Does It Matter Who You Vote For In the Upcoming Election?

I think it is very important. I really can't conceive of anyone being as bad for the country and the people as Obama has been. In so many presidential elections as others have said above, it is a matter of voting for the lesser of the evils. The last president who was really good for the country(and the world) was Ronald Reagan. Though there are probably many who will disagree, I think George W. Bush was much better than Obama. Obama likes to blame everything on Bush, but I would like to see just how Obama would have kept the country from going into a very deep recession just after 9/11. That didn't happen with Bush in office and few if any ever realize that is just how things could have gone.

When I say this, I only speak of my opinion, so let me say it now, choose the lesser of two evils. For me, I believe that politicians will never be clean and so the only measure to where to cast my vote will be on the lesser dirt they have on their name.

I think there is some difference, but how much will actually be evident after the campaign is over, I don't know. I think we need someone with some business experience, but only if that person will use it for the benefit of the nation. I wouldn't go so far as to say it doesn't matter if we vote. If everyone thought that way, where would we be?

It would make more sense to elect Libertarians to Congress rather than the Presidency. After all, they make the laws. Americans don't fully understand their own government and how it works, the President actually does NOT have the power that we're accustomed to seeing them use. We've gotten so used to the over reach of the executive branch for the last 100 years we think that is how it is supposed to be. We believe that if we can just get the right guy in there all will be well. While the president does set the policies that will be pursued, it is Congress that makes or breaks those policies, or at least it should be. Under Obama, executive order has been used almost 1000 times to circumvent the law. To me and many others, this a very dangerous precedent and needs to be reigned in. What the president's office does do is set policy, and as leader of his political party he 'rallies the troops' so to speak. But unless he has support in Congress to carry out his policies according to the Constitution, he has only veto power to carry them out. What Obama has done is divided not just the Congress, making it near impossible to work together but he has divided the American people along race, gender and economic classes. And he's done it deliberately. His role as 'leader' has been to by his policies and rhetoric and executrive order has been abused. He is unwilling to compromise. And that is the biggest difference between him and Romney as far as I can see. Romney has proven he can compromise, and yet we call this 'flip flopping'? We accept Obama's 'evolution' on the gay marriage issue, as good and right, but wasn't that just a political flip flop? I agree with the Libertarians much more so than the Republicans. And I recognize that the RNC leaves much to be desired in the way of policies proposals. But I do not see the American people electing a Libertarian president under the current mood of the country. There are way to many of us that depend on the Federal Government to meet our needs, we like having them there to regulate us and regulate us. Consider the different agencies of the Federal government that we've come to depend on. The EPA, Dept. of Ed., etc. Despite the fervency of the Ron Paul camp, many Americans are fearful of 'going it on their own' without oversite and rulings fromt the Federal Government. I find it sad, but very true that the majority of Americans are 'spoiled' in this way. IF those people (like me) really want smaller Federal Government, we should place people like Ron Paul and Gary Johnson in Congress so they could VOTE for the programs that reduce government. I believe this election is the most important election to be held since the election of Abraham Lincoln. The president's role is as a leader as I said earlier. If we do not get the Democrats out of positions of power, we will continue down the path of big government and ruling by executrive fiat rather than by will of the people as expressed in the Constitution. It is not JUST Obama that has brought us to the point we are at today. It has been the ideological push towards big government of the progressive Democrat party at ALL levels of our government. I also find it VERY DANGEROUS that our leaders are ignoring the basic tenents of the Constitution. And that has accelerated under Obama at very alarming rates for those who understand just what Constitutional governing is, like the Libertarian candidates. I find it very sad that Ron Paul and Gary Johnson do not see this. Of all people, being Libertarians, they should realize just how important it is to remove Barack Obama from office if we are to return to a Federal Government that actually follows the tenents of the Constitution. For that reason, I do not feel they have the best interests of the country at heart and are merely trying to be part of the 'power structure' that our Federal Government has become. Surely we all understand that a vote for Gary Johnson or Ron Paul UNLESS there are the majority of 310,000,000 voting for one of them, is just in effect a vote away from Romney and a vote FOR Obama. I've said over and over on this and other forums, the imperitive is to get Obama out of office if we want big government to stop growning. Once we turn around the drive towards this, we can concentrate on reducing the big government we already have IN CONGRESS.

thank you Wumpy for the BR. I am very concerned that these difference in opinion amongst those of us we wish to see a return to Constitutional governance will be the doom of America. It is so very important that we be united, and Obama is playing us, he is aware, very aware of how to divide and conquer. And I don't doubt for a minute that by pointing to Romney's 'faults' as a conservative that he knows he is dividing us and assuring his win in Novemeber. I lean towards agreement with the libertarian platform. We WILL NEVER see anything close to the libertarian's desires for America IF WE LET THE PROGRESSIVES WIN IN NOVEMBER.

