By Chris Tucker, KERA 90.1 commentator
Dallas, TX – In the spring of 1992, Ross Perot was the Howard Dean of his day, set to be the kingmaker if not the king. Even though he self-destructed, quit the race then jumped back in, he still got nineteen percent of the vote, effectively delivering Bill Clinton to the White House.
At this point it seems unlikely Howard Dean will have anything like Perot's dramatic effect on this year's election, but nonetheless, the hero of the Perotistas and the champion of the Deaniacs have more in common than we might think.
Both Perot and Dean ran insurgent campaigns that had little to do with the established parties - Perot as an independent, of course, and Dean as little more than a nominal Democrat who really didn't need, and may have been hurt by, the endorsements of mainstream politicians like Al Gore and Bill Bradley.
Like Perot before him, Dean's rise and fall demonstrated that modern presidential campaigns are really about the candidate as free agent, connecting with the public through media and force of personality, often in defiance of party structure and protocol.
Perot made few of the traditional grip n' grin appearances at county fairs and parades, instead taking his charts and graphs to voters through the likes of Larry King. Dean's campaign relied even more on direct, unmitigated contact with potential voters through his use of the Internet and quickly organized meet-ups.
Both ran what were largely single-issue campaigns, Perot focusing "like a laser" on the ruinous deficits that would burden our children, Dean giving voice to Democrats who seem to hate George W. Bush even more than Republicans hated Bill Clinton, a feat I would not have thought possible.
Dean was quickly labeled the "angry" candidate, but Perot had his share of anger, too, not to mention visible contempt for then-president George Bush and most of the news media. Neither man ever learned to act humble or take criticism, but Perot's ready laugh and homespun humor played better on television than Dean's occasional smugness and know-it-all demeanor.
Sadly, both men were tarnished in the rough and tumble of the campaign. Going in, Perot was known for generosity to war veterans and bold action in arranging the rescue of EDS employees held hostage in Iran. Dean was regarded as a brainy, innovative governor. In the heat of the campaign, both were reduced to squawking parodies on Saturday Night Live.
Finally, what of their legacies? Perot, the prophet of deficit doom, shamed Washington into putting the issue on the national agenda. We cleaned up our act for a while, but now the oceans of red ink rise again. Perhaps there are no permanent victories in politics.
As for Dean, it may take years for his legacy to solidify. If America and its allies manage the Herculean task of building a new, democratic Iraq, he will be recalled as one of the loudest voices on the wrong side of history. If President Bush is defeated this fall - and especially if we leave Iraq to anarchy and terror - Dean's star could rise again as our country mourns the blood and treasure lost in the desert sands.
Chris Tucker is a Dallas writer.