Every election has its own catchphrases, and this time around, pundits are claiming this will be the most important election in peoples’ lifetimes.

At a panel sponsored by the Paul M. Hebert Law Center last week, Louisiana Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain said this presidential election is one of the most important because “we are on the verge of disaster.”

Strain said America is headed for the fiscal cliff, which is the name given to what could happen to the United States economy if some laws are allowed to automatically continue or expire.

This could happen due to a lack of compromise, leading to governmental gridlock.

Political science professor James Garand agreed with those who say this election is the most important, because every election in recent history has been the same way.

Garand said as a nation, the United States has become more polarized as years have passed, and this has contributed to the feelings on both sides of the race that if the other side comes to power, it will be “a complete and unmitigated disaster.”

“In Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum elections, where the sides are close together, it doesn’t matter that much,” he said.

The last election of that kind happened in 1976, between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, when, according to Garand, there were no stark policy differences.

Now, he said candidates have no room for compromise on their platforms.

Bob Mann, director of the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs, said the idea that this is the most important election is “a lot of hype.”

Politicians use it to motivate citizens to vote, and it’s understandable, Mann said.

He acknowledged that some elections have greater consequence than others, such as the 2000 race between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

He said in the context of war, the 2000 race was the most important in this generation.

As far as leveling the playing field, Mann said the most important thing a president does is elect Supreme Court justices, and that is one of the biggest issues in this election, with four justices older than 70.

Then again, this could be argued for each presidential election, he said.

Even concerning healthcare reform, which Mann considers the most divisive issue of the 2012 election, he doubts Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be able to act within a year if he is elected president.

“It’s hard to make the case that this is the most important election in our lifetime,” Mann said.