A discussion on the role, influence and development of the reform party in US politics.
This paper discusses the 1992 and 1996 independent candidacies of Texas billionaire Ross Perot and the centrist-sounding political apparatus he founded and named the Reform Party. The paper explains the role of the Reform Party as a third party and discusses its impact on the American political scene. The paper considers the weaknesses of this party and looks at the perception and support ordinary citizens have of this party. The paper also includes recommendations on how to raise prospects for this party’s success in U.S. elections.
About a decade ago a large segment of the American public realized that the politics of the nation was in shambles and the electoral system was not about democracy but rather about tactics. The negative publicity related to the 1988 elections in which George Bush and Michael Dukakis, ran for President brought this fact into focus. As the public thought about the problem’s scientists, sociologists and researchers debated the cause of the national dissatisfaction with political figures and the system as a whole. The nation was calling for reform and the complaints were the usual attacks against the media, congress manipulation, territorial campaigns and a doubt on the representation of the majority. Though solutions were presented Americans were convinced that true reform would not happen until the election of a President who was neither a Republican nor a Democrat. This led to the 1992 and 1996 independent candidacies of Texas billionaire Ross Perot and the centrist-sounding political apparatus he founded and named, the Reform Party.