Latest Presidential Polls: Obama, Romney Tied, What It Says About Voters

Impact

The race for the presidency of the United States is statistically tied between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. For all of the money being poured into these campaigns it looks like it could be determined by a coin toss. While everyone scrutinizes the candidates, the race is going to come down to voters. One thing we know for sure is that no matter who becomes president voters won't take responsibility for it. It seems then that the real job of the president it to serve as a responsibility shield.

Democracy is the best form of government for outsourcing responsibility. We literally have someone represent us to make the tough decisions so that when things go wrong or people don't agree with us, they get blamed and not us. If the economy is slow, it's the president’s fault. If infrastructure is bad, it’s Congress' fault. If healthcare isn't ideal, it's the Supreme Court's fault. For all the talk of us being represented, there is a severe lack of responsibility taking.

It is something of a wonder why anyone would want to become the "Punching Bag in Chief." We all march forward demanding better services and fewer taxes, proudly setting ourselves up for righteous indignation when the math doesn't work out. If there's one thing that convinces us we are good reasonable people it is the reassurance that we are actually not in control. We will blame politicians, financiers, or foreign countries for our failures but we will never admit it is ourselves. We live in a democracy where it is somehow everyone's fault but our own.

So while the race for becoming "the leader of the free world" is tied, we should take it as an opportunity to realize and exercise our very real responsibility. We are the deciders and being so we need to take responsibility. War and financial collapse are just as much our own fault as the presidents' and senators'. We are more in control of this democracy than we like to admit because the results are often hard to swallow. Things won't change drastically no matter who becomes president because they are just puppets and we continue to hold the strings. But if there's one thing we can count on it is that we will continue to convince ourselves that we aren't responsible.