The Perot Legacy: A New Political Path [Paperback]

Pat Benjamin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2007

“In the 1990s, my campaigns as an independent presidential candidate gave a voice to millions of Americans who had been left out of the partisan political process. These people wanted—and still want—to contribute to their country and make America better for their children and grandchildren. This is their story.”—Ross Perot, 1992/1996 presidential candidate, businessman, and philanthropist

In 1992, America began a historic and unique political movement when Ross Perot, a down-to-earth, charismatic billionaire, threw his hat into the ring of presidential contenders. A member of the Reform Party, Perot was the voice for the average American, and he inspired millions of ordinary citizens to actively participate in their government.

Political activist and Perot campaigner Patricia R. Benjamin takes you inside Perot’s campaign and tells the story of an action movement that turned everyday folks into street fighters as they delved into the depths of dirty politics. In The Perot Legacy, Benjamin lays out the campaign’s successful infiltration of “politics as usual” and exposes the backroom deals, intimidation, stalkers, and death threats that dogged the campaign’s every step.

But The Perot Legacy provides more than a history of the Perot presidential bid. With sharp political sensibility, Benjamin addresses how to harness the growing frustration and disgust many Americans feel over politics today, and she explains how to learn from past mistakes to effectively put regular, real people back in control of the American government.

Benjamin combines personal anecdotes, insider opinions, and sound political discourse to create a true testament to America’s unique democratic system. It’s time to put the power back in the people’s hands!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A 1960s and 1970s political activist, Pat Benjamin reentered politics with Ross Perot’s independent run for president in 1992. She founded the New Jersey Reform Party and was elected vice chairman of the National Reform Party in 1997. Following 9/11, Benjamin started a national citizen-based crisis network and produced an emergency preparedness handbook.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (December 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595461700
• ISBN-13: 978-0595461707
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,603,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brief History of a Real Political Movement, May 1, 2008

By 

Pat Choate (Washington VA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Perot Legacy: A New Political Path (Hardcover)

In the 1990s, the American political system was shaken by a grass roots political movement headed by Ross Perot. While the focus of most comments about the politics of that era are about Perot, the movement itself was largely about the self-initiated actions of millions of American voters who were dissatisfied with the way their public affairs were being managed and the politics surrounding them.

In 1992, Perot running as an independent candidate got almost 20 percent of the popular vote. His success was due in large part to the grass roots activism he stimulated. In 1996, Perot received almost 9 percent of the popular vote though rivals Bill Clinton and Robert Dole excluded him from the Presidential debates. The vote he received, however, qualified the Reform Party as a national political party eligible for public funding in the 2000 election. This was a historic first.

Pat Benjamin tells the story of that reform movement very well. And well she could, because she was intimately involved throughout. It is a story with highs and lows, personal conflicts, triumphs and defeats. Most important, she provides an instructive lesson in real politics involving real people that should be useful for when the next "third-party" movement arises, as it surely will.

And while I was deeply involved, including running as the VP candidate in 1996, I learned much from this book that I did not know.

Ultimately, The Perot Legacy is a tribute to the independent voters in this nation, which now constitute a political majority. As this book makes clear, when they are sufficiently dissatisfied with the "unrepresentative democracy" that now exists, they are fully capable of taking control of the U.S. government. It is a hopeful thought.

I highly recommend this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a Perot book from the inside, March 27, 2008

By 

Timothy Shaw "Tim Shaw" (New Providence, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Perot Legacy: A New Political Path (Paperback)

Benjamin's book shows the power apathetic Americans can have once they have been given a voice. Ross Perot, who quietly has become perhaps our nation's greatest philanthropist, offered us that voice in 1992 and millions came. To quote her book :
"They were everyone and anyone who could be imagined. Small business men and women actually closed down their businesses to come and volunteer. They were white, brown, yellow, rich, and poor. There was a guy in his fifties, with tattoos running up both arms. He was sitting near a wealthy woman who had just stepped off the society pages of the Dallas Morning News. There were people who had never voted and those who voted every time the polls opened. Boy and girls in their teens sat next to men and women and their grandparents. There were liberals and conservatives and a lot of middle-of -the roadies. None of that mattered; they were all Americans who had come to take their country back."
For decades we have been sold on the ideology of right and left when, really most of us are right in the middle. It's that quiet sleeping middle that feels they have no voice. We don't vote for someone, but rather against someone and all the while knowing that both the Republicans and Democrats have together become beholden to the special interests. The Perot Legacy tells the history of the Perot campaigns, United We Stand America--the movement that made NAFTA a household name--and the incredible rise and fall of the Reform Party from the inside perspective. During the 1990's, Americans almost took their country back from the two parties, and this book captures within it's pages more than just a rehashed history of our political past. It's a lesson in human nature and of what not to do, the story of a movement that almost made it, but eventually succumbed to the same pitfalls they had organized against. From innocence to warring factions, Pat Benjamin chronicles the Perot movement that changed America forever, told by the people who were there themselves. The Perot Legacy shows us that we can find such success again and teaches us that the next time we will be even more ready.
"The question is can we do it? This is America! Of course we can!"--Ross Perot. Go. Read. Vote.

4.0 out of 5 stars As good as new...and FAST delivery!, May 20, 2009

By 

Donna Donovan "flamingoroadie" (Glastonbury, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Perot Legacy: A New Political Path (Paperback)

This book was a great bargain. A completely like-new copy at a discount price, delivered quickly. You can't beat that!