Editing Ross Perot (section)

==Political views==
Perot did not fit the usual political stereotypes; his views were seen as either pragmatic or populist, depending on the observer, and usually focused on his economic policy, such as balancing the budget, to gain support from both Democratic and Republican voters. Perot supported stricter gun control such as an [[assault weapons]] ban and supported increased research in [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ross_Perot_Gun_Control.htm|title=Ross Perot on Gun Control|website=ontheissues.org|access-date=June 16, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ross_Perot_Health_Care.htm|title=Ross Perot on Health Care|website=OnTheIssues}}</ref> Perot was hesitant on covering the issue of [[LGBT rights in the United States|gay rights]] during his [[Ross Perot 1992 presidential campaign|1992 campaign]], but openly supported gay rights in [[1996 United States presidential election|1996]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/10/us/the-1992-campaign-undeclared-candidate-perot-shifts-on-homosexuals-in-military.html?pagewanted=1|title=Undeclared Candidate; Perot Shifts on Homosexuals in Military|last=Kelly|first=Michael|date=July 10, 1992|work=The New York Times|page=18|access-date=May 27, 2010|location=New York|archive-date=April 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419154926/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/10/us/the-1992-campaign-undeclared-candidate-perot-shifts-on-homosexuals-in-military.html?pagewanted=1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ross_Perot_Civil_Rights.htm|title=Ross Perot on Civil Rights|website=OnTheIssues}}</ref> 

Perot spoke in favor of "comprehensive national health care plan — one that would be akin to Medicare but for all Americans, not just the needy".<ref name="grant"/> He also became known for his opposition to NAFTA; Perot believed that the power of corporations must be curbed, and saw the transfer of jobs to other countries as a symbol of corruption and inequality. He argued that such trade agreements only benefited the companies while robbing the US of its tax base and blue-collar jobs.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics |first=John B. |last=Judis |author-link=John Judis |year=2016 |publisher=Columbia Global Reports |isbn=978-0997126440 |location=New York |page=48}}</ref> Perot famously stated during the October 15 debate that NAFTA would create a "[[giant sucking sound]]" on American jobs.<ref name="judis_50"/>

The populism of Ross Perot is hard to define and is a contested topic amongst political scientists. Perot was described as a "classical populist",<ref>{{cite thesis |url=https://tesi.luiss.it/23934/1/631682_PASSIGLI_MATTEO.pdf |title=The Evolution of the Interpretation of Populism from the 1950s to Present: An Historical Excursus |page=65 |first=Matteo |last=Passigli |year=2017 |publisher=Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli |access-date=November 26, 2023 |archive-date=November 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126135611/https://tesi.luiss.it/23934/1/631682_PASSIGLI_MATTEO.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> liberal populist, "telepopulist" and also a "third way" populist.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_VING_P1997_56N1_0004--populismand-political-science.htm |title=Populism and Political Science: From Conceptual Illusions to Real Problems |last=Taguieff |first=Pierre-André |volume=56 |journal=Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'histoire |year=1997 |issue=4 |pages=4–33 |doi=10.3406/xxs.1997.4489 |translator=Cadenza Academic Translations|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Neal Allen and Brian J. Brox argue that Perot was neither left nor right-wing ideologically, and focused first and foremost on promoting reforms of the political process and grassroots democracy; despite this, they also found some notable similarities between Perot and the left-wing populism of [[Ralph Nader]], and an average Perot voter had liberal leanings.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Roots of Third Party Voting: The 2000 Nader Campaign in Historical Perspective |first1=Neal |last1=Allen |first2=Brian J. |last2=Brox |journal=Party Politics |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2005 |volume=11 |issue=5 |url=https://www2.tulane.edu/~bbrox/Allen%26Brox.pdf |pages=623–637 |doi=10.1177/1354068805054983|s2cid=5516722 }}</ref> 

