Debate hosts don't want to upset status quo

Libertarian presidential candidate, Gary Johnson was excluded from every national debate by the Commission on Presidential Debates because he did not reach their arbitrary 15 percent in national polls.

These rigged polls do not even allow respondents to choose "Johnson" or "Stein" until after refusing "Trump" and "Clinton" multiple times. The absurd 15 percent threshold is designed for one purpose: to keep non-establishment candidates off the stage.

Yet the Libertarian ticket is consistently gaining support nationwide. Gary is polling over 10 percent in 42 states, and over 15 percent in 15 of those states and up to 20 percent in three.

This is without any major news network broadcasting his name on a constant loop. Americans yearn for another option, and waves of voters are pouring in to the Libertarian Party from both sides of the aisle.

In an election cycle with historically unpopular major-party candidates, the Libertarians offer a unique perspective. Big media, clearly in bed with each major party, has actively silenced millions of Americans' opinions by ignoring Gary Johnson and his supporters.

The Washington establishment is frightened to debate a third ideology, particularly one that stands for liberty and justice for all.

The CPD was established to "ensure that debates provide the best possible information to viewers," according to its mission statement, but it is clear this "nonpartisan" entity, which monopolized the debate stages in 1987, has failed the American public.

To fulfill its stated purpose, the commission must open the discussion to the candidate with widely supported social, economic, and foreign policies. Libertarianism is no longer just an ideology.

In 2016, it became a movement.

Margi DeFord

Round Lake