Discussion concerning a possible independent run for president by Donald Trump has brought back the ghost of Ross Perot in 1992 to the Republican faithful.  It seems an article of faith in the Republican Party that Perot cost President Bush the election and threw the race to Bill Clinton. However, this is not an accurate analysis of the effect of Perot running in 1992.  To use an analogy from AT contributor Herbert Meyer, we need to adjust the prism through which we view events. First, take a look at trends in place as we went into 1992.  Here is the trend in total voter turnout for president: 1972: 77,744,030 1976: 81,540,780 1980: 86,509,678 1984: 92,653,233 1988: 91,594,809 Here is the trend in winning candidate vote: 1972: 47,168,710 1976: 40,831,881 1980: 43,903,230 1984: 54,455,472 1988: 48,886,597 This analysis tells us that in 1988, George Bush was already a weak candidate, but as usual, the Electoral College served to amplify the vote...(Read Full Article)