Plutocratic Populist

Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot has a habit of defying the odds. Born in humble circumstances in Texarkana, Texas, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, spent four years at sea, then went to work briefly for IBM. In 1962 he struck out on his own, launching Dallas-based Electronic Data Systems with $1,000 in savings. He sold it to General Motors 22 years later for $2.5 billion. Along the way, Perot has displayed a willingness to use his wealth for heroic purposes -- and a thirst for publicity. In 1969 he tried to deliver two planeloads of medicine, clothing and food to U.S. POWs in North Vietnam. Hanoi rebuffed him. A decade later, he organized a private commando operation that rescued two EDS employees from a prison in Iran. The adventure was memorialized in the best-selling thriller On Wings of Eagles. Given his record of stirring things up, it is not so surprising that Perot, 61, has embarked on a wild-card quest for the presidency. His self-appointed mission is to restore power to average people. "The reason our system of government is not working very well right now is that the ordinary person in our country, the owner, has abdicated his responsibilities as owner," Perot explains. "The people in Washington are supposed to be our servants."

Assuming that Perot can get on the ballots of all 50 states, there is little chance that he could win the election. But George Bush's political advisers fear Perot could drain off enough votes in key states to deny the President a second term. The squirming that his candidacy has touched off among politicians delights Perot, who plans to finance his independent campaign privately and will not accept donations larger than $5.

What kind of President would Perot make? He considers abortion "a woman's choice," and is a backer of education reforms. If elected, he has promised to introduce a number of provocative -- and in some cases wildly impractical -- innovations:

ELECTRONIC TOWN HALLS. In television addresses, President Perot would outline the various legislative choices on major issues like health care. Citizens would then choose a particular solution through interactive cable TV and telephone voting.

SOCIAL ISSUES. President Perot would consider eliminating Social Security and Medicare for the wealthiest Americans, saving $100 billion a year. He advocates placing "severely disadvantaged children" in government-funded homes soon after birth to get them away from unstable environments.

CUTTING WASTE. Perot would replace the tax-collecting system at the IRS with a "fair and paperless" computerized mechanism. He supports a law prohibiting deficit spending by the government.

COMPETITIVENESS. Perot would create a government-business partnership, similar to Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry, that would chart strategies for economic growth.

These ideas are a far cry from a full-fledged program for curing what ails America. But Perot would add spice to the political debate. "If voters don't have a stomach for me," he says, "they can get one of those blow-dried guys."