I hadn't really noticed until now, but I was just thinking about Ron Paul today, and I realized that we have heard almost nothing, not only about Paul, but also about the horde of third party candidates the media was theorizing could play spoiler to one party or the other. After being mentioned so prominently in the media, how did the third party candidates become so suddenly invisible?

I think there are three reasons. 

First, the media coverage of Obama, the orgy of Obama stories, has simply sucked all the air out of the room. Once you allow for the pittance of time they allow McCain, there is simply no time left for McKinney, Nader, Barr, or any of the others. Without even a hint of media time, they have simply dropped off the radar. It may not please those who support he idea of a third party, but when the press doesn't spend time covering third party contenders, even if they cover them just as a curiosity, the public forgets about the third parties entirely.

Second, Obama  has managed to make this race much more personal than most. Granted, the Republicans and Democrats, as well as the press, always turn the election into a two horse race (with a few exceptions, such as the first Perot run), but this race is an extreme example. As Obama is running on personality more than anything else, he has to turn the race into a contest between his personality and McCain's. As he effectively controls the press, that means press coverage has been cast entirely in terms of a battle between two individuals. Nor is it likely to change. With the Democrats trying to win by defining McCain as a clone of Bush, the focus on a struggle between two personalities will only intensify, so there will be little incentive for the press or the candidates to muddy the water by bringing in third party candidates.

Finally, Obama himself has covered so many positions, has vacillated so much, that he has left little ground for a third party to stake out as uniquely their own. He has been both pro and anti war, pro and anti NAFTA, pro and anti almost anything you can name. When one of the major party candidates has already taken all your positions it is hard for a third party candidacy to get any traction.

And on the right, where the third parties had a bit more hope thanks to the conservative distaste for McCain, the third parties have not fared much better, though for different reasons. Partly, the anti-McCain movement has flagged. While in the abstract many were willing to see an Obama presidency to uphold their principles, once they came to know Obama they realized that it was not worth enduring four years of the man to "send a message". However, even more than the fear of Obama, the third party candidates did themselves in. They not only opposed McCain but adopted a very specific view of what a conservative was, including a very strong opposition to war in Iraq and to military intervention in general. And, while a handful of disgruntled Paul supporters may have concurred, most conservatives upset with McCain were not isolationists, which made them unwilling to side with what they perceived as candidates weak on defense. A pro-war conservative third party may not have done much better, as the fear of Obama would have still robbed it of support, but it surely would have more appeal than the Libertarian and Constitutional parties.

And so we have heard almost nothing about the few Quixotic characters running for president alongside the big two. I am sure some will find this troublesome, maybe even a threat to "real democracy". The people who complain about the two parties having a "monopoly on political offices" will certainly be unhappy, but I can't get too upset. America has given three parties a try several times, and every time we have returned to our two party system. And, having seen how the coalition building of multi-party systems works, I can't say I find it too displeasing. Yes, the two parties often don't cover the whole range of political views, but that can be a good thing, introducing a bit of moderation and compromise is not always to be disdained. Often that very centrist tendency, disappointing as it may be, also keeps us from following excessive passions and enacting very bad ideas into law. As a brake on our excesses, the two party system seems to have served us well.

Not that I oppose the third party candidates. More power tot hem, let them run as often a t hey want. I just don't shed many tears over the fact that everyone, except the candidates themselves, is well aware that they are never going to get close to winning.