More on 3rd party exclusion.

From a much longer piece in The Clarion News on third parties being excluded from the debates:

Now and then, you hear the Democrats attacking Nader attacked for being a “spoiler,” potentially siphoning off votes that might otherwise go to Kerry.

Much less often you might hear about a fellow named Michael Badnarik. While he’s almost invisible in the news media, you can bet there are Republicans seriously worried about the candidate for the Libertarian party.

The GOP worries because some traditional conservatives and “small L” libertarians don’t like the foreign interventionism, out-of-control government spending and big government getting bigger and the rapidly rising deficit pinned on George and friends.

If Badnarik were a little better at the charisma thing and had more media play, he could potentially be more of a spoiler to the Republicans than Nader is to the Democrats.

Most opinion polls don’t even mention Badnarik, but I chanced across one that showed him pulling 5 percent of the vote in New Mexico ; serious in a close race.

And actually, according to the Libertarian Party web site (www.lp.org), more people will have a chance to vote for Badnarik than for Nader; Badnarik is on the ballot in 48 states, Nader in only 39. And the Libertarians are the third largest party in the U.S. , outstripping the Greens, Reform, Constitutional and the other larger third parties both in registrations and number of elected officials.

But neither Badnarik, Nader, nor any other third party candidates appear in the debates. It’s one less chance to hear what they have to say.