Philips Electronics Pulls Debate Funding

In this dismal, uninteresting, and tragic presidential election, the only bright spots are Gary Johnson's candidacy and his six percent polling result. Minor parties rarely get more than one or two percent. Six will be the best showing in the Libertarian Party's history and, finally, some evidence that a few Americans are beginning to reject the Progressivism that the Republican Party established in 1908 with the reelection of the first Progressive president, Theodore Roosevelt.  Johnson is the only candidate who questions the current monetary regime and favors sharp reductions in government.  In contrast, both Romney and Obama favored the largest expansion in government in our lifetimes, the bailout of Wall Street, which is no longer discussed in the pro-Fed media.

Philips Electronics is a historically Dutch firm that was founded in the early twentieth century and has been a consistent competitor to GE.  With 125,000-or-so employees, Philips is global. It does  business in more than 100 countries; its scientists and executives speak multiple languages.  Unlike GE, Goldman Sachs, GM, or Merck, Philips has little to gain from the favors of Obama and Romney.

US News (h/t Mike Marnell) reports that Philips and the venerable YWCA have pulled their support from the presidential debates because the Commission on Presidential debates  insists on excluding Governor Gary Johnson.  Manipulation by the pro-Fed establishment is  not new. In the Republican primary, the Republicans and the media cheated against Ron Paul. According to US News:

 In a letter announcing its sponsorship withdrawal, Philips wrote that it was concerned the commission's work "may appear to support bi-partisan" instead of "non-partisan" politics. The YWCA similarly wrote that it was dropping out because it is a "non-partisan" women's organization.

Americans have a diehard bias in favor of the two-party system. Given the two parties' performance, the bias is self-destructive.  Gary Johnson offers a libertarian alternative to twin advocates of Progressivism, whose ideas have caused the real hourly wage to stagnate for the past 40 years, have been responsible for increasing income inequality, have attacked economic innovation, and have cut your standard of living in half unless most of your wealth comes from stock-and-bond appreciation.

The rule that only candidates with 15% or more in the polls can participate in the televised debate evidences the diminution of democracy and freedom in the United States.  The United States has become a two-party-based oligarchy chiefly responsive to corporate interests. Given how infrequently third parties have obtained 10% of the vote, setting the bar at 15% is a clever way to ensure that the presidential debates are limited to unbalanced Progressivism.