Post-election recap, Part One: It actually works!

The Ballot Box will phase out December 1st and the NCPR news team will launch a new shared blog that will cover a wider range of North Country topics.

We’re looking for a name for the new blog: let us know if you have ideas.

Meanwhile, I plan to use the next couple of weeks to wrap up some thoughts about Election 2008.

My first big take-away is that our democratic system actually works pretty darn well.

After 2000, with Florida and the Supreme Court intervention, there were a lot of serious questions about the process.

Could it be fair — and decisive? This election cycle a lot of conservative grumbled about ACORN and about Barack Obama walking away from the public financing system.

But everyone basically agrees that this time around we got the president most voters wanted.

Obviously, that’s the first and highest function of the election system. But a close second is public involvement.

In other parts of the world, elections are brief, tepid affairs. Parties come and go. Technocrats swap offices.

In America, democracy is one part idealism and one part spectacle. There’s plenty of PT Barnum mixed in with the policy debates. I say that’s a good thing.

When my 12 year old son is going on-line to watch election-related Youtube videos, that means we’ve engaged our citizens in the business of self-governance.

That bodes well for the future.

I’ll have more closing thoughts — but I’d also like to hear yours. Any big take-aways from your experience of Election 2008?