Ross Perot Has Passed Away At The Age of 89

  |  
Jul 9, 2019

Famous self-made billionaire, Ross Perot, who ran for president back in 1992 as an independent and managed to pull in a whopping 20 million votes, has passed away after battling leukemia.

Perot was 89-years-old.

via The Daily Wire:

Perot started out in the computer business in the early 1960s, founding Electronic Data Systems Corp. in 1962 with $1,000 he had saved. He sold control of it to General Motors for $2.5 billion in 1984. He started up another company, Perot Systems Corp., in 1988, which was sold to Dell for $3.9 billion in 2005.

“In business and in life, Ross was a man of integrity and action. A true American patriot and a man of rare vision, principle and deep compassion, he touched the lives of countless people through his unwavering support of the military and veterans and through his charitable endeavors,” James Fuller, a representative for the Perot family, said in a statement.

Perot ran for president twice, in 1992 and 1996, and in his first go-around, he upset the apple cart. He garnered nearly 19% of the vote, while the winners, Bill Clinton and Al Gore, took in just 43% and the losers, George H.W. Bush and Dan Quayle, got just 37.5%.

Perot, at just 5-foot-6-inches tall, had a commanding presence. He was mimicked by comedian Dana Carvey on “Saturday Night Live,” repeatedly uttering a phrase he made famous in his many contentious debates, “Can I finish?”

He was mocked for picking retired Adm. James Stockdale, who also famously said in one debate, “Why am I here?”

One of the things that was so appealing about Perot was the fact that the solutions he offered for the many complex issues facing the country were just plain common sense, something that politics at the time — as well as today — sorely lacks.

The campaign that Perot ran in 1992 was truly grassroots. In an appearance he made in February of that year on “Lary King Live,” he was asked if he was running for president and firmly stated the answer was no, though he later stated that if the people were serious about him running to register him 50 states.

Several months later, Perot’s supporters had him registered on the ballot in all 50 states. However, by July of that year, Perot felt he couldn’t win and pulled out of the race.

However, he jumped back in on October 1, earning a spot on the debate stage. Ultimately, Perot lost the election, but he made a believer out of many Americans and appealed to those who felt their voices had been silenced by the two-party system.

He will be sorely missed.