Yes it matters and if you vote for one of the two main clowns our whole country will lose. We the people need to stand up and make it known to both of the main parties that their lies and deceit will no longer be tolerated. Research a bit and vote for someone who is not affiliated with either the democrats or republicans. Nothing will change unless we change it. If you see someone you like but your communist state refuses to put them on the ballot remember you can aways write their name in.

I know I'm very late with this but when I came across it I had to respond just the same. To answer your title question, yes, yes, YES it matters! To say the two candidates are indistinguishable is probably the most absurd things I've ever heard, with all due respect. Going just by the reason you cited, that both men are wealthy, there is still no comparison; in President Obama we have a man who came from humble roots while in Romney we have someone who was born with a silver, gold and diamond spoon in his mouth. However, that's really not the issue here, in my humble opinion. Seriously, no matter which side of the many issues facing us as a nation one comes down on, this is no doubt one of the most important Presidential elections in my lifetime at least and one in which there is probably the BIGGEST differences in ideologies and overall philosophies. One will definitely sign a repeal of the ACA, effectively taking health care coverage away from millions of Americans while the other will veto it. Of course, this repeal can't happen without a change in the make-up of the Senate and a continuation of the GOP majority in the House, so these races are also very important. On other issues, one will resume the practice of tax cuts, especially for the wealthiest amongst us, and spending cuts which will harm the least fortunate amongst us while the other realizes it's middle class Americans who are truly the "job creators". One will protect Medicare for our seniors, current and future, while the other will turn it into a voucher program which by some estimates will cost the average senior citizen an addition $6000+ per year. Then there's the Supreme Court...if you like the Citizens' United ruling you'll absolutely LOVE Romney's future nominees. There will possibly be up to 3 opeigs in the court in the next Presidential term so you can see how much THIS alone matters. Regardless of your views please believe me when I say it matters greatly who you vote for in November. PLEASE make sure you exercise your right to vote, unless you end up being one of those whose right will be taken away this year. Annie

The differences are basically in what parts of your life they want the federal government sticking it's nose in to, what aspect of the welfare state they push and what country they plan on going to war with next. Either way, we will still wind up with a federal government that sticks it's nose in to your life, continues the welfare state and goes to war with someone. The problem is people look at only a small portion of the larger picture. In doing so, they see a canyon of difference between the two. when in reality, there is not much daylight between the two big box parties. I have pretty much made up my mind. Unless Ron Paul pulls off a miracle at the republican convention, I will be supporting, campaigning for and voting for Gary Johnson (Libertarian party).

Yes, it matters even if all you are doing is exercising your right to vote and write in Mickey Mouse as a candidate. Popular vote counts and very rarely has the Electoral College gone against the Popular vote. Most of those cases were because the Presidential candidate wasn't exactly alive at the time. As far as the differences between Romney and Obama, well Obama has pretty much used up all of his political capital left and has absolutely no negotiating power left. So, it makes sense to put in a new President, along with new members of Congress in order to get momentum moving again.

It really doesn't matter who wins in November, America loses. Both parties have failed. Think about it. If either party was any good that party would always be in power and the other party would be extinct. The reason that both parties continue to exist is because neither has proven to be able to govern well. Unfortunately the voters are content with going back and forth between these same two parties and their failed ideologies. When the republicans fail the voters kick them out of power and vote the democrats into power. When the democrats fail, the voters kick them out of power and vote the republicans back into power. Back and forth, back and forth. And somehow the voters think that going back and forth between the same two parties and the same two sets of failed ideologies is real change. It's not. America would be better off if there weren't any political parties at all. Right now the two parties have all of the power when it's the people that are supposed to have the power. The people can't have power if our "choices" are the same two parties and the same two sets of failed ideologies every single election. Unfortunately, anything short of a revolution probably won't bring about the end of political parties and with that, the kind of real change that this country needs to get back on track.