Third Party Momentum Builds

Good Sunday morning, Friends,

It's really gratifying to know that my blog is read at CNN, MSNBC, and at the major campaigns. I hear words that I conjure up and were first used in this forum come directly out of the mouths of both the candidates and the commentators.

For instance, this morning, Bernie Sanders started calling Hillary Clinton the Democratic party's "anointed" candidate. He's never used that term before, but I've been calling her that for weeks.

I pointed out in a post several months ago how the Sanders campaign seemed to be following the advice in my blog, and it was totally tongue in cheek.

But now that I've been contacted by two different news shows at CNN, and this blog has more than 5,200 readers, I kinda think some important folks pay close attention to it.

I blogged on Friday how the campaign of obscure Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson was gaining traction, and that he will be the viable third-party option. Now, both MSNBC and CNN are all over the story. Thank you.

Yesterday, MSNBC's Alex Witt featured Johnson on her show, and this morning, CNN's Jake Tapper followed that story up with an announcement that former Republican governor of Massachusetts, Bill Weld, would be the other half of Johnson's ticket and had Weld on his show.

I know you don't know Gary Johnson, and I'm sure
 you don't know who in the heck I am...but you will.

That's two liberal former Republican governors, who both had successful tenures in office, running as the alternative to two candidates that neither of whose own parties can barely stomach.

I'd say the Libertarians are a pretty attractive option.

If this formidable ticket gains just five more points in national polls, Johnson will be on the debate stage with both Trump and Clinton. And that's where the more than 40% of Americans who say they want a third-party option will really get to know him.

Unless we see a Clinton/Sanders ticket, which would hold on to the Independent vote for the Democrats, the Libertarian duo could give Hillary running sans Bernie some real problems.

This makes it so important for the Democrats to take the both tactical and strategic move of putting Sanders on the ticket.

The popular former Republican governors should cause The Donald even more heartache by luring much of the GOP mainstream to their more-known records and promise of stability,

Third parties have not had any success in presidential elections in modern times. With the exception of John Anderson, Ross Perot, and Gore-spoiler Ralph Nader, they've had virtually no impact .on the races they've been in.

But, of course, this is no normal election. The GOP is nominating a non-viable candidate by any conventional measure, while the Dems' most-likely and very-damaged choice would easily succumb to just about any other Republican nominee.

This could get very interesting.