[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by -Antares-

Why do you think that? It seems to me that third parties had the best chance of getting more votes than they ever had in my lifetime thanks to the nominees the Republicans and Democrats ended up going with.

Yes, and what did it get them?

If you really want to dethrone one of the big two parties, you need to start small and work your way up. You can't change the mind of a nation in one go, and you can't convince them to put their fate into the hands of a party that's never proven itself. But on a small scale, a town or something, you can. Once you've succeeded at that, try to:
1. hope your newly elected officials do a good job, to showcase not only your ideology but your people.
2. build a virtuous (this being politics, I use the term reluctantly) circle of notoriety and money. Make more and more people think that it's ok to vote for your guys, and like I said, work your way up. Attract some professional talent. Surprisingly, politics isn't some unskilled job anyone can do.

It's not fun, I know. Not as fun as dreaming of winning it all in one go, with little effort. You'd better dream of winning the lottery. No matter who the President is, as a millionaire I think you'll do all right (as long as you don't let it go to your head and lose everything).

(Or, you know, you could try to influence one of the big parties to change, but it isn't all that easier.)

I don't want to decide the election alone. I want as many people in this country to be pleased with their leader, even if that doesn't incude me. But what more do you expect me to do? I already told you that I got people to vote for third paries to avoid the worst case scenarios.

Vote for the least terrible candidate that has a chance of winning. And before that... primaries, I guess, to try and get a non terrible candidate out there?

Trump is too incompetent to be any different from Clinton, and Clinton is a snake in the grass. There are realistic alternatives to incompetents and snakes that will bite you. That's the third parties, if you would only allow them a chance by not bitching people out every time someone admits to voting for one.

Hilary will only be the realistic alternative to Trump as long as you live in a fantasy world where there truly are only two people to vote for. Get out of that mindset and the US is going to change a good deal. If we don't, the US is screwed and it deserves its collapse. I say that as an American, by the way. If this country can't get its shit together, then screw it. Personally, I can always go to Canada when the shit hits the fan because the vast majority of Americans (thanks, Democrats, for being just as worse as Republicans!) can't get out of this idiotic mindset.

The fantasy is that, by the time the actual presidential elections come around, it isn't already way too late for anybody that's not of the two big parties. It's years, decades too late.