Nader may well turn out to be a much more serious candidate than the experts give him credit for. Unlike his last campaign, which never really happened, this one is expected to raise millions of dollars and get him on the ballot in 45 states. He still ended up with 19 percent of the vote. But he is already known and respected by millions of voters, some of whom remember his battles with General Motors over auto safety as he put the American consumer movement on the map. Popular discontent with both Republicans and Democrats remains high.
People see both parties as mainly bought by big money.
Of course the election is still too far away to make any predictions. That response was widely seen as contributing to the Republican takeover of the House in 1994. But if the China vote brings union endorsements to Nader, and helps push him over the crucial media threshold, we could be headed for the most interesting election year in decades.