Letters to the Magazine

While several readers of our cover story applauded Harold Ford Jr.'s winning personality and moderate views, others said Democrats have a shot at power not because of any unified message but because of the missteps of the GOP. "I've grown weary of the Bush administration, but my patience will be sorely tried if the Democrats gain power only to vent the pent-up frustration of a party scorned," one said. Some were concerned that we shone too flattering a light on Ford without giving equal attention to his opponent, Republican Bob Corker. "Your cover amounts to a campaign ad just before the election," one wrote. Others shared their disgust at this season's actual political ads. "The latest attack ads reach new depths of sleaze and shame the entire political scene," said one. Yet wary readers expressed hope that these midterm elections might nevertheless unite the country: "Maybe we will get past this ridiculous Red State/Blue State feud and start cleaning up America's messes."

Harold Ford Jr.'s campaign to become the first African-American from the South elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction will be a gauge of the progress Tennessee has made in race relations ("The Path to Power," Oct. 30). If Ford can win 40 percent of the white vote, I think it will prove that the deciding factor is issues, not race. Ford's political savvy, strong character and progressive ideas enhance his candidacy, and if he's elected, his good will and keen intellect will serve Tennessee and America well.

Paul L. Whiteley Sr.

Louisville, Ky.

One word stood out in your profile of Harold Ford Jr. and his U.S. Senate campaign in Tennessee: calculating. Every move Ford makes seems calculated to advance himself, not his state, nation or party. Much is made of his support for the Iraq war and his conservative social views, but consider his vote for bankruptcy reform while he represents a poor district that leads the nation in bankruptcy filings. That cannot be construed as anything but a gift to banks and credit-card companies that can better fuel his future. In a political landscape marred by a Republican Party that has become hostage to ideologues, Ford represents the reverse: his sole allegiance is to what will get him elected.

Michael Clark

Memphis, Tenn.

In your article on Harold Ford Jr., you write as if you're amazed there are religious Democrats with family values. I agree with the Republicans on education, late-term abortion, gay rights and immigration. Although I grit my teeth on the positions Democrats hold in those areas, I remain a card-carrying Democrat because my Bible is explicitly clear on feeding the hungry and clothing the poor. However misguided Democrats' attempts are at times, they seem to have more empathy and concern for the working Joe and the truly needy. Republicans seem to be all about hype and protecting the assets of the rich. A conservative Democrat running for office is a fantasy come true for me.

Jean Bolton

Kent, Wash.

As a young, politically minded, Southern yellow-dog Democrat, I obviously want to see my party regain control of Congress. To that end, I would vote for basically any Democrat, save a candidate I felt absolutely did not represent the ideals and principles of our great party. Reading about Harold Ford Jr., I began to get that feeling. You say he voted with Democrats 85 percent of the time, but the one thing that jumped out at me was how he seemed to pride himself on being a conservative. I cringe at the thought of my party pandering to conservatives, hoping to gain their votes. We need to elect people who will represent our liberal values without compromising their beliefs for the sake of bipartisanship. I would sooner vote for a yellow dog than a so-called Democrat who would attempt to write discrimination into the Constitution and legislate my uterus.

Natalie Worlow

Jonesboro, Ark.

Your cover asks: "would a democratic majority go wild, or govern from the middle?" Go wild, as in Social Security, universal health care, a fair mini-mum wage, enforcement of antitrust laws and a tax code that doesn't savage the poor and middle class in favor of the wealthy? Would that be a Democratic Party gone wild? It would be a Democratic Party with a spine.

David Abraham

Albuquerque, N.M.

Anna Quindlen's essay is absolutely correct ("The Hillary Questions," Oct. 30). I am a liberal and a diehard Democrat. While I may not agree with all of Hillary Clinton's votes (the vote to go to war with Iraq being the prime example), I know that as a moderate, she will further my liberal agenda more than any "compassionate conservative" from the Republican Party. And I know that, unlike Al Gore and John Kerry, she has the charm and personality that win elections.

David Smiley

Tallahassee, Fla.

Anna Quindlen is falling into the trap of all ideologues when she pushes for Hillary Clinton to run for president. Clinton cannot win. I live in Ohio, a key state, and there is no way she could win this state. She is not just opposed here; she is hated. I would love to see Clinton become president, but it will never happen. Republicans are cynically delighted at the prospect of a Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama candidacy. Democrats have to be realistic and run a candidate who will actually be able to win.

John E. LeMoult

Xenia, Ohio

Anna Quindlen's exhortation of Democrats to get behind Hillary Clinton as the front runner is dangerous advice and misses the important nonideological objection to her candidacy. Come 2008, we will have spent the past 20 years being led by either a Bush or a Clinton, and the country will be desperate for new leadership. Despite her qualifications, Clinton cannot provide that fresh start. And the sooner the Democrats realize this, the better chance they'll have of taking back the White House.

John Kovacevich

San Francisco, Calif.

