[Sabertooth]

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.

[Paul C. Jesup]

You know, run-on elections between the top two winners would solve this problem, but when have politicans ever wanted to solve problems.

[Paul C. Jesup]

You know, run-off elections between the top two winners would solve this problem, but when have politicans ever wanted to solve problems.

[George W. Bush]

In Floriduh in 2000, Pat and Bay Buchanan were trying to argue that their 300 or so votes from a county actually should be counted for Gore. They failed. (I was so glad I had jumped ship before drinking the koolaid!)

Had they succeeded, we would have been fighting the re-election of a Prez Gore and we'd be the ones saying 'selected not elected'.

New Mexico, another state that could have tipped the outcome was within about 400 votes in the final tally as I recall.

I guess I thought that we had settled the issue of whether every vote counts back in 2000.