Political Parties

Hate to be a pessimist here, but a legitmate 3rd party (one that holds more than a few seats in Congress and has a shot to win a Presidential election) will never happen. Well, at least as long as we have the current system that we do now.

The root of the whole problem is cold hard cash. That's how special interests groups got all of their power, and that's what influences politicians nowadays. That's also what is used to pay for advertising and media attention.
Even if there was a great candidate that stepped up, he/she would never have a chance because both parties would use their money and influence to block it, or would put on a negative advertising campaign like we've never seen before. To sustain a 3rd party, you'd need even more money. With that money comes the corruption that we have with the two party system today.
To me, it's just a vicious (sp?) cycle.