But that would require Democrats to agree among themselves about the need to balance revenue increases with long-term cuts.
There is nothing wrong with having a serious negotiation over long-term cuts, many of which are reasonable and necessary.
What business do you know — that is still in business — that would operate this way: making massive long-term cuts, negotiated by exhausted executives, without any strategic plan?
For the sake of the economy, the best compromise in coming weeks would be one that trades short-term spending for medium- and long-term cuts.
If the unions agreed to the cuts, United said it would have enough breathing room until May 1 to negotiate for long-term cuts.
The shadow Cabinet Office minister, Gareth Thomas, said: "Even with the Government's long-term cuts, police and prosecutors need to give domestic violence far more priority than they are doing now".
But it was also a response to the outcry from both conservatives against taxes and from Mr. Obama's liberal base against the plan's proposed long-term cuts in domestic programs across the board, including Social Security and Medicare.
And in his new budget, to be unveiled in February, he is expected to announce another round of more severe and painful long-term cuts to balance the budget going forward.
What should not happen is a proposal made by Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, on Thursday to trade long-term cuts in entitlement programs for short-term increases in domestic spending.
Top Republicans hope those long-term cuts will soothe lawmakers who are unhappy with compromise, particularly the 87 Republican freshmen who ran on a pledge to cut $100 billion in spending.
The concessions would remain in effect until the pilots agreed on long-term cuts with United, or until those talks failed and United went back to court to try to void the union contract.
