The decision by the Commission on Presidential Debates to exclude serious third-party candidates from participating is further evidence of what a backward political system we have. The commission, which is controlled by Democrats and Republicans, has every conceivable incentive to exclude other voices from participating in the process. This is a controlled duopoly.

The commission’s 15 percent polling threshold is arbitrary and self-perpetuating. The Libertarian ticket of Gary Johnson and William Weld represents two candidates who have more executive experience than either of the major party tickets, and they represent a viewpoint that should appeal to America’s centrist base.

They are neither political extremists nor neophytes. The reason they don’t have more support today is that mainstream voters either haven’t heard their message or do not believe a third-party ticket has a serious chance of winning. But these candidates don’t have a chance because they are excluded from the conversation and do not get adequate national media exposure in comparison with the major parties.

The last third-party candidate to be on the presidential debate podium was Ross Perot, a billionaire with enough money to buy his way into the national conversation. So the lesson from the commission is, if you are neither rich nor famous, you do not have any business being taken seriously in the presidential selection process. This is not democracy. This is a corrupted system that needs a vast and radical overhaul — one that will never happen so long as outside voices continue to be systematically muzzled by the powers that be.

Ron Levin, Newton Centre