That old DailyKos article was clearly written by a Naderite, desperately using an avalanche of data to prove a false supposition.
Third parties siphon off votes--period. That is not a myth; that is reality, and it has been ever since Teddy Roosevelt's third party destroyed what was left of Abe Lincoln's Republican party. That GOP never came back.
But third parties siphon off something even more dangerous to political campaigns: They siphon off enthusiasm, which is the lifeblood and oxygen of any political campaign.
The sheer existence of the Nader campaign as a third party contributed to the FALSE conception that Al Gore was a Lurch-like dolt who didn't deserve the support of truly progressive Democrats. Al Gore would have been a good president, maybe a great one, certainly a better president than GW Bush.
The existence of that third party enabled Bush to win. That is not a myth.
I hope Bernie Sanders--and his white male Hillary-hating supporters--are serious about NOT forming a third party.
Because goddess help us all if they deliver another Republican president.
Updated On: 8/18/15 at 12:02 PM