in the sand is frustrating and unfortunate at best, but given the way the Fiscal Cliff works, these negotiations are to his party's advantage.  If the US goes over the cliff, everyone's taxes go up, and Republicans are square to blame for not playing ball.  So why not start with the 98% deal?  Obama has also let it be known that he's open to further negotiation, but his sticking piece is the end of the tax cuts for the top 2%.  So why not work within that foundation?  Tom Cole is ready to do so, and it seemed for a moment that Lindsey Graham was, too.

It's time to stop pointing fingers.  It's time for Democrats to embrace folks like Tom Cole and their willingness to come to the bargaining table.  It's also time for Democrats to put forth an olive branch of compromise to folks like Tom Cole in good faith.  After all, once we begin bipartisan collaboration, don't we want to endorse and encourage it?