No it won’t be. Perot was a reaction to the hidden progressivism of the Bush family.
GWH Bush was elected on Reagan’s afterglow. He was defeated because of his duplicity.
Perot only carried mostly blue collar working class voters in rust belt regions who needed to protest against GWH Bush.
It was also the conclusion of the final analysis of Romney versus Obama that it was the 6 million + strong Perot voter demographic that sunk Romney.
Cruz will not be a Perot. The republican base is huge and Cruz will carry the base PLUS the Perot voters easily.
BUT there is more.
Cruz will carry 2/3’s of the Independents and thus will win the election handily.
Perot was a clown character. He was a billionaire and his command presence was grossly lacking.
Cruz on the other hand is Reaganesque and is capable as Reagan was of carrying 49 states in a landslide.
First of all, Cruz is suspect on legal immigration. He seems to be okay with mass legal immigration generally, and specifically has bought into the myth that we have a shortage of high tech workers. Any Republican not committed to ending mass immigration is just whistling past the graveyard.
Otherwise Cruz is impressive. It would be nice to have the clearly superior debater for a change, and someone capable of comfortably and ably articulating a conservative message.
But Cruz cannot reasonably hope for a Reagan-like landslide. No conservative can. Reagan’s America was much more white, and therefore much friendlier to Republicans and conservatives. Remember, Romney did about as well with whites percentage wise as Reagan did in 1980. But thanks to immigration-driven demographic changes, the difference is one between an easy landslide win in 1980 and an embarrassing four point loss in 2012.
It is almost inconceivable that a Republican carries populous states like Calif, NY, and Illinois now.
I do agree that the GOP’s best shot is going after disaffected Perot white working class voters. This could win them states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and reclaim Ohio. It could help them hold southern states like NC. It could help them everywhere. This could allow for an impressive electoral college victory for Republicans. But what evidence is there that the GOP will give these people a reason to vote for them? The GOP elite would rather go after a more fashionable Hispanic vote that is naturally hostile to them and naturally inclined towards the Democrats.
I am NOT crazy about CRUZ ...did you read where his college roommate says ANYONE BUT CRUZ....there are some reports that make me wonder. Anyone can say the right thing and people will swoon....for awhile then the cat is out of the bag.
Some examples:
Obama
Beck
B. Clinton