This is an election year and there are plenty of people who at this point realize that the US President is largely a figurehead, as are pretty much all the others, and who will tell you that it really doesn’t matter who is elected, the outcome, essentially speaking, is largely the same. The same, in the sense, that whatever was planned will go on just as planned and should any mere figurehead get it in his head that he is in a position to change it, he will end up with no position at all and likely shot by a lone assassin or killed in one of those oh-so-rare jet airline crashes. One man is just too small an entity.

To really answer this question more correctly, though, I think it would be beneficial to make a few assumptions. Assumptions that may or may not be true, but are useful for the sake of seeing clearly an aspect of the question. Let’s assume two things for the sake of clarity. Let’s assume that the presidential candidates say exactly what they mean, what they believe, and what they intend. I know, I know. That’s a BIG assumption to make. We can probably say without any doubt that it ISN’T true. But you will see in a moment why I’m making it. The other assumption is that elections are indeed free and truly count the sentiments of the people. In many cases we can say they probably do not, but in at least some, they do. With these two assumptions in place and accepting that the president in largely a figurehead with little or no real power let’s ask the question again: Does it matter who gets elected?

Well, yes, it does. If the people, ignorant as they may be of the true political realities, and trusting the words coming from the mouths of their candidates, choose a man who openly and vehemently defends a position that with one swipe eviscerates the US Constitution by blithely tossing out Amendments 4 through 8, then we can say, they certainly will get what they deserve. They are not good people. But, if they choose a man who is consistent, upholds individual freedom, abhors war, avoids foreign entanglements, and upholds the right to self defense, they make a bold statement about their philosophy, intelligence, and maturity. And whether that president could deliver, or whether he might be used as a tool to fool the people into accepting something that seems right but is really to their detriment, they illustrate their basic goodness and with that make it that much harder for the powers that be to ultimately control them.

So, yes, I think it does matter who gets elected, if only because it lets me know who my neighbors are.