Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Carter and Reagan 1980

Obama and Romney 2012

The Independent Voter Network seems to be an excellent website.  The news articles I've found there have been very helpful in my research.  The article Should the Presidential Debates Include Third Parties? by Tyler Taylor brings up the issue of the Commission on Presidential Debates and it suggests that it is unfair to Americans.  Taylor quotes the CPD's mission statement as follows: 
"The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) was established in 1987 to ensure that debates, as a permanent part of every general election, provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners. Its primary purpose is to sponsor and produce debates for the United States presidential and vice presidential candidates and to undertake research and educational activities relating to the debates. The organization, which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) corporation, sponsored all the presidential debates in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000,2004 and 2008."  The article also mentions that the League of Women Voters were in charge of moderating debates before 1987 (when the CPD started) but refused to continue participation because they didn't want to be, "'an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public.'"  Why did America decide it was okay for our government to decide whose opinion mattered enough for debate?  Taylor states that the Republican and Democratic parties started the Commission.  I think that this verifies that the CPD was created to bully the third parties out of presidential debates and quite effectively eliminating them from the ballots.