H. Ross Perot
"Will he, or won't he...run for the presidency again?" That
question was on the minds of most of an NPC luncheon crowd April
25 [1995], when a grim-looking Ross Perot once again complained
about the State of the Nation--this time without his legendary
charts. Club President Monroe Karmin, however, brought his own
chart revealing that Perot had set a record with his appearance:
he's spoken at the Club more than any other person--seven times.
Perot slid by the first question after his formal speech on what's
wrong with America--"Do you plan to run for president again" in
1996?--with the reply, "We'll only do what's in the long-term best
interest of our country...We will wait. I want to give the
Republicans and Democrats a chance to do the job." However, he
then said chances for a third-party candidate are good, as "57
percent of the American voters now say they want a third political
party" and that while "29 percent now say they're Democrats, 30
percent say they're Republicans, and--hold on to your hats, folks-
-37 percent say they're independent voters." (He failed to give
the source of his figures.) His criticism of Congress' failure to
enact legislation included a balanced budget amendment, the
elimination of lobbying for foreign countries, and campaign finance
reform. He said the latter was necessary to avoid the obligations
resulting from campaign costs so exorbitant that representative
must raise $5,800 a week while in office to get reelected, and
senators, $12,800 a week. Perot also complained about the lack of
action to make the federal government debt free, with bills to fill
a non-existent Social Security trust fund; to pay for Medicare
trust fund, which he claimed would be bankrupt by 2002, and to
finance $1.4 trillion in unfunded federal pension obligations. The
National Press Club Record Volume XLV, No. 17. May 4, 1995
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