Searching For Didley-Squat: local news and third parties

Where are the third parties? ive searched repeatedly for news relating to third parties in Texas, and to no avail...

OK, i know that its essentially a one-party state in a two-party system, but there seriously has to be more going on. Austin is supposed to be the liberal, independent mecca of Texas, a blue island in the middle of a GOP-crimson sea. Were the state capitol, if any lobbyists from any strain of the political spectrum are going to focus efforts anywhere, its going to be in that big pink dome somewhere near the center of downtown. So why cant we hear about anything other than how the republicans and the democrats are mimicking the national slap-fest that is our political atmosphere?
So, i had some fun. I logged onto the Statesman's and the Chronicle's websites and searched the Libertarian, Green, Socialist, and Constitution parties; here is a play by play summary of my searching:
"Libertarian Party":
Both the Statesman and the Chronicle had some coverage of the libertarian's opposition to the much-discussed prop. 15 on this past election date; the Statesman had some mention of Ron Paul's stance; the Chronicle mentioned libertarian opposition to The Domain subsidies. But there was little discussion of the partys stances, presidential projects, or any comprehensive coverage of the workings of the party, it is treated as instead what seems to be a political philosophy buzzword.
"Green Party":
For a party that suceeeded on having a nationally recognized presidential candidate in 200, i was dismayed at the lack of coverage. the Statesman yielded essentially nothing, it picked up on the two words separately in articles related to North Korea and a few things here and there, but nothing about the party or its policies. The chronicle had only one recent mention, and it was related to the documentary that discusses Ralph Nader's career. Which came out in Febuary. My friend Bill Hollway is the Chairman of the Travis County Green Party, and i know through him that this is an active party that is always pushing its policies, so needless to say i was dismayed at the lack of coverage within Austin, one of the greenest cities in the nation.
"Socialist Party":
There was some international coverage related to nations in south america and eastern europe, but overall there was nothing to be found about the socialist party in the U.S. So much for rounded coverage.
"Constitution Party":
Nothing on the Statesman, small mentions in 2 articles on the Chronicle, dating 2005 and 2000. Its only a party based on the founding document of the nation, nothing important.

To be honest, it doesn't surprise me too much that these parties are ignored, after all, its not like they are winning elections, its not like they really matter, right? Well, nationally perhaps not, but locally they might have more sway than they are estimated to have; locally your vote counts for alot more sway than it does nationally and it dictates policy that effects you personally - ironic considering that most people dont vote in local elections. So locally third parties have more sway than you might think. I am most disenchanted by the Chronicle, Austins much coveted indipendant rag, for not picking up the proverbial ball on ths one. I might even write a somewhat irate letter to them, which i will certainly share with you, dear reader.

If i am to tack any Postscript onto this, its this slight tangent: vote in local elections. I know its past and really has little to do with tis particular Blog, but please remember to vote on the stuff that most directly affects you.