YES, PEROT CAN BE ELECTED

Published: Friday, April 3, 1992
Section: FRONT , page A14
Type of story: Letter

© 1992 Landmark Communications Inc.

In his column ``Before you get on Ross Perot's bandwagon. . . '' (March 26), editorial-page editor Bill Wood makes the statement, ``He (Perot) doesn't have credibility as an electable candidate.'' Mr. Wood implicitly believes, just as conventional wisdom would have us all believe, that only a Democrat or Republican is ``electable.''

I disagree. The American electorate is angry and frustrated over the lack of popular representation (the greatest good for the greatest number) in government. We see how special interests and party politics, particularly their unspectacular, uninspired, and inflexible platforms, have eroded our ability to exert control over our own destinies.

If freedom is the greatest attribute of democracy, then diversity is its greatest asset. The two-party system stifles diversity. It implies that all issues can be dealt with in terms of black, white or, most often, gray. In fact, the sheer complexity of issues today demands that we acquire the ability to see the entire spectrum of viewpoints.

Ross Perot is a person with tremendous electability. He has just such diverse viewpoints, formed through years of experiences outside the inbred world of politics. He has proved his leadership abilities many times, occasionally with dramatic flair. He has demonstrated a keen insight when moving through the world of corporate politics, not to mention both the Defense and State departments.

His views, while not yet clearly defined in terms of his candidacy, have in the past shown a propensity toward true populism, as opposed to the so-called populism Mr. Wood referred to with regard to the Wallace campaign.

Most important, Mr. Perot is unencumbered by the loyalty to those parties which exact such a toll on their members. Instead of talking about the Democrats taking over the White House or the Republicans taking over Congress, let's talk about the American people taking over both.

MICHAEL E. RAU

Virginia Beach, March 27, 1992