The Year of Passion

Here's an interesting New York Times article analyzing the election year rhetoric. Purdum notes that many people have debated about the political atmosphere during this year's elction, with some people complaining about the negativity and polarization associated with the Swiftboat ads and with Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. Others point to the large increase in first-time voters and see more positive trends. This ambivalence is nicely framed by Harry C. Boyte's comments:

"If you think of democracy as elections and voting, then this is a great moment. If you think of democracy as more a way of life, it's very uncertain what the result is going to be, and the polarization is very troubling."

So what's your take on how this election reflects democratic process?

Update: Here's another story about election-year issues that I came across while procrastinating this morning. This AP article analyzes the ways in whih voters get their information about the campaign and discusses the extent to which people may go to blogs or websites that present arguments that challenge their point of view.