Once again I don’t disagree with what you say. I agree also that what you say is true. The aforementioned are playing on the inside, on the lesser of two evils rule, but being pummeled by their own party machine. The few are doing the work of giants and holding to your point of view that building a third party is a nearly impossible task fit only for the demoralized.
The inevitable result is five patriots lose to the Republican machine guy, who then goes on to barely lose to the Socialist Party. The clock seems to have run out by now on this rinse and repeat cycle. What’s more is that the Democrat Party is largely relieved of smear duty when the Romney type GOP leadership and rainmakers do it for them.
We have lost any meaningful differentiation between the parties, which results in lethargy for any fight on the field. The Republicans are demonstrating they have the numbers and the money to ensconce lethargy, so why deny speaking for myself that there has been a coup? Only Obama these days fails to call a coup, a coup. :)
I think your analogy holds up pretty accurately in Prez elections, and only prez elections -but I am focused on a whole lot more than that. A third party might elect a President one day - but that’s not the same thing as being a real across the board party.
A third party elected a Minnesota governor in 98, and it didn’t do a thing to help out in any meaningful way, and that party is now gone with the wind. A third party got 19% of the vote for Prez in 92, but it’s not even a vapor anymore.