[[Anton Pelinka]] described Perot's ideology as the "populism of the centre", presenting a distinct form of populism that significantly differed from left-wing and right-wing populist movements that appeared in the USA.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Right-Wing Populism: Concept and Typology |first=Anton |last=Pelinka |author-link=Anton Pelinka |journal=Bloombsbury Academic |publisher=Bloomsbury Collections |department=Right-Wing Populism in Europe: Politics and Discourse |date=27 April 2019 |doi=10.5040/9781472544940.ch-001 |page=9|doi-access=free }}</ref> Matthijs Rooduijn argues that Perot was an example of a liberal populist with centre-left leanings, noting his hostility to [[Reaganomics]] - in the 1992 election, Perot stated that USA was in crisis caused by "the decade of greed, the era of trickle-down economics".<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Nucleus of Populism: In Search of the Lowest Common Denominator |last=Rooduijn |first=Matthijs |journal=Government and Opposition |volume=49 |issue=4 |date=11 September 2013 |doi=10.1017/gov.2013.30 |pages=573–599 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In his famous ''The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics'' publication, [[John Judis]] wrote that "Perot represented a left and center-left populism",<ref>{{cite book |title=The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics |first=John B. |last=Judis |author-link=John Judis |year=2016 |publisher=Columbia Global Reports |isbn=978-0997126440 |location=New York |page=46}}</ref> in tradition of the [[People's Party (United States)|Populist Party]] and [[Huey Long]].<ref name="judis_50">{{cite book |title=The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics |first=John B. |last=Judis |author-link=John Judis |year=2016 |publisher=Columbia Global Reports |isbn=978-0997126440 |location=New York |page=50}}</ref> According to Judis, Perot "represented the first clear repudiation of the neoliberal agenda."<ref name="judis_50"/>

Regarding foreign policy, Perot was an outspoken opponent of the [[Gulf War]] and condemned Bush for the military intervention against Iraq. He instead promoted a more isolationist foreign policy, arguing that USA should focus on rebuilding its economy. In his 1992 presidential campaign, Perot stated that his "highest foreign policy priority is to get our house in order and make America work again".<ref name="judis_49">{{cite book |title=The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics |first=John B. |last=Judis |author-link=John Judis |year=2016 |publisher=Columbia Global Reports |isbn=978-0997126440 |location=New York |page=49}}</ref>  He attacked Bush for his ties to Saddam Hussein prior to the invasion of Kuwait - according to Perot, the Bush administration covertly aided Hussein's chemical weapons programs and turned a blind eye to Iraqi plans against Kuwait, instructing [[April Glaspie]] to greenlight Hussein's invasion on assumption that he would only seize Kuwait's northern oil fields. Perot claimed that Bush invaded Iraq because its actions threatened Bush's "manhood", and stated: "off we go into the wild blue yonder with the lives of our servicemen at risk because of 10 years of stupid mistakes".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-06-12-mn-236-story.html |title=Perot Attacks Bush's Links to Iraq Before Gulf War : Politics: On TV show, undeclared candidate criticizes President for sending delegations to 'burp and diaper and pamper' Hussein. |date=12 June 1992 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first1=John M. |last1=Broder}}</ref>

Perot also focused on anti-lobbying and political reform proposals - he favored a [[Line-item veto in the United States|presidential line item veto]] against "[[pork barrel]] spending and waste", elimination of [[political action committee]]s (PACs) to curb the influence of special interest groups, replacement of the [[Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act]] with a different balanced budget apparatus that would focus on limiting "tricks, loopholes, and improper accounting procedures" and a ban on [[exit polling]] during elections. He also postulated a ban on lobbying.<ref name="grant">{{cite book |title=Perot: The Populist Appeal of Strong-Man Politics |first1=George |last1=Grant |first2=Susan |last2=Alder |year=1992 |publisher=Adroit Press |location=[[Franklin, Tennessee]] |isbn=0-89107-692-1 |page=88}}</ref><ref name="judis_50"/>

From 1992, Perot was a [[Abortion-rights movements|pro-choice]] activist, and a strong supporter of [[Planned Parenthood]]. He stated that poorer women in particular should have access to abortions via federal funding. From 2000, he was pro-choice reluctantly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ross_Perot_Abortion.htm|title=Ross Perot on Abortion|website=ontheissues.org|access-date=June 16, 2017}}</ref>
===Economic policy===
Perot believed taxes should be increased on the wealthy, while spending should be cut to help pay off the national debt. Perot also believed the capital gains tax should be increased, while giving tax breaks to those starting new businesses.
{{Blockquote | style=font-size:100% |text="We cut the capital gains tax rate from a maximum rate of 35% to a maximum rate that got as low as 20% during the 1980s. Who got the benefit? The rich did, of course, because that's who owns most of the capital assets."|source=''Not For Sale at Any Price''}}

