Ross Perot, Founder and Former CEO of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems, Dies At 89 (cnbc.com) 149
Ross Perot, a self-made billionaire, independent presidential candidate, and philanthropist, has died at the age of 89 after a five-month battle with leukemia. Perot rose to fame after founding his first company, Electronic Data Systems, in 1962 with just $1,000 in savings. More than two decades later, he launched information technology services provider Perot Systems, which was acquired in 2009 by Dell for $3.9 billion. CNBC reports on his political accomplishments: As a disruptive third-party candidate for president, Perot ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and protectionism. He won nearly 19% of the vote in the 1992 race -- by far the biggest slice of the electorate for a third-party candidate since Theodore Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party in the 1912 election. Perot stood out from the political crowd for his quirks as much as his business credentials and lack of experience in establishment politics. "I don't have any experience in running up a $4 trillion debt. I don't have any experience in gridlock government, where nobody takes responsibility for anything and everybody blames everybody else," he said in a 1992 presidential debate. The shifting of U.S. jobs to Mexico created a "giant sucking sound," he famously said during the campaign. Perot was also a bit of a pack rat, collecting everything from whimsical toys to priceless artifacts. Perot owned the only Magna Carta ever allowed to leave Great Britain, which he loaned to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and in 2007, sold it for $20 million.
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he hired uneducated and unqualified employees at bargain basement prices.
EDS hired many former military officers as managers. Leading an infantry platoon doesn't qualify someone to manage IT services or developers. They are very different skillsets.
Re: EDS was awful (Score:2)
I beg to differ, Shanghai Bill (Score:4, Insightful)
I am no military man.
I came to the US as a refugee from east Asia, after graduating from college I applied to EDS.
At that time I knew how to program, but still very far from being an expert (college course could only taught us so much)
On my 2nd day of work Mr. Perot got me into his office and gave me his assurance that if I'm willing to learn, the firm will provide me all the support I need.
Your assertion:
"EDS hired many former military officers as managers. Leading an infantry platoon doesn't qualify someone to manage IT services or developers"
is, unfortunately, FULL OF CRAP.
Mr.. Ross Perot is the most hard working boss I've ever had.
Unlike other bosses who treated his employees like slaves, Mr. Perot treated us with faith and respect - and yes, we respect him, in return.
As I have pointed out, I am no military man, but thanks to EDS, I learned the truest form of discipline - the one from the US. Marine.
Not only that, all of us who had/have worked in EDS can tell you that we are not afraid of failure, thanks to, again, the way US. Marines think.
I can only say this --- Mr. Perot is a fair and respectful man, the one whom I admire and respect.
Although I ain't from the US Marine, to my Boss, Mr. Ross Perot, Sir, Semper Fi !
Rest in Peace, Sir !
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As I understand it he hired uneducated and unqualified employees at bargain basement prices.
Yeah, it's ironic that he lost the election, huh?
Well, he was wrong (Score:2)
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It's pronounced "Jiiina".
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All the jobs went to China and India.
No, of manufacturing, a good number did go to Mexico before China joined the WTO. His focus was more manufacturing, and in that department, both Mexico and China gave us the sucking sound. India has gotten into manufacturing only more recently
Too bad he can't run now (Score:2)
It's really a shame Perot is gone, as a third party candidate this year I could almost see him winning this time.
The elections he was a candidate for, were probably the last election you had a clearly decent choice to vote for.
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Awwwww. You don't like Trump and someone told you the Democratic Party is full of "libtards" and "Leftists" so you just don't know who to vote for.
Do us all a favor junior, sit this one out and let the adults chose the president, okay?
Re: Too bad he can't run now (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: Too bad he can't run now (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: Too bad he can't run now (Score:1)
Conservatives have been making execuses for the Russians. For God's sake look at what you have become.
Your xenophobia has lead you down a wicked path and you have BETRAYED your country.
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"We need to fundamentally change America" is not a conservative opinion.
"God Damn America!" is not very Christian, nor is that the opinion of a church popular with conservatives.
"Some times you've just made enough money" is not a conservative opinion... although that does go with some parts of Christianity.
"You didn't build that" is neither Christian or conservative.
On the other hand, "Bring a gun to a knife fight" IS a very conservative opinion. So he's got that going for him - Pro 2nd Amendment! Who kne
Re: Too bad he can't run now (Score:2)
he was a Negro...
