A May 16 Los Angeles Times article about a possible third-party presidential candidacy in 2008 claimed, “Voter dissatisfaction with some top-tier presidential contenders and with extreme Republican and Democratic partisanship” and "[d]iscontent" have “fueled speculation about a possible self-financed bid” by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Despite the article's suggestion that the “dissatisfaction” and “discontent” comes from both sides, recent polling shows that Democrats are far more satisfied with their presidential candidates than Republicans are.

A May 4-6 CNN poll found that 84 percent of “registered Democrats” were either “very satisfied” or “fairly satisfied” with the presidential candidates, and 14 percent were “not very satisfied” or “not satisfied at all.” The same poll showed that 70 percent of registered Republicans were “very satisfied” or “fairly satisfied,” and 26 percent were “not very satisfied” or “not satisfied at all.” Similarly, a Newsweek poll taken May 2-3 found that 77 percent of registered Democrats and “Democrat Leaners” are “satisfied” with the Democratic presidential candidates, in contrast with 52 percent of Republicans and “Republican Leaners” who said they were satisfied with the Republican field. The poll further showed that 14 percent of Democrats and “Democrat Leaners” are “dissatisfied,” while 38 percent of Republicans and “Republican Leaners” are “dissatisfied.” And a CBS News poll taken April 9-12 found that 59 percent of Democrats were “satisfied” with their party's presidential contenders while 36 percent “want more choices,” compared with 35 percent of Republicans who were “satisfied” with their party's presidential contenders and 61 percent who “want more choices.”

From the Los Angeles Times article:

Voter dissatisfaction with some top-tier presidential contenders and with extreme Republican and Democratic partisanship has spawned a Web-based movement to field a bipartisan ticket.

Discontent also has fueled speculation about a possible self-financed bid by billionaire New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

[...]

Such talk might come to nothing. But voter discontent that goes far beyond the Bush administration's unfavorable poll ratings could fuel a serious independent run for the White House.

“There are some conditions in place that make it seem more likely,” said Barry C. Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“One is the general sense of discontent in the electorate. It's partly the scandals and other issues that have plagued the Bush administration. The fact that the Iraq war doesn't have a resolution. The Democrats were swept into Congress, but they're not solving those kinds of things,” Burden said.