You have spoken of post-partisanship and a post-racial society. Many (including myself) are concerned that your record shows otherwise, and that there is little to no precedent suggesting a desire to find middle ground between your own positions (often to the left of left) and those of the right and center-right. With your party making gains in Congress, the temptation may be even greater to use your power to implement liberal, far-left policies across the board. But while the results of this election and the office of the presidency grant you the right to & govern and promote your political ideas (which have proven popular), you have an obligation to consider the opinions, concerns, and needs of the population as a whole. Likewise, in our dealings overseas, you have been charged with the difficult task of repairing our international relations while at the same time protecting our nation and ensuring its security. It is my hope that your vice president's predictions prove untrue, and that you do not face a difficult attack from another nation or nations - because in spite of being a supporter of your opponent in the presidential race, I have no desire to see you or our nation fail.

This is not Congress, so there can be no (however metaphorical) references to "reaching across the aisle". That task will be left to your party's (and my party's) representatives in the House and Senate. For a president, there is only reaching out - to those who supported you, to those who did not, to Joe the Plumber, to the veteran wounded in Iraq, to the small business owner, to the large business owner, to the homeless, and to the coal miner who does not want to go bankrupt. Real change can come if you avoid filling your Cabinet with "yes men" -- knowledgeable but not likely to challenge you, and instead reach across political divides and seek the wisdom of all opinions. That is what will prove post-partisanship, and that is what will unite a country deeply divided into Red and Blue. That takes true audacity, and that will bring hope to many who are still discouraged.

My respect and congratulations,
Jessica Jondle, a Republican citizen from California