What difference does the color of the lizard's skinsuit make??
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What is it about Leftists that gives them free license to use offensive, outdated racist terms? The preferred term is Afro-American, and you'd be deplatformed and cancelled anywhere else for calling Obama (of all people) a "Negro".
Just goes to show you, when the Left comes up with rules, they are never for themselves to follow. Banning for thee, but not for me.
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"Jerry" (Score:2)
let the jerrymandering groups
Um, how do you "Jerry"mander a *presidential* election anyway?
I wasn't away either party was re-defining state boundaries...
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You gerrymander the seats in states to secure a majority of state delegations in the election preceding a Presidential election. Then the President fails to attain a majority of electoral votes which cause the House of Representatives, which you gerrymandered the delegations in your favor, to vote on the new President selecting your preferred candidate.
Re:Too bad he can't run now (Score:4)
as a third party candidate this year I could almost see him winning this time.
No. Fiscal responsibility is a good platform, but it's not a platform that wins elections (and if this were Reddit, there would be a bunch of replies assertively telling me "deficits don't matter").
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Fiscal responsibility is a good platform, but it's not a platform that wins elections
It's not even about that though, it's that Perot would be an obviously sane choice in a field of candidates that are quite mad.
The closest thing I can think of to a modern equivalent is that guy who runs Starbucks. If he ran, I think he could win. But he was scared away by the media and liberal power-seekers.
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Perot would be an obviously sane choice in a field of candidates that are quite mad.
Not really, a lot of it is marketing. Any of us would look insane if we had enough exposure. (If you don't believe me, I'll look through your comment history and find your own personal insanity).
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Any of us would look insane if we had enough exposure.
The media gives the Democrats all the time in the world to tell their side of it. You claim that this makes them look insane.
The media chops out sounds bites of Republicans and then gives Democrats all the time in the world to talk about how bad the Republicans are. You are claiming this makes them look insane.
You are right. The media makes the Democrats look insane by letting Democrats speak, and the media makes the Republicans look insane by letting Democrats speak.
One side is much much worse, if yo
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Except "fiscal responsibility" often equates to "keep throwing piles of money at the military while giving massive tax cuts to the rich so let's slash social programs". When what it should mean is paying for high speed rail, free-to-use medical care and education, while repealing all tax cuts going back to the Eisenhower Administration.
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I voted for him primarily because I felt we needed more than 2 parties.
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Democrats have always been the party of bickering. They never have been unified. The amount of bickering varies by generation and topic, but there is always a fair degree of disagreement. Even on party planks and popular idealism they show that they may occasionally come together for a vote, but agree? No, and usually quite loudly.
When Republicans try it they end up with the TEA Party and the Freedom Caucus and Donald Trump..
Democrats just end up with a bunch of idealists shouting over each other.
Rememb
Perot vs Trump (Score:1)
Perot was the Trump of 1992. Or Trump was the Perot of 2016. Very identical stances - about trade deals, protecting other countries at our expense, immigration and so on
The things they differed on are really functions of how much society has shifted. Both Perot and Trump were pro-choice on abortion back in the day, but that was when conservatives argued that life begins at conception, and that exceptions can't be made for rape and incest. In 2019, the conservative position starts life at either heartb
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Quixotic leader will be missed by some (Score:3)
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Mercenaries are never as productive
Yep basically EDS was the Golden Company of the day.
I liked Perot but man EDS was strange. I had a friend who worked there a long time ago and it seemed like a really poorly run company.
False (Score:2)
"I don't have any experience in running up a $4 trillion debt."
On the contrary, he made much of his fortune by winning fat government contracts funded by deficit spending.
Explain (Score:2)
From where are you alleging he had experience being in that much debt?
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He personally helped the government run up that debt.
That's experience.
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"I don't have any experience in running up a $4 trillion debt."
On the contrary, he made much of his fortune by winning fat government contracts funded by deficit spending.
Yeah, but his responsibility was to EDS, not to the federal government or the nation's budget. Had he been elected, that would have been his priority.
Like what Trump said, "I buy politicians, and then get them to do what I want".
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Remember his Platform (Score:5, Informative)
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Economic Criss partnership of Dem, Repub, Wall St (Score:3)
If you'll recall, Clinton (the guy who won that election) left office with a budget surplus, which Bush and the Republican congress promptly gave away to their oil and arms-trader buddies.