Atheist author Sam Harris makes a strong case when he criticizes established religions for the harm they have caused and for the dangers they now present ("Beliefwatch: The Atheist," periscope, Oct. 30). And he is correct that belief in God is irrational and cannot be proved by reason or current evidence. However, it is just as irrational for Harris to advocate atheism, a certainty that no God exists. An atheist can no more prove there is no God than a believer can prove God's existence. The only alternative based on reason is agnosticism, the belief that it is impossible to know whether there is a God without sufficient evidence. It does not deny the possibility; it is uncertain.

Michael Lurski

Bethlehem, Pa.

Lisa Miller describes atheist author Sam Harris as an "unlikely infidel" due to his "soft-spoken, thoughtful" demeanor and pleasant manners. Did she honestly expect a raving lunatic at odds with everything around him? Miller's comments may well have been a tongue-in-cheek jab at the more closed-minded among us, but it bears mentioning in plain terms that it is this sort of prejudicial attitude toward nonbelievers that keeps their voices from being heard and prevents intelligent discussion about things like "intelligent design."

Phil Caraway

Philadelphia, Pa.

As an atheist, I was dismayed by your description of atheist Sam Harris as an "unlikely infidel" because he is "soft-spoken, thoughtful and intelligent." Imagine the outcry if NEWSWEEK had said these things about a Christian, Jew or Muslim. We deserve the same freedom of religion as everyone else--including the freedom to believe it's all bunk and not be denigrated for it.

Ruth Ellis Haworth

Ontario, Canada

Designers obsessed with vanity sizing (the resizing of women's clothing so smaller sizes fit larger women) do a disservice to women on two levels ("Skinny Is the New Fat," Oct. 30). First, using the SizeUSA statistics, the average American woman, at 5 feet 4 inches and 155 pounds, is actually overweight based on BMI calculations. So, for a size 16 woman to fit into a size 10 dress endorses a false sense of good health. Second, vanity sizing makes shopping for clothes on the Internet and in catalogs absolutely impractical. While men can buy shirts and pants based on specific measurements, women must take three sizes of the same pants into a dressing room to see which one actually fits. I don't care if I'm a size 2 or a size 8. Please just develop universal sizing that allows me to buy clothes as easily as my husband does.

Karen P. Lindsey

San Marcos, Calif.

For every anorexic celebrity who needs the new 00 sizing, I would venture that there are at least 100 women trying to squeeze into their vanity-size 12 jeans, feeling outraged that the fashion industry has passed them by but heedless to their future of heart disease, diabetes and more. Paralleling the relentless "thinner is better" message of fashion and celebrity is the even more insidious culture of nonstop overeating and inactivity, which has resulted in obscene obesity rates with health problems that eclipse the damage done by the under eating of a visible few. If we took half the energy we do tsk-tsking too-thin girls and went for a jog instead, we'd be a much healthier, happier nation.

Carol Davenport

Santa Fe, N.M.

Nicole Richie is not a style icon. No amount of denials from her will change what is plain to everyone who can see: she is an ill young woman who needs professional help. To think that in her physical condition she is a role model to anyone is to realize how skewed our perspective on the human form has become. Ribs are not a fashion accessory. I am a 27-year-old, 5-foot-6, 145-pound woman. I am a bit smaller than the average American woman, but certainly nowhere near the skeletal proportions that pass for desirable in today's thinness-obsessed world. I am also a high-school teacher who sees on a daily basis the negative effects these skinny celebrities have on our young men and women. I plead with the standard setters in Hollywood and elsewhere to consider the effect they have on the very attentive public. People come in all shapes and sizes. It would be nice to start acknowledging that fact.

Jennie Gartner

Rutland, Vt.

I applaud your Oct. 30 periscope item "Danger on the Road: Texting While Driving." All too frequently I encounter drivers who are moving too slowly, swerving or running red lights--and, upon closer examination, I discover that they are texting. Twice I have sent text messages from the road and nearly rear-ended a car both times. Now I no longer text while driving, and I have a hands-free device for my phone. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and (as of July 1, 2008) California are the only states to ban handheld cell-phone use while driving. Until other states follow suit, we will continue to see people wreaking havoc on the roads.

Ellenor J. Honig

Atlanta, Ga.

I don't know why former bush aide David Kuo was so shocked by the administration's failure to deliver on its faith-based promises ("Breaking the Faith," Oct. 23). I've thought for a long time it was obvious that the evangelicals and other highly political social conservatives have been played like a violin by the current administration. Let's see: the GOP has held the White House, Congress and Supreme Court for six years, and the only significant piece of social legislation the evangelicals have been given is the ban on embryonic-stem-cell research. How could that be?

Eve Fisher

Madison, S.D.

President Bush's positions and policies ought to be evaluated on their merits, not on the allegations of the embittered former deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, David Kuo. He is eagerly embraced by the enemies of evangelicals and others. On issues deemed vital, evangelicals know who their friends and allies are, just as their opponents know theirs. Robert E. Hayes

Long Beach, Calif.