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Correct. The dedicated third-partyists have so marginalized themselves that they very rarely impact elections. Does anyone think the Democrats "got the message" from the impact of Nader's vote in 2000? About 97% of voters recognize that voting third-party to send a message is about as effective as spitting into the wind.

The dedicated third-partyists have so marginalized themselves that they very rarely impact elections.

Third party candidates impacted elections in 1948, 1960, 1968, 1980, 1992, 1996, and 2000. That's seven of the fourteen Presidential Elections in over a half century, including four of the last six and the last three in a row.
The Democrats have won six of the fourteen in that time, and on four of those occasions -- Truman ('48), Kennedy ('60), Clinton ('92), and Clinton ('96) -- they won by a plurality. That means that the Democrats won the Presidency on four occasions when the Republicans plus third parties outpolled them. In fact, only Johnson ('64) and Carter ('76) have gotten more than 50% of the popular vote for the Democrats since FDR's final victory in 1944.
In contrast, of the eight Presidential Elections that the GOP has won in that time, only Nixon ('68) and President Bush (2000) won with less than a majority of the popular vote.
In recent electoral history, third parties are quite likely to impact Presidential elections.

Correct. The dedicated third-partyists have so marginalized themselves that they very rarely impact elections.

There have been a few Electoral College votes allotted to a 3rd party candidate in the last 100 years or so, but nothing near enough to impact the outcome of the election....

The largest number I believe was Strom Thurmond in 1948 with 39 as a State's Right party candidate with 2.4% of the vote...

In 1924 the Progressive party got 13 EC votes with 16.6% of the vote....

President Reagan got one EC vote in 1976 and Harry Byrd got 13 EC Votes in 1960....

So you are correct in that they don't impact the outcome nearly as much as they would like people to think they do....