He was dismissed as a fanatical far left commie when he ran as the Green Party candidate in 2000, a campaign that I worked for.
The Republicans and Democrats colluded in LOCKING HIM OUT of the debate in Boston that year, because they didn't want him to voice his policies on national television with millions of people watching. He was too much of a threat to them, and by them I mean "It".
He spoke common sense in clear language, and they wanted him silenced, and they sent Massachusetts State troopers to physically block him from entering the debate. You can see it on YouTube.
It was a complete and utter suppression of democracy, and proved once and for all, to many people, that the USA is NOT a democracy at all. Great documentary on Nader