The fascinating departure from the usual pabulum from centrists who insist that they are neither right nor left is nothing less than a desperate abandonment of Obama and the Democratic party in order to preserve the credibility of the ideas driving Obama and the Democratic party.

We got more tussle and a whole bunch of dumb questions in the Meet the Press/NBC/Facebook/Union Leader/Channel 7 debate (are these things improved by having more sponsors? No) this morning.

An independent or third-party candidate, whether an ideological one such as George Wallace or a non-ideologue such as John Anderson or Ross Perot, would fall short. But consider three ways a third candidate can affect the outcome of a presidential contest.

In Japan, the time is right for political regeneration; a new political organization could help Japan build a stable, two-party democratic system.

If another generation experiences economic stagnation, Japan's otherwise stable democracy could be put to a test.

Be wary when media, university, and corporate elites warn that we must change our ways or face disaster fifty years hence.

Is it time for a third party? Not a chance. America is a two-party country and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

In this Bradley Lecture at AEI, Sean Trende, senior elections analyst for RealClearPolitics.com, places these elections in the larger scheme of American politics and explains how the radical shifts in our politics we've seen in the past few election cycles are really the norm and the previous stability the exception.