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| Polarizing former presidential candidate Ross Perot passed away. |
(Henry) Ross Perot was an American business magnate, billionaire, philanthropist and politician.
He was the CEO of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an independent presidential campaign in 1992 and 1996. He would later establish the Reform Party in 1995 which lead Donald J. Trump to run his first presidential bid. Perot would leave the Reform Party and join the Republican Party until his death.
Born in the border city of Texarkana (on the Texas side), Perot was considered the most polarizing and cantankerous candidate to ever run for president. Perot delivered newspapers while riding on the back of a pony. He was a hard working man. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked his ass off. He would become a salesman for IBM and start motivating himself to getting into entrepreneurship.
He founded Electronic Data Systems and became a billionaire within five years. In 1962, with $1,000 from his wife, Margot — they met on a blind date — Perot founded Electronic Data Systems. Hardware accounted for about 80% of the computer business, Perot said, and IBM wasn't interested in the other 20%, including services.
Many of the early hires at EDS were former military men, and they had to abide by Perot's strict dress code — white shirts, ties, no beards or mustaches — and long workdays. Many had crew cuts, like Perot.
Perot first attracted attention beyond business circles by claiming that the U.S. government left behind hundreds of American soldiers who were missing or imprisoned at the end of the Vietnam War. Perot fanned the issue at home and discussed it privately with Vietnamese officials in the 1980s, angering the Reagan administration, which was formally negotiating with Vietnam's government.
Perot's wealth, fame and confident prescription for the nation's economic ills propelled his 1992 campaign against President George H.W. Bush and Democratic challenger Bill Clinton. In June of that year, a Gallup poll showed Perot leading his major-party rivals, but he dropped out in July, then rejoined the race less than five weeks before the election.
He was a participant in the 1996 presidential debate with then president George H.W. Bush and then governor Bill Clinton. Perot became disillusioned with Republicans and especially Bush. He believed the party was breaking the Reagan rules.
Perot spent $63.5 million of his own money, much of it on 30-minute television spots during which he used charts and graphs to make his points, summarizing them with a line that became a national catchphrase: "It’s just that simple."
His homespun quips were a hallmark of his presidential campaign. Other memorable lines included his take on negative campaigning ("let's get off mud wrestling") and on getting things done ("don't just sit here slow dancing for four years").
In the 1992 election, Bush would lose his reelection bid to Clinton. Republicans blamed Perot for their loss. They believed that Republicans and Libertarian voters went to Perot.
He also affected the 1996 election and cost then Kansas senator Bob Dole his chance at winning.
Perot was considered a firebrand like Trump. He talked a lot of shit and promised a horseload of shit.
Perot was pro-choice, supported gay rights, stricter gun control like an assault rifle ban and increased research in AIDS.
He was against the Gulf War, the North American Free Trade Agreement and outsourcing of jobs to foreign nations. He inspired Trump.
He would endorse Bush's son George W. Bush for the 2000 and 2004 election. He would endorse Mitt Romney in his 2012 bid.
He leaves behind a wife, Margot, five children including Ross Perot, Jr. and numerous grandchildren.
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