AMID CAMPAIGNS' VICES, PRAISE SYSTEM'S VIRTUES

Today is Election Day. Publication of that sentence, we understand, brings all degrees of smirks, sighs of relief and upward glances acknowledging divine benevolence. Campaigns have a gift for wearing us down, and Americans are to be excused for their delight in seeing a particularly long one concluded. However, accept with this pleasure some perspective on the exercise consummated with today's balloting. Our system of government is renewing itself, and any momentary aversion of those who staff it shouldn't dull our appreciation for democracy as it is practiced in America.

Were we pleased with the way this campaign was conducted? Hardly. At nearly all levels, we were disappointed. Mudslinging is certainly not new to the election process, but it has been refined as an art form of late, much to the disappointment of Americans. Negative advertising and sound-bite assaults have become the norm of modern campaigning, and we are at a loss for suggesting how this phenomenon might be reversed. In the process, too much money is spent and not enough issues are discussed, and those issues that are spotlighted are often just the ones that lend themselves to easy explanations or comfortable posturing.

Still, campaigns (from county concerns all the way up to the presidency) are good for getting the nation thinking about the way governments operate, thinking that should take place every day but seldom does for most Americans. Despite the shortcomings of this campaign process, and the dismal outlook it might provide citizens, some substance manages to creep in. Even if the issues aren't dissected in a way they should be, they are indeed raised to a higher prominence. While it might not be to each citizen's liking, the mood of the electorate manages to make itself known.

Some Americans believe that Election Day should be a national holiday, as it is in some countries. Their contention is that it would enhance voter participation. While we don't buy the argument (preferring to keep America at work), we certainly believe Election Day is worth celebrating. As Americans, having been born to this system and knowing nothing else, we might not fully realize the gift of democracy, of being able to choose those who lead the nation. Maybe we could take some advice from Eastern Europeans, who are only now getting a taste of such freedom.

This day, above all others, is when most Americans step forward and lend their voice to the workings of this nation. It is something to take pride in. Amid vices of the campaign, it is a virtue to extol.