"This is the most important election of our lives"

[DanTex]

Politicians say this basically every presidential election. At least every election since I've been voting.

And they're saying it again now.

Is there any objective (or subjective, whatever) way to justify this? Since 2000 at least, they've all been pretty important. If we win 2000, then there's no Iraq War, maybe even no 9-11, possibly no financial collapse, definitely no tax cuts for rich people, etc. I'd say 2004 was less important, because Bush had already done the most damage in his first term.

2008 might have been the most important recently. But part of what made it important was that we lost in 2000, so there was this huge mess to clean up. Would we be better off now with Dems in the WH from 2000-2008 and the GOP from 2008-2016? Tough to say.

How do people think 2016 stacks up, in terms of importance, to the other elections starting in say 2000 (or before that)? How would you rank the recent elections in terms of "importance" (whatever that may mean)?

[Thinkingabout]

1. Having the SC giving the presidency to George W Bush was a disaster. He over spent and got the US

into a Middle East conflict we are still trying to overcome. We sure don't need another Bush who thinks W made a good move by removing Saddam. Saddam was a bad person but from the removal Islamic State was born, one of the worst foreign affairs mistake of my lifetime and perhaps more in the future lifetimes.

[Xipe Totec]

2. This is one important reason:

Four out of nine justices of the supreme court are 76 years old or older. The retirement age in the US is 67.

http://www.thegreenpapers.com/Hx/SupremeCourt.html

Whoever occupies the Whitehouse in the next Presidential term is very likely to appoint almost half the Justices of the Supreme Court.

[DanTex]

6. Excellent point. A lot is at stake in the court.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

3. it's more important for Democrats

If a Democrat is president, the congress can hold the line and nothing gets done. If a Republican is president, the White House and Congress can run the table on legislation, judicial appointments, etc. Repubs have been running the table in MI for a few years, and the results are not pretty.

[DanTex]

5. This is a good point. Especially if the GOP somehow gets to 60 in the senate, that's bad news.

[PatrickforO]

4. The very earth groans under the capitalist overlords

because they care SO much about profits they are willing to destroy this earth for just a few more billions. Because they care SO much about profits that they are willing to amass most wealth in the hands of only 1% of the people and allow the rest of us to dwell in discomfort and poverty.

Pretty damned important, if you ask me.

[onehandle]

7. SCOTUS SCOTUS SCOTUS.

No more Citizens United.
No more District of Columbia v. Heller.
No more Bush v. Gore.
No more Burwell v. Hobby Lobby.

No more corporate personhood.

The insanity in the name of profit must stop.

[redstateblues]

8. It's important to keep the Rs from

undoing all the good that's been done over the last 50 years. More importantly is the necessity of winning back control of the state governments. The Rs have rigged all the elections in states that they have taken over by all voter suppression methods.

[HappyPlace]

9. We need to get it right, for a change. "No Baggage Bernie" is the most electable.

Yeah, I coined that just now!

Seriously, the only baggage that can be found is being manufactured, even as we speak.

[DanTex]

10. We got it right in 2008. I think we need to get it right again.

[goldent]

11. I get tired of hearing that also

I think they are all exactly the same.

I guess you could argue that means each election is most important, if you allow for ties

[WestCoastLib]

12. 2000 or 1980- Most important elections of my life.

Probably 1980 really, since 2000 doesn't happen without Ron.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. False advertising...as usual.

[LostOne4Ever]

14. The only thing really more important about this one than the last few is:

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]1) The Supreme Court Might FINALLY be turned blue

2)The environment is getting more and more out of whack and another Repug would be a disaster.

Other than that it is the usual false hyping we always get.[/font]

[One_Life_To_Give]

15. In the Grand Scheme few events depend upon One Unique individual

Had Adolf Hitler never been born would we be heralding the Versailles Treaty for delivering a Century of Peace? Or would the Nazis have risen to power under another charismatic leader?

With the US Government it would be difficult for any individual to have too much impact. Even POTUS is more a collection of individuals rather than a single mighty dictator. Then elections every few years forces a stabilizing effect where the people push back against any sustained shift too far one way or the other. Even shrubs incompetence was unable to send the Pub's the way of the Whigs.