Don't forget about Pat Buchanan, in 2000. He declared as an independent. He knew he could not win.

We have the primary challenges for this purpose. If you cannot win the primary, its just a pitty party going third party, in a national election, that relies on the electoral system. Had it not been for the electoral system, Perot might have been a serious challenger. But a national popular vote can change the whole dynamic and not necessarily in a good way. The money in this election is just insane. Getting paid back, means picking winners and losers. We need more debates, when people are paying attention and less fraudulent advertising. People might begin to pay attention earlier if ads and money were restricted. Regardless, it won't be decided here.

Third parties in either party are the small minority. They don't have broad support for various reasons. We may get more regardless. Given the lack of education of economics and personal finance for people old enough to vote, we put the entire nation in danger. Imagine knowing at 18 what their parents know much later in life. If you want politicians to work together, you have to educate the youth, well enough they understand the ramifications of excessive govt regulation, overspending and overtaxing, under the guise of compassion. That would at least help weed out the various proponents of government ownership, Keynesian economics and the welfare state.