thus, in pragmatic ways, our electoral system is important to us. no less significant are the symbolic aspects of election campaigns. the british historian j. h. plumb maintained that there are two histories: the actual series of events that once occurred and the ideal series we affirm and hold in memory. in other words, the past is composed not only of historical "fact" but of what is "made" of history. it is, in the largest sense, the collective memory -- the national myth -- that unites us as a people. not only do elections provide leaders and grant them authority to govern, but they also add to our memory or image of the electoral process and thus give proof that the system is a good one. the fact that we have elections, that leaders are not overthrown by revolution, that citizens freely discuss and participate in the selection process, or that the constitution "worked" during the watergate crisis of the 1970s grants support for the belief that the American Dream is real and that this country really is destined to be the mighty keeper of liberty. all the fanfare and excitement of the political campaign --- be it bands and parades, buttons and billboards, speeches and rallies, television ads and debates, or internet chat rooms and home pages -- are important for the reinforcement provided about the rightness of what we do and the way we do it.