Quotes of the Day

Capturing the Moment
As a man, I know I'm not supposed to shed tears except for deaths in the family, but I've got to admit that reading Nancy Gibbs' article on Barack Obama in this week's commemorative issue made my eyes misty [Nov. 17]. These were tears not of sorrow but of sheer appreciation for a wonderfully expressed essay about this transcendent moment in American history. Hervie Haufler,
Shelburne, Vermont

As I read Gibbs' wonderful prose on this historic election, I felt the same surge of emotion, now bittersweet, that I experienced at age 10 on hearing Martin Luther King's thrilling "I Have a Dream" speech or Robert F. Kennedy's powerful utopian oratory. It dawned on me that Americans in our hearts are idealists who truly believe that we are all equal. We have waited decades for a leader to touch our hearts the way that King and Kennedy did. Obama has galvanized the American electorate by reminding us who we really are as a people, by touching our hearts with hope, by stirring our imaginations with ideas of a better tomorrow. I feel America is new-born and confident; that we can truly step unfettered into the new millennium and a universe of possibilities.
Pushpa Vavilikolanu,
Elmhurst, Illinois

Obama's victory was brilliant, well-earned, and a real step forward for our multiracial democracy. But heaven protect him from Gibbs and the rest of the over-the-top hallelujah chorus. America's vote will "save it"? I must have missed news of its approaching death. Obama is a "radical departure" from presidents who "were born into power or bred to it"? I guess TIME doesn't remember where Bill Clinton, or Ronald Reagan, or Abraham Lincoln came from. And now Obama's a "prince"? Maybe you should tone it down. Let Obama do his job, and you do yours. You know, report the news — not your own ecstasy.
David Shaffer,
Delmar, New York

If I had to select just one article on the election for a time capsule, it would be Gibbs' brilliant, poetic piece. It was just what we all needed after election night to put our hopes and fears into perspective and face the day, the week and the years ahead. Congratulations.
Patricia A. Hoopes,
Madison, Wisconsin

As far as I know, Gibbs is the only pundit who has mentioned that the American public will need sacrifice and steadfastness to bring about Obama's promised change. He will not be asking us to go shopping to support the republic.
Susan Conwell,
Littleton, Colorado

TIME's worship of Obama makes me wonder how you will react when he makes a mistake. Despite your efforts to suggest otherwise, Obama is merely human. Brad Rice,
Dallas, Texas

The world press has reacted to the election of Obama as if it were the second coming of Christ. I feel sorry for Obama and the intense pressure of expectation this puts on him. Obama may not be the president who leads America and the rest of the world into a fairer, safer and richer age, but I hope he will at least build the road to that age and take the first steps along it. Good luck, Mr. President.
Peter Lucas,
Launceston, Tasmania

Heartland Heartache
Michael Grunwald suggested five steps to "help get America back on track" [Nov. 17]. May I suggest a sixth: Democrats and Republicans must put an end to partisan politics and work together to heal our nation. Most Americans are tired of the self-serving games that strangle progress.
Nancy Turner,
Gardner, Massachusetts

I am a Libertarian and don't abide free government handouts, so I agree to an extent with Grunwald's argument for farm-bill revision. However, I must contest some of his findings. He states, "The median farmer's net worth is five times the median American's." Of course it is — farmers own tons of acres; but let's see you try to operate your business when all that net worth is tied up in land. In addition, he claims, "the biofuel boom is also jacking up the price of grain." Yet the price of corn has fallen at least 50% since its peak. Revising the bill is a good idea, but in doing so, we must realize that we will make food more expensive, since some farms will go broke. Sometimes these issues aren't so black and white.
Matthew Bernhardt,
Lincoln, Nebraska

Riding the Pendulum
I generally agree with Joe Klein that Obama's win presents a significant swing to the left, and from the bottom up [Nov. 17]. But I do not think the country is ready for an activist government with a much more liberal agenda than we have seen in recent decades. This election result was largely a reaction to an ineffective conservative Administration. Obama and a Democrat-dominated Congress will be wise to maintain some moderation in their policies, or they could provoke a shift back to the right. Mike Hall,
Boise, Idaho

America and the World
Pico Iyer's essay in which he says the U.S. needs to be "in tune" with the rest of the world was quite apt [Nov. 17]. A little over a month ago, while my family and I were having dinner in Coullier, France, and discussing the coming election, a British woman overheard us and said very seriously, "The whole world is watching." I regarded the statement as a little overdramatic until I saw how the international community reacted when Obama was elected. I now look back on that night in France and on the night of Nov. 4 and realize that this country has demonstrated to itself and to the rest of the world that it has taken another step toward fulfilling its great potential on a global stage.
Charles Dunn,
Beacon, New York

Iyer arrives at one incorrect conclusion. I have traveled to more than 90 nations. The global disapproval has not been aimed at Americans as individuals but, rightly, at the U.S. government.
Roland Bunch,
Palo Alto, California

Talking Pictures
TIME photographer Callie Shell defined the American ethos with her poignant photograph of the soles of Obama's shoes [Nov. 17]. Lots of us have many pairs that look just like his, whether because of pounding the pavement looking for a job or simply walking to work because gas is unaffordable. The photograph also defined what Obama stands for: hard work, determination and never giving up.
Melissa Clarke,
Bear, Delaware

As a longtime admirer of Hillary Clinton, I was momentarily transfixed when I saw Brigitte Lacombe's photograph of her: hair pulled back, minimal make-up, and a simple white blouse. The portrait captures Clinton's confident spirit, yet her tentative smile reveals a touch of vulnerability. I have never seen a more pleasing and honest image of the former First Lady.
Jack Cameron,
Mount Mellum, Queensland

The Race Factor
I was incredulous at T.D. Jakes' statement that "most blacks have not been blinded by race" [Nov. 17]. Virtually every black man, woman and child who has been interviewed has plainly stated the positive impact a black candidate had on mobilizing the black community to vote and become involved. I am a middle-aged white woman who voted for Obama because I believe him to be the best candidate. I do not pretend to empathize with the pain of racism, but to tell whites that Obama's race didn't have that much to do with why blacks voted the way they did is the really "disingenuous" act. Am I not allowed to also hope for an end to racism and its effects? I may not have suffered from them directly, but my country has and does.
Jennifer Mather,
Flint, Michigan

Jakes dismisses the idea that race played a role with black voters. His view may be racially sensitive and politically correct, but it fails to explain why more than 95% of blacks voted for Obama. I find it difficult to imagine what factor other than racial solidarity could have produced such overwhelming numbers.
Andy Horvath,
Elverson, Pennsylvania

Obama's election heralds a new chapter in American politics and race relations. I congratulate American voters on electing him not through a racial prism but for his ability to protect and serve their interests. I hope that in my lifetime Australians will elect an Aboriginal man or woman as prime minister.
Gregory Jones,
Sydney

I was in full agreement with jakes until he wrote: "As Barack Hussein Obama places his brown hand on that black Bible ..." Neither "color" reference was necessary. Such gratuitous emphasis on racial differences will surely not help "black, white and brown" do as Jakes suggests and "melt into a brilliant depiction of red, white and blue."
Rich Zettlemoyer,
Gold Canyon, Arizona