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It's all over ... but the re-counting?

I'm writing on a deadline that doesn't allow waiting for election results, so I don't know yet who's won and lost in races from president to school board.

I expect many to be tight, maybe keeping us all on edge until Wednesday's early hours. Even then, some might remain too close to call.

Nevertheless, you don't have to know the final score to tell how the game was played. This one had its share -- more, really -- of fumbles, fouls, misdirections and, for all that, excitement.

While hard feelings are natural, I hope that, whatever the outcome, the winners and losers can move on in the spirit of good sportsmanship.

Winning elections is only a means to an end, that being to govern with the consent of the people and in their name.

The leaders chosen Tuesday are supposed to represent the interests of all their constituents, not just those who voted for them or contributed money to their campaigns. If they keep that in mind and try to fulfill that obligation, they deserve the respect and support of all the people.

That said, we surely can learn lessons from the manner of campaigning we've all witnessed at every level.

Congratulations to candidates for local offices, including county commissioner, school board and, in some places, like High Point, city offices. We haven't seen attack ads and mudslinging at that level. Judicial candidates also ran positive campaigns with their limited resources.

My theory: When political rivals are apt to run into each other, or friends and family members, around town or in a professional setting like a courthouse, they're less inclined to make ugly and untrue accusations.

So, maybe if Elizabeth Dole had attended Kay Hagan's church a couple of times, she never would have come up with that "Godless" TV ad.

Unfortunately, in statewide and national contests, few restraints seem to apply. Certainly not the bounds of fair play or accuracy. We always seem to say after each campaign that this was the worst ever. Because I clearly remember Jesse Helms vs. Jim Hunt in 1984, I'm more cautious than that, but for North Carolina negatives, both Senate candidate Dole and gubernatorial candidate Bev Perdue stood out, sadly.

But it's not the politicians alone who cast stones recklessly. In my many years of editorial page work, I've never handled so many letters to the editor containing false assertions. Others in this business have noticed the same trend.

I blame the great disseminator, the Internet, which translates unlimited misinformation at the speed of light. Some of it is plucked by the easily deceived, repackaged as a letter to the local newspaper, and transmitted in hopes of landing in print.

Sometimes the falsehoods were filtered out, sometimes not. The point is the willingness of so many to believe the worst about a candidate and pass it on, proving again that negative seems to work.

I'd be remiss, however, if I failed to point a finger of blame at my own profession. The Pew Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism recently released a study showing gross differences in the nature of TV news coverage of the presidential campaigns. During a six-week period in September and October, the treatment of John McCain was much more negative than was the coverage of Barack Obama.

Beginning today, the broadcast and cable networks should examine their work during the campaign and determine how they could have allowed this to happen. They are supposed to report the news fairly and present intelligent, informed commentary -- not offer a distorted view of the candidates.

The print media should undertake a similar review to determine whether their coverage was reasonably balanced. Opinions are appropriate on editorial pages but not in news columns, even if they're labeled "analysis." It only raises the anger level of voters if the news sources they want to rely on for accurate, balanced reporting let them down.

Emotions have run high during the past few months. The presidential campaign, which seemed to last forever, sprinted to a historic finish. It will take some time for everyone to simmer down.

But it's important for us all to get our attitudes right. The people have spoken and, no matter what their verdict, the decision is final. Unlike people in many other parts of the world, Americans accept election results. That's the covenant we have with our nation's founders and the Constitution they left us.

God bless America!

Contact Doug Clark at 373-7039 or dgclark@news-record.com