Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein failed to make the cut for the first presidential debate on Sept. 26, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Friday afternoon, in a significant blow for their campaigns.
Though Johnson and Stein satisfied two of the criteria necessary to participate – that they be constitutionally eligible and have achieved ballot access in a sufficient number of states to win a theoretical Electoral College majority – neither met the threshold on polling.
This is a very good thing for Hillary as it allows her to focus all of her attention on her one true opponent, and bad news for Trump who has never debated one on one and likes to use others on the stage for distraction.
And let's face in this election Stein and Johnson are really nothing more than a dangerous distraction which can undermine the seriousness of this contest.
This first debate is incredibly important, and could really define this race in many ways.
My prediction is that Trump will do badly, but that the bar will be set so low for him that if he does not vomit on himself or fall off the stage some media outlets will suggest that he held his own.
On the other hand Hillary will have to answer each question, and follow up question, in complete sentences while standing on one foot and juggling chainsaws just to meet expectations.
The positive thing for her is that she can probably do that.
My only concern about the debates is that so far the rules and consequences for breaking them have not been spelled out.
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump will not obey them period. He will not stop talking to allow someone else to speak, especially a woman.
I hope the plan is to cut the mike immediately if a candidate either goes past their time or isn't answering the question. Maybe a cone of silence would help.
It's a time-honored tradition to try to get a few more words in when told their time is up, but Trump will completely abuse that.
At least I am sure that Hillary is fully aware of how Trump is likely to try to hijack the debates.
Cut the mic and an air horn.
DeleteThe 2 candidates need to take a hike and send their voters to Hillary/
ReplyDeleteJohnson's will vote Trump. They are Libertarians, which is just a subset of Republicans.
DeleteStein's would simply not vote at all.
After every terrorist attack in the last 2 years, drumpt is right there. Fires, explosions, train wrecks, and many more if you think about it. Don immediately announces his nonsense even before reporters. Are they connected to don? Sure looks like it. House of tards are going down
ReplyDeleteSince these incidents benefit him I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them was manufactured expressly for that outcome.
DeleteWhat does surprise me is that he stopped short of calling it a terrorist attack. He only said it was a bombing. What does he know, since it could have been so many other things, like a gas main break.
Gee missy that man is ugly waving his tiny fingers around like a spastic wind bag controled by bar flies nag and hag.
ReplyDeleteTwo of Trump's top scampaign managers (Conway and Bannon, are Dominionists. This should scare the fing shite out of everyone. We know who else is one of those don't we? HoffPo has an excellent article that traces these facts.
ReplyDeleteTrump is going to win because Americans are impatient, lazy, narcissistic and stupid.
ReplyDeleteFuck you.
DeleteTruth hurts
DeleteCase in point: I'm at a car wash waiting for it to open. There are baracades across the driveway to keep cars out. Some old white guy drives around the signs to get to the front of the line. He fits three of my targets.
DeleteTravesty.
ReplyDeleteWashington Post has great journalism happening. The more I read about mr drumpt the more I ask the Federal Election Commission,committee,whatever and in our Election process. WTF?. Who does the background checks on candidates? And their vp's, managers, handlers, and the circle of associates? Were talking President of the USA? I am sick to my stomach for our country. The good People of our country must speak up, stand up and the world must speak up against this crime against America and world. America is Better.
ReplyDeleteTrump’s Behavior Similar To Male Chimpanzee, Says Jane Goodall
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-chimpanzee-behavior_us_57ddb84fe4b04a1497b4e512?section=&
Neither of the two alternative candidates have a prayer of winning so it is only right they be excluded from the debates.
ReplyDeleteSince they have no chance, I don't care what they have to say. As Gryphen says, there are a distraction; modern day Naders.
Actually, they do have a purpose.
DeleteThey can show how uninformed and crazy-ass Trump is, since in comparison Trump is as uninformed as Johnson and as crazy-ass as Stein.
Get the four of them together and Clinton is the only one that approaches being presidential and able to do the job.
But it won't make any difference.
Trump's supporters do NOT react to truth or facts or anything else. They've made their decision and NOTHING Clinton or Trump does will change that.
Trump walking that birther stuff back has not lost him any votes. His birther-bros are still with him, making excuses like "whatever it takes to get elected".
If Clinton coughs even once during the debate,she's toast.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading a very good book by Jane Mayer, titled "Dark Money". She traces the evolution of Koch and Scaife-fuelled money in support of Libertarianism -- an offshoot of the John Birch Society. It's scary stuff and I urge everyone to visit their local library and check it out. Supporters of the Libertarian Party have absolutely NO idea of what America could turn into if they ever got into office. In fact,there would be no USA left -- it would become an oligarchy.
ReplyDeleteHave you noticed the Kochs are now running PR ads to try and improve their image? I'm now seeing this stuff on TV, the only point seeming to be "look at the good we do".
DeleteThey're trying to rebrand and clean up their name.
Yes Johnson and Stein has a right to run for president but why?
ReplyDeleteThey are not going to win so why run? To prove a point?
So those two are helping Trump win the presidency by taking votes away from Hillary Clinton.
Why are you assuming they're taking votes away from just Clinton? The polls don't support that view.
DeleteLooking at the latest 2-way race poll average versus the 4-way race poll average at realclearpolitics: The 4-way average is 41 Clinton, 40.3 Trump, 8.6 Johnson, 3.1 Stein and 7 undecided. The 2-way average is 44.9 Clinton-44 Trump. So the Johnson and Stein voters almost equally split between Clinton and Trump when the choice of Johnson and Stein is taken away.
Knowing they're not exclusively hurting the queen, are you still as eager to run Johnson and Stein out of the race? Would you be okay with them exercising their right to run if they were taking votes away mostly from Trump?
First you say they have a right to run, then you go on to list all of the reasons they shouldn't have a right to run.
DeleteSo, which is it?
Oh, I'm so sad they won't be included! Mr. Don't Know Aleppo and Ms. Can't Find Cincinnati are such important leaders and boy, they really understand geography. /s
ReplyDeleteIt will be a cold day in hell before Stein or Johnson occupies the White House
ReplyDeleteThis is why Bernie Sanders did not run as a third party candidate.
ReplyDeleteNo one pays any attention to them.
Unless they are being utterly clueless like Mr. What's Aleppo. They are for entertainment during a slow news day, not to be taken seriously. No substance there, move along now.