So, that makes 3 sponsors out of the game. There are 7 left.

This is following a campaign by supporters of various third parties to write in to the sponsors, and ask to withdraw sponsorship until third parties are allowed onto the platform. Philips is by far the largest sponsor to leave.

Sponsors who have left:

Philips Electronic North America
BBH New York
YWCA

Sponsors who remain:

Anheuser-Busch
Howard G. Buffet Foundation
Sheldon S. Cohen
Crowell & Moring
IBWA
Kovler Fund
Southwest Airwaves

It seems that the grassroots campaign is now working primarily on IBWA, as they are probably the next "weakest link". There's also movements to get University of Denver to pullout, who are hosting the first debate... I very much doubt the success of this, though.

Time will tell as to whether this will lead to third parties getting on the stage.

i feel the same

It would be awesome to see Johnson and Stein on stage with Obamney just to illustrate how remarkably similar they really are despite all the hue and cry about this being teh most emportint elecshin evarrr.

I don't know who those 7 are, but at least 2 or 3 of them are banks or financial places I bet. But of all things, why do presidential candidates need sponsors for their debates? They have enough money to do it don't they? But, if sponsors pulling out means 3rd party candidates having a chance, then good

Also, this is post 666

Anheuser-Busch make Budweiser beer.

Southwest Airlines... are an airline.

The IBWA is the International Bottled Water Association.

The others look like law firms, and financial entities, though I'm not sure.

I thought third party candidates got in if they are polling high enough?

Granted we run into chicken-egg problems with that, but if there were someone on the level of a Ross Perot or (heaven forbid) a Strom Thurmond on board this time around, i would think there would be no issue getting equal billing.

Some them had to be in finance, it's the nature of American politics now

They require 15% on three national polls. The problem is, the candidates were never included in the national polls. It's apparently obvious that this was planned from the get-go, the same thing happened with Johnson in the GOP debates... you needed a certain percent to get in to the debates, but Johnson was never included in the polls... as such, he only ever ended up in 2 of all those debates that happened.

It's a rigged game.

That suggests to me that the people to target with these grassroots protests would be companies like Gallup or Reuters, or the major media outlets. Get broader polling, and you would have free advertising for some of these third-party guys.

Yeah, they tried that one...