Together with increased taxes on the wealthy, Perot also supported curbing entitlement payments and tax rebates to the affluent, and spoke in favor of eliminating the government's air fleet and other Washington perks for legislators, mocking the privileges that the US legislators enjoyed. He also argued that the government should protect the job base through intervention in the market. He spoke in support of creating a national industrial ministry based on the Japanese [[Ministry of International Trade and Industry]], which would increase state control over large businesses and direct their investment.<ref name="grant"/> Perot stressed that the government should ensure that both public and private investments would target the "industries of the future". When asked about objections to his plans from free-market advocates, Perot said: "Don’t they realize that the biogenetics industry is the result
of our federally funded research universities and the [[National Institutes of Health]]?"<ref name="judis_49"/>

Perot was strongly opposed to [[neoliberalism]], and was credited with marking the "first clear repudiation" of the neoliberal economic policies pursued by [[Ronald Reagan]]:<ref>{{cite book |title=The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics |first=John B. |last=Judis |author-link=John Judis |year=2016 |publisher=Columbia Global Reports |isbn=978-0997126440 |location=New York |page=51}}</ref> 
{{blockquote|style=font-size:100% |text="A disturbing trend has emerged from the decade of greed, the era of trickle-down economics and the period of capital gains tax manipulation. We are headed for a two-class society."|source=Pox Populi: Ross Perot and the corruption of populism. ''[[The New Republic]]''. [[Sean Wilentz]]. August 9, 1993. Retrieved August 14, 2024.}}

In his 1993 book ''Not For Sale at Any Price'',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Perot |first1=Ross |title=Not for Sale At Any Price: How We Can Save America for Our Children |url=https://archive.org/details/notforsaleatanyp00pero |url-access=registration |publisher=Hyperion |access-date=July 10, 2019|isbn=978-1-56282-723-6 |date=April 1993 }}</ref> Perot expressed support for giving tax cuts for [[small and medium-sized enterprises]], as opposed to larger corporations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/At_Any_Price.htm|title=''Not For Sale at Any Price'', by Ross Perot|website=ontheissues.org|access-date=June 16, 2017}}</ref> Additionally, Perot supported a [[balanced budget]] amendment, stating, "spending should not exceed revenue for 27 consecutive years." On trade, Perot stated that [[North American Free Trade Agreement|NAFTA]] caused the trade deficit between Mexico and the United States and a loss of manufacturing jobs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ross_Perot_Free_Trade.htm|title=Ross Perot on Free Trade|website=OnTheIssues}}</ref> His position on free trade and NAFTA became his defining campaign principle of both the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. Perot argued: "We have got to stop sending jobs overseas. It's pretty simple: If you're paying $12, $13, $14 an hour for factory workers and you can move your factory south of the border, pay a dollar an hour for labor, ...&nbsp;have no health care—that's the most expensive single element in making a car—have no environmental controls, no pollution controls and no retirement, and you don't care about anything but making money, there will be a giant sucking sound going south."
{{Blockquote | style=font-size:100% |text=... when [Mexico's] jobs come up from a dollar an hour to six dollars an hour, and ours go down to six dollars an hour, and then it's leveled again. But in the meantime, you've wrecked the country with these kinds of deals.|source=The 1992 Campaign: Transcript of 2nd TV Debate Between Bush, Clinton and Perot". ''[[The New York Times]]''. New York Times Company. October 16, 1992. Retrieved May 16, 2016.}}

For the 1992 election, Perot unveiled an ambitious budget program that would balance the budget through redistributive policies. The most prominent element of the plan was Perot's proposal to raise the income tax bracket of 4% wealthiest households from 31 to 33 percent, and to raise it further to 35 percent in the future. Other points included increasing the taxable portion of Social Security benefits from 50 to 85 percent for recipients with income of $25,000 or more, as well as implementing a tax on hitherto tax-free employer-paid health insurance, with Perot arguing that a tax-free workplace insurance creates an unfair advantage for those who receive health insurance through their job. The plan also called for doubling cigarette tax and increasing gasoline tax by 50 cents a gallon; Perot explained that higher gasoline tax would help conserve energy and reduce pollution, but also advocated the creation of a special allowance for the workers disproportionately affected by the higher gasoline price. The plan also included massive cuts in military spending and scrapping the proposed space station project, which Perot derided as "a vacation home in space".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/26/us/1992-campaign-economy-perot-s-bitter-budget-pill-higher-taxes-cure-deficit.html |last=Greenhouse |first=Steven |date=26 July 1992 |title=The 1992 Campaign: The Economy; Perot's Bitter Budget Pill: Higher Taxes to Cure Deficit |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>