WASHINGTON–Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) a key figure in negotiations to avoid the looming Dec. 31 “fiscal cliff” deadline, said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that “the election was a pretty straight up question as to whether or not we were going to raise taxes on the wealthiest people.” With President Barack Obama’s decisive win, in the Senate, “many Republicans believe that now is the time to sit down and talk about revenue.”
The Democratic-controlled Senate will be able to cut a deal–maybe with as many as 20 Republicans, Durbin said–as the problem remains getting something through the GOP run House.