Giant Sucking Sound

[William Parcher]

Ross Perot, billionaire tycoon and 2-time presidential candidate, dies at 89

Ross Perot, the billionaire tycoon who mounted two unsuccessful third-party presidential campaigns in the 1990s, died Tuesday, family spokesman James Fuller confirmed to CNN. He was 89.
Perot died after a five-month battle with leukemia, Fuller said.

A billionaire by his mid-50s after he sold a controlling interest in the data processing business he founded to General Motors for $2.5 billion, Perot's foray into presidential politics made him one of the more colorful political figures of the 1990s.

His Texas twang, populist platform -- he memorably railed against the North American Free Trade Agreement, warning of a "giant sucking sound" of American jobs to other countries if passed -- and frequent TV appearances brought him wide recognition, and his 1992 campaign, in which he garnered nearly 19% of the vote and finished third behind Bill Clinton and incumbent President George H.W. Bush, remains one of the most successful third-party bids in American history.

For years, Bush blamed Perot for his defeat, saying in a 2012 HBO documentary that he believed Perot "cost me the election." Election experts and scholarly research, however, has challenged that theory...

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/07/09/politics/ross-perot-dead/index.html

 

[pgwenthold]

"If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it might just be a spastic monkey with flat feet" - Dana Carvey playing Ross Perot

 

[Butter!]

RIP.

Ross Perot was the first Presidential candidate I ever "supported." Haha, when I was in first grade, I saw him talking on TV and decided I liked him. My parents thought it was cute, so they bought me a little Perot poster to hang on the wall of my bedroom.

A few semesters ago, I did a PowerPoint presentation on his campaign. It really was impressive what he managed to do as a third-party candidate, whatever you think of him otherwise.

 

[Regnad Kcin]

Ross Perot, the billionaire tycoon who mounted two unsuccessful third-party presidential campaigns in the 1990s, died Tuesday, family spokesman James Fuller confirmed to CNN.

Thanks, CNN, not many people know that!

 

[shemp]

He was a rich, egotistical twat who would have run the country as if it was his kingdom. Thank goodness we've never had a president like that!

 

[Brainster]

I remember a few years back somebody wrote a column entitled "When Ross Perot Calls," and I immediately thought, the proper response is "I'm all ears."

He was an interesting guy, probably the last deficit hawk.

 

[Lambchops]

Good riddance. I hope he rots in hell for all eternety.

 

[Upchurch]

He was a rich, egotistical twat who would have run the country as if it was his kingdom. Thank goodness we've never had a president like that!

Wasn't his schtick that he'd run the country like his business, too? Except that he actually could run a business.

I remember liking that idea at the time. I've grown up since then.

 

[BobTheCoward]

Wasn't his schtick that he'd run the country like his business, too? Except that he actually could run a business.

I remember liking that idea at the time. I've grown up since then.

It is extra weird given his feelings about debt. If a business could borrow like the government, they would.

 

[theprestige]

Fun fact: Two of Perot's employees were arrested in Iran, just before the revolution broke. He sent a team of volunteers from his company to Iran to try to either work out a deal to get them released on bail, or break them out if the Iranian authorities were intransigent.

In the event, the deal stalled, and the jailbreak turned out to be unfeasible. But the revolution broke, and an Iranian employee of the company exploited the mob rushing the prison to locate and retrieve the two Perot employees. Along with the other Perot employees already trapped in Iran, or there to help them escape, they were able to flee the country. The Iranian employee, Rashid, escaped with them.

 

[Armitage72]

I checked Google News. Almost all of the headlines are thing like "Ross Perot, billionaire tycoon and 2-time Presidential candidate, dies at 89" or "Former independent Presidential candidate Ross Perot dies aged 89".

The Fox News headline is "Ross Perot donated to Trump's re-election campaign before death: report".

 

[Allen773]

Rest In Peace, Intriguing Person.

 

[Butter!]

Yeah, like I said, I was 6 when I was a fan. Lol.

 

[varwoche]

I appreciate the amusement he provided...

"I'm Ross and you're the boss"

"This dog don't hunt"
​

 

[dudalb]

I appreciate the amusement he provided...

"I'm Ross and you're the boss"

"This dog don't hunt"
​

"This Dog Don't Hunt" is a old,old, southern expression.

 

[dudalb]

Good riddance. I hope he rots in hell for all eternety.

I get the impression some people here basically hate anybody who makes a lot of money.

 

[TragicMonkey]

I get the impression some people here basically hate anybody who makes a lot of money.

Perhaps it's not just the money. Perhaps there is animosity toward the very wealthy who seek power as well.

 

[pgwenthold]

I get the impression some people here basically hate anybody who makes a lot of money.

I don't hear many complaints about Warren Buffet, and he makes a lot of money.

Maybe it's not so much the money that is the problem?

 

[applecorped]

Sorry I thought this thread was going to be about Kamala Harris never mind, carry on.

 

[Bikewer]

I worked the big 3-way debate here at the university back then.... Which was also the one where Ralph Nader and his supporters...And every fringe group you could think of.... All showed up to protest. Even Fred Phelps from the Westboro church showed up.
Quite a show.....

All I remember of Perot was his mantra.....”All you have to do is.....”