What Obama Should Now Do

First, he should undertake that, before and after election, he will meet weekly with representatives of the unions to discuss common interests: the protection of workers and consumers, fair trade and fair tax, universal health care, Social Security, environmental responsibility, Civil Rights, and foreign policy realism. These are all massively popular causes both among Evangelicals (who include most African-Americans and much of the white working class) and among traditional Catholics (who include very many working-class whites and far more African-Americans than is often realised).

Secondly, he should undertake that, before and after election, he will meet weekly with Pat Buchanan and nine others of Buchanan's choosing (let Obama just spring this on Buchanan and dare him to turn it down) to discuss common interests: family values, strictly limited and strictly legal immigration, constitutional checks and balances, national security, energy independence, Second Amendment rights and responsibilities, America as an English-speaking country, and foreign policy realism. These are all massively popular causes both among African-Americans (most of whom are Evangelicals at least broadly defined, with many of the rest traditional Catholics) and among the white working class (very many of whom are traditional Catholics and very many of whom are Evangelicals).

Thirdly, he should undertake never to make any significant nomination without the consent of both of those bodies within their respective frames of reference.

And fourthly, he should have absolutely nothing to do with the white Al Sharpton, Mrs NAFTA, Mrs GATT, Mrs Bomb Yugoslavia To Smithereens, Ms (in her own right) Botched Health Care Reform, Senator Invade Iraq, Senator Bomb Iran To "Protect" The Viciously Misogynistic And Jew-Hating Gulf Monarchies.

The defeat of this ghastly person is news rather better than the victory of Obama. He needs to do the sort of things set out above. Whereas his vanquishing of her is an unalloyed joy simply in itself.