So you don't agree that starting from the ground up won't work? Why not? Too much effort or takes too much time?

I think you might need to reread my post, I didn't say it was easy. It's reality, which generally isn't easy.

I'm not convinced most somewhat tech savvy people are put off by the install of linux. As you describe it's dead easy in most cases. I think most of their push back is getting their specific programs or peripherals to run. In their mind, Windows "just works" when they want to play a new game, use a specific business software that is required by their employer, or plug in a crafting peripheral like a cricut. That said, linux is an awesome alternative for regular folks that mostly use web based stuff in their daily lives.

In my experience women say this when they (mistakenly) take their current life and transpose it on their younger self. For example, a married woman with a stable job and great family in her thirties looks back at the abortion she decided to get when she was 18, dating an abusive boyfriend, living with her evangelical parents, and unemployed and says "I'm doing great now so it would have been the same then". It's self delusion at a grand scale, but I suppose it's a way for them to "blame the world" instead of taking responsibility for their choice.

I'm not convinced democrats have been completely against fracking. I think it's location based as fracking does or can have extreme negative consequences on the surrounding environment, so doing it around a major city aquifer probably isn't the greatest idea. Fracking out in the middle of nowhere might be more positively embraced.

Want to build a viable third party for presidential elections? Start small at the city/county level and eventually you will have candidates at the state/federal level. Today's city council is tomorrow's senator/president. Does it really surprise anyone that a relatively unknown and unproven candidate outside of the two major parties doesn't get any traction in a federal election?