Election 1992 - Presidential Debate Number 2

In retrospect the 1992 presidential elections may arguably have been one of the most important presidential elections in modern times. In February 1992 on the Larry King show a Texas millionaire named Ross Perot hinted he would run for President if he could get enough support to get him registered in all 50 states. He wanted to stop American jobs from going to foreign countries and a lot of Americans were out of work.

Nine months later the eyes of the world were focused on the University of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia only two weeks before the election for the second of three debates and this one had been purposefully and carefully staged to create an atmosphere where anything could happen.

Throughout the debate President Bush held fast to his free trade policies and at times he appeared to be struggling and out of touch with the the 200 selected audience members. Viewers in foreign countries like the Philippines and Japan were witnessing an emotional and spirited discussion sparked from the beginning by Perot's "giant sucking sound" remark.

Many political experts believe Bill Clinton probably sealed the 1992 Presidential election with the following response to one of Bush's poorest moment's.

Did Ross Perot create so much anti free trade controversy that he personally changed the outcome of the 1992 election? Many believe he did.

Election 1996 - Perot Runs Again

When the 1996 elections rolled around four years later Perot was back, but this time the big political machines were better prepared. They wanted no more debates like the one in Richmond where Perot had possibly influenced the outcome. Both of the major political parties wanted Perot out of the picture.

Election 2000 - Gore Wins Popular Vote; Bush Wins Office 5 - 4 in Supreme Court

Free trade received a boost in 2000 when George W Bush was elected by virtue of a 5 to 4 ruling of the Supreme Court on December 12, 2000, over one month after public votes had been cast. Al Gore had won the popular vote by 543,895 votes, but the electoral college gave George W Bush a 5 electoral vote victory after the Supreme Court narrowly ruled a manual recount made necessary in Florida should be halted when it could not be completed in the required time after a complicated voter machine "hanging chad" issue . . . thus giving Bush Florida's 25 electoral votes.

President George W. Bush spent the next eight years in the pursuit of free trade. As late as November 22, 2008 Bush, knowing the United States was going to be seeing the Democrats take over in January, made a passionate speech to world leaders at an economic summit in Peru not to abandon free trade in the face of a worsening global economic crisis.

In the first two parts of this series I have pointed out what I believe were key events leading up to where we are today when it comes to outsourcing in the Philippines. Now it is time to board a plane and head to that nation half way around the globe.

When I first wrote about outsourcing to the Philippines on January 29 I was getting ready to hire a Philippine assistant. You will soon meet Ann who I hired Feb 1. By the time I left for Manila on March 16 I had employed five more Filipino workers. Several were friends or family of Ann's.

Had Webster lost his marbles? There were some who thought so . . . and still do. I am known by my close friends as a social liberal that hates corporations and supports labor.

Coming next: An Eye for An Eye Will Only Make the Whole World Blind - Outsourcing America - A Summit in Boracay