Is a third political party straining to break out in America? That is the question posed by the Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau chief, Gerald Seib, in a June 1 column.His answer was a clear "yes." But the real question is why?According to Ambassador James K. Glassman, it's because "an independent, or third-party, candidate has not the slightest chance of getting to the White House or even seriously influencing the policies espoused by the two major party candidates."In a column penned for RealClearPolitics, Glassman points the finger at Frank Fahrenkopf and Mike McCurry, co-chairs of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), saying these men and the members of their board (listed here) refuse to give independent candidates a real chance to break through.This is despite the fact that Americans are crying out for new policies and approaches to end the gridlock and restore health to the American government. Need convincing? Just check out this video where people are asked, "how well do you think our two party system is working for us?":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOHRyr8vkPMYou could also check out any number of recent polls along those same lines. Take, for example, this one out of George Washington University in DC, which finds that Americans' pessimism about the current state of the country extends to the field of candidates for the 2016 presidential race.The CPD is supposed to be "nonpartisan." Its members have the power to remedy this situation by changing one rule to open up the debates to include a third, independent candidate - and can do so in time to impact the 2016 presidential election.As the editors of USA Today point out, such a move would, "make it harder for the major-party candidates to stick to talking points and platitudes."Instead, members stand by archaic hurdles that can only be cleared by a Democrat and a Republican. And we all know if you can't get into the debates, you can't get elected president.I'll close with another quote from Glassman's piece that is spot on:"America does indeed want independent and third-party candidates to run for president. It is a corrupt and closed system that denies them the choice. That system can be changed tomorrow if patriotically inclined members of the CPD prevail over the partisans."Editor's note: This update to Presidential Debate News originally published on the organization's website on June 10, 2015, and has been edited for publication on IVN.
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