Obama seems optimistic about tax deal

President Obama is turning up the heat on Republicans to settle on a new tax plan to avoid the notorious so-called “fiscal cliff,” indicating that he wants a deal made and agreed upon before Christmas.

“I want to make sure everybody understands this debate is not just about numbers. It’s a set of major decisions that are going to affect millions of families all across this country in very significant ways,” Obama said. “Our ultimate goal is an agreement that gets our long-term deficit under control in a way that is fair and balanced. I believe that both parties can agree on a framework that does that in the coming weeks. In fact, my hope is to get this done before Christmas.”

If no deal is reached before the end of the year, taxes on all Americans of all taxable income levels will be raised, something both Republicans and Democrats alike seem anxious to avoid. “The place where we already have in theory at least complete agreement right now is on middle-class taxes,” said the President. Obama himself is tapping into his vast social media network to gain public support for his position that the tax cuts implemented by President George Bush Jr. should be allowed to expire only for more individuals earning than $200,000 per year and families that earn more than $250,000 per year, posting on Facebook and sending tweets marked with the hashtag #My2K, reading, “Tell members of Congress what a $2,000 tax hike would mean to you.”

Republicans in Congress have tended to resist allowing taxes to increase for anyone, including the wealthy, but lately a number of Republicans have shown strong indications that they would be willing to compromise on this issue. One of whom is Representative Tom Cole, an Oklahoma lawmaker and political strategist, who broke with his party’s traditional on Tuesday by calling for a quick deal with Mr. Obama on extending the tax cuts just for the middle class.