Messages from Iowa

Re “Obama, Huckabee win in Iowa,” Jan. 4

Here’s the political drama shaping up: If Mike Huckabee goes all the way to the Republican nomination, and Barack Obama to the Democratic one, we may see the latest chapter of the never adequately resolved U.S. Civil War: Old America (Southern conservative, white, evangelical Christian, provincial) versus New America (Northern progressive, multicultural, ecumenical Christian, internationalist). Our fate as a viable nation going forward may hang in the balance.

Rodney Punt

Santa Monica

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The difference between Hillary Clinton and Obama is that Clinton tells us what she has done while Obama tells us what we can do. Her message is egocentric and -- especially with her husband, the former president, standing behind her -- evokes the past. Obama’s message is communal and points to the future.

Frank Shapiro

Northridge

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This story states that Clinton and Mitt Romney “had hoped to quickly wrap up their nominations with a string of wins beginning in Iowa.” As a volunteer in the Clinton campaign, I’ve been told from the start that getting the first woman elected as president of the United States would be arduous, especially in such a traditional state as Iowa, where voters hardly elect women to anything. I’ve never thought we would wrap up the race quickly.

Rather, we have prepared all along to make the case that Clinton has the vision and experience to lead the country. She had the guts to go to Iowa and make her case. Rudy Giuliani didn’t. I give her credit. It took 60 years for women to get the vote, so let’s give Clinton 16 months before we count her out.

Diane Lander-Simon

Los Angeles

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I see the media as a person who has just learned how to drive a car. When you first learned, you were always over-correcting and making square turns. Only when you looked beyond the hood of the car did your driving became fluid. The win in Iowa for Huckabee and Obama matters little and yet the media are presenting this as a major event. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, this is Iowa, so please look past the hood of the political car and get a clue.

Ralph M. Casillas

Los Angeles

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I’m wary of those saying Obama’s victory in Iowa reflects a call for change over experience. I think it’s dangerous to separate the two so nonchalantly. Yes, we definitely need a change from the current administration. But let President Bush’s first years in office be a reminder of what happens when we have change without experience. Becoming the president requires a steep learning curve. As we’ve seen, an inexperienced person can do a lot of damage while he (or she) is getting their on-the-job training.

Richard Paul

New City, N.Y.