Libertarian Gary Johnson: In the Debates, Maybe?

Janet Brown of the Commission on Presidential Debates gives some frustratingly vague promises of possibilities for Gary Johnson in the debates her group hosts to U.S. News and World Report's "Washington Whispers" column:  

Brown told Whispers no decisions on candidate selection have been made yet. Those lobbying to get Johnson in the debates, she said, are "making assumptions about something that has not [happened]."

…. The commission requires a candidate to secure at least 15 percent in selected polls, which Johnson has not yet done. (Gary Johnson polled at 5.3 percent in a poll earlier this month by JZ Analytics; an April Public Policy Polling poll showed him at 6 percent.)

Since Brown doesn't say anything about giving him a pass on that 15 percent polling, this still seems like a long shot; but at least (I guess) it's good she isn't swearing that under any and all circumstances there is no way Johnson will appear on that hallowed stage. I suspect that many of Johnson's fans who complain about him being "excluded from debates" consider that 15 percent wall for a candidate who doesn't get many media opportunities (such as, duh, appearing in national debates) to be unfairly high.

Another fun fact from that article:

a electoral map generated by data from ISideWith.com, an online app that connects voters with candidates based on their platform stances, showed that Johnson would be the next president if voters cast ballots based solely on the issues.

If only they did! (Rather than a toxic combination of tribalism, ignorance, and feckless attempts to do good.)