Actually it was the Republican Congress that forced economic moderation upon Clinton and the Democrats. The Clintons' were so inept in their first two years the country put the Republicans back in charge of the House or Representatives, and the money, for the first time in several decades during his first midterm. This derailed his initiatives, it forced him to deal with the republicans. As a result Clinton moved politically towards the right.
Things went to crap under Bush for two reasons. (1). The Clint
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False. This is propaganda that is repeated often, but during no year of the Clinton presidency did the national debt decrease, nor did the deficit fall to zero.
http://www.craigsteiner.us/art... [craigsteiner.us]
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That surplus wasn't from his policies, but because after campaigning against the "Contract With America" as "reckless," he and the house competed on the contract's terms.
Roughly the sequence was a house budget proposal to balance the budget in seven years, Clinton countering with "I see your seven and raise you to six", and the house countering at 5. (I may be off by a year; it's been a while).
As events turned, the economic boom related to the improved environment, both boosted tax revenue and sent
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If it were that easy to manipulate, every year would be a surplus, and trickle down would appear to actually work, instead of being a colossal failure that the right simply repackages every few years and cons their constituents into believing.
To see an actual Rube follow these Rube proof instructions:
Go to bathroom,
peer into the mirror.....
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That was way after NAFTA passed. His responsibility was to EDS, so if it was legally possible to offshore their work to Mexico and improve the bottom line, that's what he did. But he did argue against it when he ran for president. Had he won, and then had his way, his company couldn't have done what you mention. Or they could have renegotiated NAFTA to look like today's USMCA
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Don't forget the EDS cat herding commercial. [youtube.com]
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He was a big proponent of the War on Drugs.
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Actually, his position on 'Gays in the military' was similar to the GOP position: "Don't ask, don't tell". Bill Clinton added the "Don't investigate" to it.
I agree w/ you on the rest of what you wrote. He was the Trump of 1992, but w/o the determination to stick to it, and w/o the strategy of hijacking one of the 2 parties, instead of running as an independent. Although to be fair to him on the latter point, there's no way he could have won a GOP primary. A Dem one, maybe
When I was a kid I thought he was an oil man (Score:3)
Nostalgia (Score:3)
Those were the days, when the worst thing a crazy candidate wanted to do was reduce the deficit.
Meanwhile... (Score:2)
Tuesday afternoon, a drunk and disheveled Rip Thorn was found sitting in the champagne fountain in heaven, holding a hammer.
When asked what is he doing there he replied "Isn't this my house?" [wikipedia.org]
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That would have worked better had I spelled his name right.
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Rather than answer that directly, let me quote from Charlie Pierce's obituary today:
The hand grenade with a crew cut is gone.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Where Ross had his charm, I still cannot forget that he is likely responsible for the election of WJ Clinton and all the history related to that. No Monica, no impeachment, no Hillary...No Newt Gingrich even..
Was it worth it? I don't think so... But who knows what would have happened with a second term of George Bush Sr...
Well, Ross has had a lasting impact on this country, even though he never won. For a clear talking guy in a crew cut from Texas, he had a massive impact. Like him or not, One thing is sure, there will only ever be one Ross Perot.
Re:The hand grenade with a crew cut is gone.. (Score:5, Insightful)
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It's worth mentioning that the people who won the election instead of him ended up following his campaign promises and balanced the budget.
Well, Bill Clinton was dragged into it kicking and screaming by Newt Gingrich's congress, when Dick Morris advised him to do that, and guarantee himself a second term
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It was all part of the Republicans "Contract with America" -- which promised to bring many specific things to a vote -- it won them both the House and the Senate -- and then they did bring each and every one of those things to a vote
All this, while the narrative machine was attacking them endlessly.
The Democrats have all the advantages, but still get it handed to them regularly, because their word
Typical Revisionism (Score:2, Insightful)
Now opponents of Clinton are trying to claim that a good economy was actually... bad!
If you want to knock Clinton's economic record, at least try to pick something factual and substantive. I disagreed then (and continue to disagree) with repeal of Glass-Steagal. And there were bad things that went with the tech bubble, certainly.
However by the standards you seem to have, every President in history "left a mess".
