"Be Not Afraid....Either Way, We're Good...."

Here’s a political analysis I’m willing to bet you won’t get anywhere else.

It won’t matter if Barack Obama is elected president.

It won’t matter if John McCain is elected president.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter all that much who wins.

Because the power of the presidency is, for the most part, illusory.

The founding fathers pretty much saw to that.

And while we continue trying to convince ourselves, and each other, that those we choose to live on Pennsylvania Avenue have joined us from Mount Olympus on their eventual way to Mount Rushmore, the fact is that they are, at the end of the day, mere mortals.

And our political system pretty much negates any chance that they’re going to do either radical harm, or radical good, while in office.

Unless they go Dr. Strangelove on us, but if that happens, all the bets are off anyway.

The president can do little or nothing without the support and/or consent of the Congress.

And Congress rarely chooses which side to come down on based on what might be good for the country.

They choose which side to come down on based on what’s good for the Congress.

Or, more to the point, what will keep us from getting pissed off enough to vote their asses out of office on the next go round.

Visions of Jimmy Stewart filibustering long into the night in defense of Joe Six Pack and Harriet Hockey Mom not withstanding, the whole structure of our government is really nothing more or less than a marble coated, tourist saturated version of your place of business.

And office politics are office politics, regardless of shape, size or rotunda.

You do what you have to do to keep your job.

Just like your elected representatives.

And if you happen to actually accomplish something in the process, then that’s gravy.

But it’s not necessarily germane to the goal.

Keeping the job.

No matter what President Obama or President McCain want to do, they’re gonna have to run it past the legislative branch.

And the legislative branch is gonna have to run it past you.

Because you’re the boss.

Neither President Obama or President McCain can fire Senator Hometown or Congresswoman Main Street.

But you can.

And if it comes to a choice between pissing off the President or pissing off the voter, which direction do you think your representatives are going to go?

Funny, ain’t it?

All the time and energy, let alone money, that gets spent every four years by the political parties in their effort to get you to decide who’s going to run the country

When the whole time, we already know who runs the country.

We do.

There’s just not enough room in the executive mansion for all of us to live together.

So we all get together every four years and pick somebody.

Somebody who spends their time and our money convincing us that they’re showing us the way.

Imagine what would happen if every single voter in this country realized what I’ve just shared with you.

We might actually get things done.