Of the People?
The Horace Mann Review, Horace Mann School, Riverdale, N.Y., Nov. 5, 1996
Ross Perot concluded his speech at the Reform Party's convention by stating, "I will be your servant. I will only belong to you, the people." Why are so many Americans willing to accept this billion dollar elitist as a man of the people? Is it his being a Washington outsider, his unpretentious aphorisms, or maybe his overly enlarged ears? Whatever the true reason, for many voters Ross Perot has become the solution to America's problems.
It seems odd that so many average Americans would align themselves with the extremely wealthy Perot. One might think that many voters would feel uncomfortable supporting someone who is thousands of times wealthier than the average American. For instance, while Steve Forbes, another member of America's upper-upper class, was able to gain some early support, he could not take his campaign to the convention. Forbes and Perot used similar tactics. It was a simple matter of killing two birds with one stone. Both candidates knew that they were not going to get enough contributions to finance their campaigns, so they had to resort to using the most convenient source, their own bank accounts. In 1992 alone Perot spent about $80 million of his $3 billion fortune. Perot and Forbes took advantage of their decreased bank balances by pointing out that their ambition to save the country was more important to them than their own money. This maneuver is a wise one, but Perot has something going for him that Forbes did not; Perot actually earned his money, while Forbes inherited most of his.
Forbes is considered just another Richie Rich who inherited his fortune from his rich and famous father. Perot, on the other hand, is a self-made man. He grew up in a middle-class family. His father was a cotton broker, and his mother was a secretary for a local lumberyard. They were also proud members of their Methodist church. From his early childhood, Perot worked on improving himself intellectually and religiously. He was known to be one of the hardest workers in his high school class. Every morning he would memorize a verse from the bible. He took his strong work ethic to Texarkana Junior College and the United States Naval Academy. In both places he was elected president of his class. Perot then applied his work ethic to amassing his fortune. He worked at I.B.M. for five years until he decided to form his own company, Electronic Data Services. The company's job is to provide data processing services to major businesses that do not know how to use their advanced computer hardware. The company was barely turning a profit until the government developed the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This development meant that insurance companies would have to process millions of claims. E.D.S. got the contract to do the processing, and before he knew it, Perot was a billionaire. It is this fulfillment of the American dream that has helped make Perot so popular.
Another reason why Perot has maintained his popularity is his feistiness and resolve to never quit. Adding to this feistiness is the fact that he is a political outsider. Even though he is a well-known billionaire who has a slightly larger say in things than the average person, it is still refreshing for many to have an untraditional politician to support. In his unelected status he has brought several issues to light. The most prominent of these is his opposition to the two-party system. In 1992 he ran as a third-party candidate against Bill Clinton and George Bush. He was able to convince 19 million voters that he was the right man for the job. That was the best a third-party candidate had done since Theodore Roosevelt won 27 percent of the vote in 1912. As the nominee of the Reform Party in this coming election, he is once again pushing the issue. This time he is running as the candidate of his self-created party. Perot has also tried to reform the Medicare and Medicaid systems. In his 1995 book, "Intensive Care: We Must Save Medicare and Medicaid Now," he gives an in-depth analysis of those problem-stricken programs. Perot has also proven that he is a man of the people by forming United We Stand America, a citizen lobbying group. The effectiveness of such a group is limited, but its existence illustrates that normal people can also be a special interest group.
It is a homey demeanor that adds to Perot's appeal. When this is combined with his self-made fortune and his populist inclinations, Perot becomes a powerful candidate. So even if he is a billion dollar man, Perot has convinced enough voters that he will be their "servant" so that he can give Bob Dole and Bill Clinton a fight.