Third-party politics probably not a factor

Most voters will not be listening to Ralph Nader and his third-party platform for one simple reason, points out California-based political analyst Walter Stone. The voters see a clear choice between the Democrats and Republicans and will not be as interested in electing Nader to change the country's direction.

"The Bush Administration has followed a set of policies that clearly shows it as one of the most conservative administrations in history--in some ways more conservative than the Reagan Administration. As a result, the differences between the major parties are more apparent to most voters this year than they were in 2000 or 1992, leaving less room for a third-party candidate to get traction."

Even when voters think there is little difference in the two main parties, third parties wield power only when they field a nationally popular presidential candidate such as Nader or Ross Perot, Stone contends. Once Perot created his third party and articulated their concerns, the Republicans saw a possible voting bloc that could help their candidates win, thus the Republican takeover in Congress in 1994.

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