Obama has tossed the hashtag My2K into the “ fiscal cliff ” debate in an effort to harness the power of social media in diffusing the deadlocked Congress.
The #My2K hashtag is an effort to popularize the fiscal cliff debate on the micro-blogging site as a way to get Americans more involved in Congress, reports CNN . Obama stated during a meeting on Wednesday:
“I’m asking Americans all across the country to make your voice heard. Tell members of Congress what a $2,000 tax hike would mean to you. Call your members of Congress. Write them an email, post it on their Facebook walls. You can tweet it using the #My2K.”
The White House says that, should Congress be unable to come to an agreement on a deficit-reduction deal, taxes would go up by about $2,200 for the average middle-class family.
Obama’s My2K hashtag is one way to promote discussion among both sides, as well as a way to push Congress toward a compromise that would eliminate the fiscal cliff.
This isn’t the first time that Obama has used social media and hashtags to promote political discussions in America. He previously asked Twitter users to talk about payroll tax cuts and the student loan interest rate with the hashtags #40dollars and #dontdoublemyrate, respectively, notes CBS News .
Along with using the My2K hashtag to promote fiscal cliff discussions, Obama held an event on Wednesday to speak with middle-class Americans about the tax cuts and the fiscal cliff.
Obama also met with corporate executives at the White House on Wednesday and will travel to Pennsylvania on Friday to speak about the importance of upper income earners paying higher taxes.
To make your voice heard about the fiscal cliff debate and what a $2,000 tax hike would do to you, you can use President Obama’s My2K hashtag on Twitter .
“Call your members of Congress. Write them an email. Tweet it using the hashtag #My2K .” —President Obama
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 28, 2012
More money for middle class families means a stronger economy and more secure future. #My2K
— Martin O’Malley (@GovernorOMalley) November 28, 2012