Looking Under the Hood and Tinkering with Voter Cynicism: Ross Perot and "Perspective by Incongruity"

This essay examines Ross Perot's 1992 presidential bid as a comic catalyst for a reinvigorated view of civic responsibility. Despite the Texas maverick's political naiveté and penchant for miscalculation, his very presence in the campaign reanimated Americans' conception of grassroots democracy. By examining important and previously unexplored distinctions between planned and unplanned incongruity, we probe the means by which Perot invited consideration of alternative political perspectives and offered an appealing glimpse into a dormant, more deeply held democratic ideal.