Ross Perot, the eccentric billionaire who ran for the White House in 1992 and 1996, and who shook up the presidential elections considerably, has died.
Perot’s candidacy was bizarre, especially for the times. A third party run was even more unthinkable at the time then it is now, when we have grown used to either third party candidates getting some significant air time (and sometimes being blamed for losses by Democratic candidates). Back then, it was simply the Republicans and the Democrats, and the Democrats were sagging so badly, that there was discussion about them losing so much support, so shortly in the aftermath of the popularity of the Reagan/Bush years, that there was discussion that they might be relegated from their major party status.
Yet, Perot managed to disrupt the election considerably, and his attacks on then incumbent President George H. W. Bush’s mishandling of the economy ultimately proved very effective. Perot had a real chance to win, but then he dropped out. Later, he would re-enter the race, but never gained back the credibility that he lost when he dropped out earlier. That move gave the Democratic nominee, Bill Clinton, some serious momentum, which he capitalized further on with a strong showing at the Democratic National Convention. Clinton built a solid lead, and he basically was able to add to that with strong showings during the debate, then sit on the lead until November, when he won the presidency.
It might not have been possible without Ross Perot, who really opened the doorway for the possibility of a third party, or independent, candidate having a real chance to win the White House. No other individual outside of the two major party candidates has ever come so close to winning the White House in my life. Sometimes, it feels like never will happen again, although again, it is not nearly as unthinkable as it was prior to Perot’s candidacy in 1992.
So, Perot managed to inadvertently help get Bill Clinton elected president, and ended not only George H. W. Bush’s presidency, but also ended the long rule in the White House of the World War II generation.
Perot ran against in 1996, but that campaign had a much more limited impact, and he was never very seriously in the running in that race.
It should be noted that Perot was a billionaire, having been a hugely successful businessman in the 1980’s, which is a large part of the reason that he gained a name for himself enough to be so successful in winning support during the 1992 presidential elections.
He was a strange man, to be sure. He had an immediately identifiable Texas drawl, and he also had a tendency to use phrases and expressions that also made him stand out. These were often used by comedians to do imitations of Perot that were often quite humorous. My personal favorite was Saturday Night Live’s impression of Perot, which was done by Dana Carvey. Those funny impressions actually kind of became part of Perot’s lure and legacy.
Perot died a couple of morning ago from Leukemia. He was 89 years old.
RIP, Ross Perot, 1930-2019.
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