Whose definition of "Fiscal Cliff" have you been using?
My own definition included any tax rate or spending control which was going to happen on or around January 1.
Even the national debt ceiling issue coming up is included in my definition.
I would agree that the media shares your definition and I think the reason is that they didn't want to draw attention to what is happening now to wage earner's paychecks. The wailing over this has only just begun. I look forward to Obama explaining to his base that this reduction in their pay was not part of the "Fiscal Cliff" so there was no reason for him to insist on extending the reduction of the payroll tax. Even liberals aren't stupid enough not to notice that their taxes have gone up.
Our supervisor just notified us that the accountant will be placing a 2% increase in payroll tax on our checks per the "Fiscal Cliff" bill.
To me, the "Fiscal Cliff" was the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, which would slam all income-earners. This "cliff" would be exacerbated by other events that would not necessarily be tied to those tax cuts; e.g., the imposition of new Obamacare taxes, and the expiration of the reduced Social Security rate. The elimination of this last item is what employers are talking about, and what wage-earners are seeing today, at least those receiving weekly checks.
Don't get me wrong, we've been teetering on a "fiscal cliff" for some time now, for all the reasons you mention. Some things we'll feel right away, others will take longer.