Stakeholders Scramble To Define Starting Points For Fiscal Cliff Negotiations

The Wall Street Journal: Fiscal Cliff Forces All Sides To Jockey
Lawmakers, CEOs, business groups and charities are scrambling to shape the debate over tax and spending policy after the November elections, staking out negotiating positions for what could be a fast-paced brawl. The jockeying is intensifying as Election Day approaches, despite a halt in talks between party leaders about how to avoid a total of $500 billion in annual tax increases and federal spending cuts set to begin in January, a double-whammy known as the fiscal cliff. Party leaders are waiting to see who holds more leverage after the elections (Paletta, 10/31).