Why do you think so (that I assume he can't win)? His win will only further induce the Democrats to become "moderate" and make noises that sound non-partisan (non-partisan in the sense of middle = neutral = objective). They wait out his death and get back into their position immediately after. Till then there is always gridlock, machinery, etc.
>
> Furthermore, while I could be mistaken, the current anti-two party
> mood, expressed in polls like this one
> (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3242551&page=1), seems
> much stronger than in recent elections.
But that is the genius of the two-party system. Together they form the third party! People love to be disgruntled about stuff... don't believe me? Ask Wojtek! ;-) But what is the third party that they are looking for? If they were to offer a reality based description of it (i.e., no Jesus for President stuff) it would be hard to differentiate it from a mix of the current crop of "moderates". For one thing, people are in denial regarding their dissatisfactions: deep down they want a socialist government and leaders, but no way in hell are they going to admit that. Hence the schizophrenia that leads to the election of Reagan, Schwarzenegger, Ventura, and other crackpots that satisfy some subconscious Hail Mary hope that machismo and "straight talk" will lead to the unacknowledged socialist utopia without having to give up cherished notions. Ah, wtf, I am ranting at this point...
The recent unexpectedly positive reception of the views of Kucinich, Gravel and Ron Paul might be a cause for hope...
--ravi