What made me a success in business would make me a failure as a politician.
-- Ross Perot to the Washington Post, 1969
Some failure. Without even formally declaring his candidacy, Perot has unleashed a hurricane of discontent with politics -- and politicians -- as usual, sweeping up millions of citizens in an emotional crusade that could conceivably propel him all the way to the White House. Despite what may be a temporary leveling off in his popularity, the Texan still outpaces George Bush in the polls and leaves Democrat Bill Clinton in the dust. No other independent candidate in modern American history has mounted a more serious challenge to the two-party Establishment.
Paradoxically, Perot's spectacular rise has been fueled by his image as an anti-politician, even though he has shown an intuitive mastery of political skills. While some experts -- and his rivals -- contend that a man who lacks years of hands-on government experience stands no chance of cutting through the gridlock in Washington, Perot's supporters have made his very lack of an electoral resume into a virtue. Other candidates debate proposals for coping with the deficit and various complex issues. Perot vows that he can solve problems that have baffled other politicians "without breaking a sweat," often adding, as a precaution, that the steps he takes "won't be pretty."
Until recently, Perot's can-do attitude alone has been enough to satisfy the fired-up volunteers who have already collected enough signatures to place him on the ballot in at least 16 states. He has been vague, to say the least, in specifying how he would go about setting things right in Washington. Perot says he needs time to bone up on the issues with a newly assembled team of experts.
Meanwhile a natural law of American politics is beginning to take effect: once a candidate is anointed as front runner, he inevitably triggers enough intense scrutiny from the press, opponents and voters to slow down his surge, at least for a bit. The impeding effect is greatest on candidates about whom the public and press know little, since negative revelations can easily shatter their tenuous popularity. The latest example: Clinton, who was declared a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination before the New Hampshire primary but then was staggered by bombshells about his alleged extramarital affairs, draft status and experiment with marijuana.
There are signs that something similar is beginning to affect Perot, whose political views remain so undefined that voters have no idea where to place him on the political spectrum. This has worked to his advantage, as voters of all stripes invest him with their hopes. So far, his supporters are willing to take the chance that a tough businessman like Perot can succeed where timorous politicians have failed. In any case, they figure, he can't do any worse. But there is a much larger segment of the electorate reluctant to take the plunge until they know far more about Perot.