OpEd 1992: caused "two-front battle" in Bush election fight
Pat Buchanan, the far-right commentator, challenged Dad in the New Hampshire primary and came away with 37 percent--a serious protest vote.
To make matters worse, Texas billionaire Ross Perot decided to mount a third-party campaign. He preyed on disillusioned conservatives with his anti-deficit, anti-trade rhetoric. One of
Perot's campaign centers was across the street from my office in Dallas. Looking out the window was like watching a daily tracking poll.
Cadillacs and SUVs lined up to collect Perot bumper stickers and yard signs. I realized Dad would have to fight a two-front battle for reelection, with Perot on one flank and the Democratic nominee on the other.
1994: Endorsed Democrat Richards over Bush for TX governor
The 1994 gubernatorial election's frantic, final week opened with Ross Perot endorsing Richards, calling her "the steel magnolia of Texas" and praising her as "one of the greatest governors in the history of Texas." The diminutive billionaire was just tw
years past his impressive third-party White House run and he still had a big following. Bush downplayed the endorsement's impact, saying "She's got Ross Perot; I'll take Nolan Ryan and Barbara Bush."
In reality, the race was too developed for Perot's
embrace of Richards to change much. For one thing, it was confusing for some: Perot had gone on "Larry King Live" the previous week to urge Americans to vote Republican and now he was backing a high-profile Democrat. More importantly, too many Texans had
already decided to vote for Bush. There was nothing in Perot's endorsement that could change people's minds. Even his slap at Bush--"Never forget, the state of Texas is big business--not a sport"--rang hollow after the campaigns Bush and Richards had run
Scouting teaches leadership, and improves our country
A venerable American institution has had a profound impact on the values and virtues of young Americans: the Boy Scouts of America.
Demonstrating that no one is immune from their effort to make society conform to their narrow, secular agenda aimed at elevating the individual to a place worthy only of God, the American Civil Liberties
Union and their sympathetic counter-culture warriors have waged a legal war of attrition against the Scouts, draining their limited resources with numerous lawsuits and appeals.
Their calculated campaign against an institution that teaches young men how to be good stewards of the environment, to respond to emergencies, to be resourceful and thrifty, and to be reverent to adults and God.
Withdrew from 1992 race under mysterious circumstances
[In the 1992 race], national polls showed Perot at 19%. With just two weeks left before the election, Perot had momentum. But Perot decided to disclose his “real reason” for temporarily withdrawing from the race the previous July.
On Oct. 25, 1992,
Perot startled viewers of 60 Minutes when he announced: “I received multiple reports that there was a plan to embarrass [my daughter Carolyn] before her wedding and to disrupt her wedding. I concluded that I, as a father who adores his children,
could not take that risk.“ Perot also charged that the Republicans were about to release ”a computer-created false photo of my daughter Carolyn.“ He did not explain what he meant.
Perot did, however, state that the sources for these stories were three
people-one a highly placed Republican whom he has never named; the second source a ”longtime friend,“ later identified as David Taylor, a BBC producer; and Scott Barnes [a mercenary soldier whom Perot knew from the Vietnam MIA issue].
UWSA: Focus on issues & solutions without special interests
[The goal of participants in the United We Stand America Conference] was to help find solutions to problems. In looking for these solutions, their only filter was, “Is it good for America?” The only motivation of the participants was to leave a better
future for their children and grandchildren, and to make the 21st century the greatest in our country’s history. United We Stand America sought to achieve three goals with this conference.
We wanted to create an environment for political leaders
and citizens to come together to discuss serious problems-an environment beyond the influence of special interests.
We wanted to create an environment where the focus would be on issues and not personalities-a place where sound bites would be
replaced with thoughtful discussion; a place where bipartisan bickering would be overcome by positive consensus.
We hoped this conference would lead to a better-informed electorate willing to look beyond themselves to what is best for America.
Decided to run for President based on popular desire
It all started when Larry King asked Ross Perot, “Why don’t you run for President?” Perot responded by saying that he might consider running-but only if the American people clearly wanted him to. Immediately the phone lines lit up. The switchboard at
Perot’s headquarters was also swamped.
Over the next several days, Perot made a handful of media appearances. Again, the response was phenomenal. Thousands of heretofore disenfranchised Americans began to cry out to Perot to save the American system
Source: Strong-Man Politics, by George Grant, p. 5-6
, Nov 7, 1992
Action, not issues
Issuelessness has returned as the primary issue in the presidential campaign. Perot has attempted to turn issuelessness into a virtue. He says: “Developing policy statements is just not a priority with our volunteers. They’ve said, ‘Everyone has detailed
positions. Nobody implements them.’
Getting good positions is not the problem. Taking action in Washington is apparently an unnatural event. But that’s what the people want. If they put me there, we’ll have action.”
Source: Strong-Man Politics, by George Grant, p. 83-84
, Nov 7, 1992
Perot campaign 1992: the people are the owner of the country
The Perot phenomenon that swept the country through the spring and summer of 1992 had little to do with me. It was a spontaneous grassroots movement that has transformed a deep-seated concern with our political system into a positive citizen movement for
reform. Volunteers did it, and they did it without the support of any established party, or any special interest group. There are five principles which animated this movement:
The people are the owners of this country. Everyone in government works for
the people.
All of us must take personal responsibility for our actions and for the actions of our government.
We are a single team. We are all needed in the rebuilding of America.
We can’t keep living beyond our means. The size of government
must be permanently reduced. The deficit must be eliminated.
Our greatest challenge is economic competition. Our governmental policies should be redirected to stimulate growth, to create jobs, and to open opportunities for all Americans.
