Perot Reappears Bashing Obama and Romney

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Oct. 3, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

         Reappearing like a ghost before Halloween, 82-year-old billionaire former Reform Party presidential candidate H. Ross Perot emerged from the shadows bashing both President Barack Obama and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney for not dealing with fiscal reality.  Perot sounded the warning gong about the U.S. budget deficit, now projected by the Congressional Budget Office at $1.1 billion for 2012.  Worried about a takeover from a hostile foreign power, Perot ripped Obama and Romney for not dealing with the impending “fiscal cliff” facing the country.  When he ran as the Reform Party candidate in 1992, Perot ranted about the mushrooming $292 billion budget deficit.  Back then the nation’s Gross Domestic Product was  $8.15 trillion with a deficit-to-GDP ratio of 2.79%.  Today’s deficit-to-GDP ratio runs about 7%, about 3% lower than when Barack took office Jan. 20, 2009.

            Perot worries about the impending “fiscal cliff” where expiring tax cuts and government spending could plunge the economy into a double-dip recession.  Expiring Bush-era tax cuts and lowered government spending could push the struggling economy back into recession in 2013.  “If we are that weak, just think of who wants to come here first and take us over,” the former CEO of tech-company Perot Systems told USA Today, Monday.  Grabbing some headlines before the first presidential debate at the University of Denver Oct. 3, Perot hopes to elevate the “fiscal cliff” talks into the night’s many heated issues.  “Nobody that’s running really talks about it, about what we have to do and why we have to do it,” said Perot, though not pointing fingers at Romney’s VP pick, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, for throwing a roadblock into Obama’s economic plans.

            Perot says nothing about the spectacular 70% rise in the stock market since Obama’s inauguration.  He mentions nothing about the 2007-08 banking scandal where the nation’s largest banks ran out of cash after getting burned in the wild derivatives market.  When Perot graced the national political scene, the nation was still mired in a stubborn recession under former President George H.W. Bush.  Taking 19% of the vote in 1992 prevented Bush-41from reelection, handing the presidency to former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton.  Democrats have a short memory about Perot’s role in handing the White House to Democrats.  Reviled by the GOP, Perot did the same thing again running for the Reform Party in 1996, preventing former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) from winning the Oval Office.  Back in the news at least today, Perot hopes to shift the debate’s focus to the “fiscal cliff.”

            Most voters go blank when it comes to the economy.  They get things like the unemployment rate but have trouble with GDP-to-deficit ratios or even more abstract things like the “fiscal cliff.”  Since Romney announced for president June 2, 2011, the GOP has blocked all of the president’s attempts to improve the economy.  Prevailing wisdom in Republican circles involved creating the worst economic conditions possible before the election.  Romney got his best traction in the polls when the economy floundered.  When Mitt and his running mate shifted attention to foreign policy, their campaign headed right to the bottom.  Hoping he’ll reinvent himself Wednesday night,  Mitt faces some real challenges trying to pull the rug out from underneath Barack.  Known for his smooth debating style that beguiled Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinto, Barack promises to be even better.

            Obama oozes charisma in front of camera, giving the president more quality media face-time.  Agreeing to three debates cuts both ways:  While it gives Mitt a puncher’s chance, it also gives Obama a chance to reintroduce his charming self to currently undecided voters. When you compare Mitt to Barack, Barack’s far more youthful and energetic, appealing far more to women and youthful voters.  Exposing Barack to a built-in national TV audience puts Romney at a distinct disadvantage.  Instead of letting his operatives manufacture Mitt’s image, national TV exposure could give undecided voters more than they bargained for.  Romney’s strategists, including the elusive 52-year-old Stuart Stevens, hope to see Obama trip up on national TV, something not likely.  With three debates scheduled, Barack has a chance to seal the deal before the Nov. 6 election.

            Coming back in the headlines, Perot hopes to steer the debate to the fiscal realities of presidential politics.  It’s no accident that Barack’s main nemesis on the Hill was Romney’s VP pick.  Where Romney miscalculated, like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) four years ago, was pandering to his Party’s right wing.  Romney hoped Ryan would focus on the economy.  Instead, Ryan shifted attention to Medicare and Social Security, scaring Baby Boomers and seniors by threatening to privatize the government’s two biggest entitlement programs.  Letting Perot dictate the first debate’s agenda hands Obama a huge advantage.  Blasting both parties for incompetently managing the “fiscal cliff” gives a big advantage to Obama.  If Perot has any clout, he’s once again indicted the GOP for having no answers when it comes to the economy.  Perot’s message:  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix” when it comes to presidents.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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