Revisionism is to say Clinton prosperous (Score:2)
Now opponents of Clinton are trying to claim that a good economy was actually... bad! If you want to knock Clinton's economic record, at least try to pick something factual and substantive.
The revisionism is to say the Clinton era was prosperous due to his actions. That was just campaign slogan'ing. He had his hand tied and was responsible for very little. Clinton got little more than Republican House leader Newt Gingrich let him have. Well financially and politically.
Clinton's initiatives largely got derailed two years into his Presidency when the Clintons' ineptitude, both of them, so pissed off the country they put the Republicans back in charge of the House of Representatives for the f
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Economy bubble and burst is a terrible way to manage the economy; it took over fifteen years to recover from the mess Clinton left
You mean the dotcom recession that only lasted 8 months [wikipedia.org]? Economic bubbles that burst are a harmful thing, but blaming it on the sitting president or claiming it took 15 years to recover from is a bit ridiculous. The dotcom bubble bursting was no more Clinton's fault than the housing bubble collapse was Bush Jr's fault.
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Where Ross had his charm, I still cannot forget that he is likely responsible for the election of WJ Clinton and all the history related to that.
That argument is pretty clearly baloney. HBush did not "own" the Perot voters, and that is that kind of arrogance that was driving many of those voters away from the polls. If Ross did not run, both Bill and George's numbers would have both gone up, and in this scenario the gap does not necessarily even shrink.
Look at the 1988, 1992, 1996 results side by side. They are strongly suggestive that half the Perot voters were genuinely brought to the polls by the appeal of Perot himself. The was no way that t
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Clearly, Ross aligned with the republican voters better than the democrat ones so it's pretty objective to say he hurt Bush more than Clinton. You can argue how the actual vote would have gone w/o Perot but it's pretty obvious how this would have turned out.
Clinton got 43% of the popular vote, Bush got 37% and Ross got over 18%. If 70% of Perot votes where from republicans who would have voted for Bush, that would have put Bush at 50% and Clinton at 48% which is hard to imagine would be overturned by the
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The problem here was Perot dropping out of the race. Once he did, his credibility was gone. Had he stayed in, he'd probably have won, and then all the other things you point out wouldn't have happened. Newt still would have, since the Dem congress was the root cause of tax and spend
Remember that's a wingnut urban legend (Score:2)
Clinton would have won the '92 election with or without Perot in the race. The world would be a much better place if Perot had won - two party duopoly seriously damaged, no NAFTA...but he didn't "give" the election to Clinton.
https://www.salon.com/2011/04/... [salon.com]
A unique character (Score:5, Interesting)
My parents were 2-3 years older than Perot, and went to school with him in Texarkana. His stature and voice did not bring him "most likely to succeed" recognition at that age. If my parents were still alive to see the Dallas Morning News article, they would likely have nodded, wept, and laughed at the photo of him with the hand-me-down bicycle and Texarkana Gazette newspaper bags, because that was exactly how they described him to me.
He and my dad had partially in common the formative experiences of Texarkana humble means, United States Navy service (my dad: enlisted in WW2, ship sunk in the Okinawa campaign), and IBM sales. Some of the peculiar rigidities (e.g. suit-and-tie dress code) reported for EDS in the 60s-70s, came from the IBM sales heritage.
I am inclined to believe reports that the origin of EDS was in his salesman's eye for opportunity, seeing computer time going unused at one or another IBM customer installation, where that excess time could have been sold to some other organization. By extension, form an organization to lease 5 computers, and sell their capacity and supporting staff services to 8 customers (5 and 8 are made up numbers here).
My parents could agree on little else, apart from breaking from lifelong Republican affiliation, to work for Perot's political campaign.
I never met him, but the bicycle picture in the Dallas Morning News article, alongside my parents' stories, made me feel as if I had.
Star Trek Meme (Score:4, Funny)
I'll never forget the bumper sticker I saw while he was running for President:
"How are you voting? Republican, Democrat or Ferengi?"
Iran... (Score:5, Interesting)
Don't forget the whole "Rescuing EDS employees trapped in Iran after the revolution" thing.
Ken Follett later wrote "On Wings of Eagles" about it.
Farewell old boss... (Score:2)
Ross Perot, founder of Perot Systems, dead. Wow! Farewell old boss, RIP.