Remembering Ross Perot

Almost one in five U.S. voters cast a ballot for independent presidential candidate Ross Perot in 1992.

I was one of them, and I was sad to learn of his passing this week.

As a news reporter in Dallas, Texas, I had plenty of occasion to interact with Mr. Perot – but more important, to watch him interact with others.

I covered news conferences at his company, Electronic Data Systems, and attended his speeches at various events around the Dallas metro area.

Thinking back on it, the reasons I voted for him had very little to do with his politics. Rather, I admired him as a gentleman and a leader.

He was incredibly smart and had a great sense of humor. He answered questions thoughtfully and didn’t mince words. While he seemed to run his company with an iron fist, he also treated people with respect. Yes, even journalists.

A Dallas Morning News editorial this week describes why this "blunt-talking billionaire" captured the imagination of so many.

I liked the fact that his positions on many major issues seemed more practical than party-driven. He railed at Congress for not addressing the need to modernize the nation’s infrastructure. He was alarmed by the growing federal debt. He was pro-choice.

Then again, he was no fan of gun control, and talked about trimming Social Security benefits.

More recently, I’m sure Mr. Perot was as frustrated as the rest of us that, almost 30 years later, so many of these issues remain unresolved.

The Ross Perot entry in Wikipedia says in his first run for president, he got votes from 53% “self-described moderates,” 27% conservative voters and 20% liberal voters.

I think that says a lot about one man’s ability to reach out and connect.

(Photo credit: Allan Warren)