FILE - This April 14, 2011 file photo shows Erskine Bowles, right, Alan Simpson, co-chairmen of the president's deficit reduction commission, talking to reporters outside the White

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FILE - This April 14, 2011 file photo shows Erskine Bowles, right, Alan Simpson, co-chairmen of the president's deficit reduction commission, talking to reporters outside the White House in Washington after their meeting with President Barack Obama. The election may be over, but a new campaign is being waged in the nation’s capital as lobbyists, advocates and trade groups fight to shape the government’s response to the looming fiscal cliff. It’s a twist on the usual lobbying effort: Instead of digging for more tax dollars, they’re trying to protect what they’ve got. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) less