3 reasons the next round of budget talks might be easier

Tough issues remain but there have already been some key concessions from both sides

The fiscal cliff is averted. But Obama's budget fight with the GOP isn't over yet.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Although Matthew Yglesias says we’ve entered "an era of semi-permanent fiscal policy crisis," there’s still hope to think the next round of budget negotiations — in two months when the U.S. Treasury is unable to borrow money and automatic spending cuts kick in — just might be a little bit easier.

1. The big reason for optimism is that the issue over tax rates is settled. Republican resistance to ever raising taxes on anyone was finally broken earlier this week. Taxes were raised on the wealthiest Americans and will bring in about $620 billion in new revenues over the next decade.

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political websites. He also runs Wonk Wire and the Political Dictionary. Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and COO of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. senator and governor. Goddard is also co-author of You Won — Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, USA TodayBoston Globe, San Francisco ChronicleChicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Christian Science Monitor. Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.