The history of U.S. electoral politics shows that, despite current appearances, third parties have been an active part of national, state and local races.
The Founding Fathers were said to have abhorred the idea of political parties, essentially wanting candidates to be elected on their merits. The Constitution does not reference political parties at all.
But while 3rd parties were virtually always part of each election cycle and candidates in office, it was on local and state levels primarily and in Congress, but not just yet the Presidency.
In light of the current dissatisfaction with both major party's candidates in this election, what a welcome relief and critical benefit a candidate such as Green Party Presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, would be to the political, duopolistic discourse, some say circus-becoming-a-zoo, dominant today. If someone doesn't belong to political 'business-as-usual', they are simply excluded by the mainstream media all of whom rent The People's airwaves. The irony shouldn't be lost on us.
An honest look at election law reveals outright bias and little interest in the principles of Democracy. Freedom, justice and equality for all are blocked at virtually every level of federal, state and local when it comes to qualifying for being on the ballot. It is like there is a lock on the system. No, there is a lock on the system.
Jill Stein, Gary Johnson and Evan McMullin don't stand a chance. However, if use of the People's airwaves were legally mandated to serve the People, the common good, less than half the shows aired probably wouldn't be and certainly we would have the benefit of exposure to all the candidates running, not just two. How do you think that might change the election results?
While State election laws vary widely, a glance reveals that many were designed to keep 3rd party candidates out. The cost of entry is frequently extreme and very few third party candidates can afford the price.
It begs the question of why is what we call the leader of Democracy in the World so undemocratic? Why are there so many laws on the books which make it nearly impossible to run for office if one is not in one of the two main parties and even then the cost is daunting? Why is money determining who runs or not in a real Democracy? If parties were abhorred by the Founding Fathers whom we say so admire, why is our system of government completely dominated by them?
The lockdown on 3rd Party candidates and Democracy is further exemplified by the concession of the Presidential debates by the League of Women Voters to the Commission on Presidential Debates. This wresting of power from the League was nothing short of anti-democratic and pro-duopolistic, all at the expense of the American People, detailed in George Farah's book No Debate and in an A Better World interview with him. http://abetterworld.tv/?s=george+farah&cat=0
It's interesting to see that there isn't a single news broadcast on mainstream TV that asks questions about Democratic process pertaining to the debates, to ballot access or references 3rd Party candidates, of which there are at least three, while using our public airwaves as the basis of their business enterprise.
In none of the debates was one question asked about campaign financing or repealing Citizens v United. Or about Climate Change, except by one young man in the Town Hall. Such is the sorrowful state of Democracy in what is referred to as "the greatest Democracy in the world".
Dr. Jill Stein, Presidential candidate of the Green Party in 2012 and in the current election, while gaining tremendous support on college campuses across the country and elsewhere, stood little chance of getting on stage with Clinton and Trump despite the fact that young people love and support her across the country much as they did Bernie Sanders, who also received relatively scant media coverage in comparison to the others no doubt because his views seriously challenged the corporate-controlled Washington power elite as do those of Dr. Stein.
For them, politics is an opportunity to serve the People, not their corporate sponsors, of which they each had or have none. My recent interview with Dr. Stein reveals some of the challenges.
To counter the undemocratic system, media and debates, the alternative media program Democracy Now arranged for Dr. Stein to be on her own stage during the debates and weighed in per question following the other candidates aired through Facebook, available for all to see.
Sadly, relatively few people know of her and her positions because the media is obsessed instead with Trump's sexual escapades. Meanwhile, the agenda of actually serving The People and the serious issues facing us domestically and globally such as millions of hungry children here and abroad, social justice, human trafficking and Climate Change are marginalized in favor of prurient preoccupations.
If this had happened in a developing country, we would have called the election illegal, but in the U.S. due to the power curve and the media-as-cheerleader, all sorts of unethical and illegal activities take place without notice.
It is my supposition that if more people were to be able to hear the 3rd Party candidates debate alongside the others the American mind would listen and open. It happened when Ross Perot was on stage and it apparently scared the daylights out of the two controlling parties. Apparently they vowed to do what they could to never let that happen again.
To hear Jill Stein in particular, the barriers to the Presidency would dissolve due to her words of wisdom and commitment peace, justice, the need for revamping the criminal justice system, building a green economy and always putting people and planet before profit.
Due to economics and politics, 3rd Parties are close to barred from participating in the election cycle on the level of state ballot laws, unjust criteria for participating in the TV debates and a media that is interested more in ratings, selling ad space and horse races than in serving the People.
This is especially tragic when so much is at stake in this election and the unfavorability level of the two main candidates is at an historical high, leaving the American People close to no choice when in fact, there are viable candidates and choices on the ballot and who can be chosen with sufficient media exposure to learn of their positions. So continues so-called Democracy in the U.S. until, I suggest, candidates from other parties are given entry to the ballots and the nationally televised debates on The People's Airwaves.