Presidential Debates

The courts may soon have a say over whether or not this year's presidential debates will feature third-party candidates. Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson filed a lawsuit last week alleging that both Democrats and Republicans are breaking anti-trust laws and conspiring to keep third candidates out of the debates, and thus out of the U.S. presidency. Currently, debate rules only allow for a candidate polling at 15% to be allowed to participate, but most major polls do not even include third-party candidates. As the suit reads, "In agreeing to these rules to exclude the plaintiff from participating in the debates, the defendants are conspiring and contracting to restrain the plaintiffs from participating in the electoral process." Johnson is hoping the court will issue a temporary restraining order putting a hold to all presidential debates until all "constitutionally eligible" candidates are included. As Ross Perot taught us in 1992 when he correctly predicted the "giant sucking sound" of NAFTA, third-party voices in America's political debate are needed and should be welcomed.