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Originally Posted by Truth-Bringer
Then you oppose freedom.
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Oh quite to the contrary. You are the one who opposes freedom. You are the one who wants to force the commission on presidential debates a private NPO to let in 3rd party candidates who have absolutely no chance of winning the election. I respect the rights of private organizations you don’t.
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This is totally false.
The Corrupt Status Quo versus American Values
Third Parties Fight for American Democracy
People are disgusted with the pro-war, pollution-loving, corrupt Republicans and Democrats. So why don't third parties succeed more? The answer, observes Joel S. Hirschhorn, is that third parties are artificially held back by special laws and habits created by the two corrupt parties, for the purpose of reducing our choices in elections.
by Joel S. Hirschhorn
A great democracy offers citizens sharp political choices. That’s what gives political freedom meaning. With two-party control of America’s political system, political options and discourse are stifled. We badly need more visible third-parties that can fully participate and reach the public with information about their platforms and candidates. In a nation that so worships competition it is hypocritical that there is so little political competition.
In truth, the Democratic-Republican partnership opposes competition. They have convinced Americans that votes for third party candidates are “wasted.” Yet the biggest wasted vote is for a Democrat or Republican that is almost certain to win or lose, and takes your vote for granted. This year, even in the face of enormous public dissatisfaction with the two major parties, and a widespread belief that both are hopelessly corrupted by big money from corporate and other special interests, too many voters sheepishly picked from column D or R, even for sure winners or losers.
Rest of Article Here
"Too many libertarians (whether or not they're in the Libertarian Party) fail to recognize the enormous obstacles that any third-party campaign faces -- and they ignore the tremendous opportunities the Libertarian presidential campaign offers.
* Obstacles
America has a 2-party system, but not because of popular demand.
The Democrats and Republicans have legislated third parties into irrelevance -- using five principal methods: donation limits, reporting laws, campaign subsidies, the Debate Commission, and ballot-access laws.
To give you just two examples of the impact of these hurdles:
In 2000, the presidential campaign raised $2.6 million, but $250,000 of that had to be diverted into ballot-access drives in just two states: Pennsylvania and Arizona. That's money that could have gone into advertising, but instead was of no value in campaign outreach.
In my home state of Tennessee, Republicans and Democrats are listed on the ballot with their party labels. But candidates of any other parties must be listed as "Independent." Thus anyone who enters the polling booth determined to vote against the two major parties must know already which third-party candidate to vote for. If he doesn't, he'll be afraid to choose among the "Independents," not knowing which of them might be a Nazi or a Communist.
These are just two examples of the legislative barriers placed in the way of third parties. To list all the various hurdles would fill a good-sized book."
Rest of Article Here
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That is noting more than a rant.
Should anyone who wants to be on the ballot simply be put on. Should there be no signature drive?
Should a private institution be forced by the government to let candidates into their debate?
Is the public good served by giving the fringe an equal time soap box taking away time from the candidates the public actually wants to see?