[MNJohnnie]

Just because you want to run for President does not mean you have a right to be on the stage.

If you want your candidate on the stage, get enough people to support them.

Third parties ARE included (i.e. Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996) when they can show themselves to be anything but a fringe irrelevance

[longtermmemmory]

this is nothing but articles for troll fodder.

You never see this BS over with the DUmies. This is just to steal votes away via dead enders.

The left should be voting third party to teach Obama a lesson.

[Vigilanteman]

One of Reagan's greatest moves was to insist on including 3rd Party Candidate John Anderson in the first debate. Carter boycotted and was represented in the debate by an empty chair.

Having displayed that sense of fair play, Reagan went on to clean Carter's clock in the remaining two debates.

Of course, John Anderson was actually able to convince 1 in 20 voters that he was a viable choice. It is a pretty modest standard and a case could be made to include someone polling the support of 1 in 25, 1 in 30 or even 1 in 50. But, so far as I can tell, none of these guys are polling even 1 in 100.

[Revenge of Sith]

Perot was included in 1992, but not in 1996 and both decisions were correct because the Perot of 1996 did not have the support that the Perot of 1992 did.