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>Right now the two major parties are very unpopular. Just look at congressional approval ratings. Then look at presidential approval ratings.
>Then imagine what it would take to knock that softball from its tee, sitting right in front of you.
See, this is what I thought during the election. It turns out, no matter how unpopular both major parties are, the vast majority of voters will still vote for them. Some people won't vote for third parties because they believe no third party can get enough votes to win--even if they sympathize with the third party's policies (these are the people who think third parties and their voters should pick a major party to ally and eventually merge with). Others won't vote for a party they've only just heard of when they see the ballot (if third parties are lucky enough to appear on their particular state's ballot) because they don't read obscure news and no third party candidates were allowed to debate the major candidates on TV because the bipartisan committee in charge has a minimum standard for popularity which they judge for themselves with no oversight, or the only time they ever have heard of a third party was some candidate freaking out at a small-time rally or not knowing the name of a city no one knew the name of a year ago and no one will remember a year from now, etc. People voted for Clinton even though they wanted Sanders, even though they knew the Democratic party was guilty of manipulating their own primary election to ensure that Hillary would be their candidate. People voted for Trump thinking the rest of the Republican party would keep him in check, some even thought they'd move against him for the sake of their party at some point, or that he's half-likely to keel over before the end of his term.
You really don't meet many people who can tell you about a third party and why they disagree with it's position, politically, however likely it is that they might. Ad hominem pretty much defined the last election, debate as a form of social discourse was all but eradicated, people cared more about Ken Bone than what was as stake, etc. Third parties cannot do well in such a market. Reactionary politics is, again, part of the problem--we need a third party alliance or a new party with broader appeal--but no matter how they present themselves there's a huge social hurdle to overcome as well. People won't vote for them unless they feel like they understand their policies and feel like they (mostly) agree with them.
I don't mean they actually need to understand them or agree with them. I don't think many Republican or Democratic voters honestly understand or fully agree with their party's policies--that's not the kind of world we live in. People vote on their feelings, only take in summaries and highlights produced by commercial news outlets, and wilfully resist becoming overly informed when confronted with policies they are not comfortable with.
Nonetheless, if third parties want to be considered, they still have to overcome the major-party intelligentsia before they can redirect their sheep. They have to disseminate the impression that their policies can be quickly and easily understood by the common man without much direct informing. That's a major propaganda hurdle to overcome considering the political manoeuvring, red tape, and budget limitations in the way.
>some part of one of the major parties
For my part, I voted third party because I don't believe either major party still has any goal other than staying on top. Look at how little they get done. Look at how little they get done well. Incompetence, arrogance, and pettiness are not traits unique to the 2017 presidential candidates; they are the cancer killing both major parties.