Joanna Allhands

opinion columnist

Gary Johnson has said it's game over if he doesn't get to participate in the presidential debates. He didn't get into the first one, which will be broadcast Monday.

I get his argument. He's polling at around 8 percent. If the Libertarian candidate wants to be more than a spoiler for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, he needs exposure to a national audience. And fast.

But I'm not sure a debate is the best place for him to get the kind of exposure he wants.

MORE:Where Johnson, other candidates stand on the issues

Johnson has stumbled in recent interviews. He didn't know what Aleppo was (a key city in the fight against ISIS in Syria, something any commander in chief will have to know intimately). To his credit, Johnson took responsibility for blanking on camera: "I'm human," he told "60 Minutes."

But then he mistakenly said no one was injured in this weekend's explosion in New York and stabbing incident at a mall in Minnesota. In total, 38 people were hurt.

Johnson's big gamble if he debates

And that's just a couple of gaffes. More troubling for a debate is Johnson's recurrent vagueness on the issues. Look at his website. He says generally where he is on big issues, like taxes and national security. But there's nothing as detailed as what Clinton or even Trump – who the press often excoriates for being light on details – have on their websites.

He's also been tough to pin down on some issues, like whether he would repeal the Affordable Care Act. At a July forum in Philadelphia, Johnson struggled to answer some of the audience's questions.

My guess is Johnson is being vague on purpose (though, refreshingly, he does admit when he doesn't know something). He's positioning himself as the anti-Trump and the anti-Clinton. And to ride that line, you have to appeal to people on both sides. So repeat a few platitudes, tout a few basic Libertarian ideals and call it a day before you offend anyone. It's basic politicking.

Still, that's not the best strategy for a debate, where moderators could press him for answers and fact-checkers are sure to over-scrutinize everything he says.

I know. Being on that stage legitimizes him. Johnson has a chance to look presidential, to convince the skeptics that he's up to the job. If he can look presidential while Clinton and Trump attack each other, even better for his image.

There's a better way to reach voters

But Johnson's time may be better spent looking for another mass medium to reach disaffected voters (because, really, is anyone who hates Clinton and Trump going to watch them debate?)

My suggestion: Embrace the shutout.

Book an appearance with John Oliver to talk about the issues. (Or, pie-in-the-sky suggestion: Convince Jon Stewart to make another guest appearance on a late-night show and get him to interview you. That's a great way to snag younger voters).

Then go on "Ellen" and dance (just make sure you look good doing it), or even better, show off your mad rock-climbing skills on a similar program. Anything to humanize you and get some positive bandwidth on Facebook.

And then, to borrow a suggestion from my much smarter colleague, Robert Robb, make some serious pleas for the Libertarian-minded money that's sitting on the sidelines and use it for an advertising blitz about how you're the only good, serious alternative to Trump and Clinton.

At this point, that's the only way to avoid a "game over."

Editor's note: A previous version of this blog incorrectly described Aleppo's status in Syria. It is not the capital and has never been an ISIS stronghold.