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Sen. Murray: Going off the cliff might spark a deal

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wa, said Wednesday that going over the fiscal cliff is a better option than extending the Bush tax cut for high earners.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wa, said Wednesday that going over the fiscal cliff is a better option than extending the Bush tax cut for high earners.

“What we’re all saying is it’s not a good idea to go over the fiscal cliff. No one wants to see that happen. It is a bad idea," said Murray on Now with Alex Wagner. "But a worse idea is to accept a compromise that allows the wealthy Americans to continue to not pay their fair share, because the result of that will be middle class families will bear the entire burden of the challenges that this country faces.”

Murray first made this suggestion back in July. She reasoned that Republicans, bound by Grover Norquist's pledge not to raise taxes, would find flexibility once tax rates went up at the start of the new year.

Murray also praised Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) for calling on his colleagues to agree to the President's request to extend the tax cuts for middle-income earners now and deal with the ones for high earners at a later date.

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) shot down the idea, saying he "disagreed" with Cole.