DALLAS (AP) - Snubbed by several established political figures in his search for a running mate, Ross Perot picked economist Pat Choate yesterday to share his Reform Party presidential ticket, calling him "a person of intellect, courage, integrity and grit."
Choate is a protectionist and was a strong Perot ally in opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement. He was Perot's coach for a televised NAFTA debate the Texas business executive had with Vice President Al Gore.
"He knows the system as few do," Perot said, announcing his choice in a 30-minute infomercial on CBS. "He knows what's wrong with it. We agree what's wrong with it. His views are your views out there across America."
For his part, the campaign novice Choate said he joined Perot's third-party ticket because government can't be reformed "from the inside."
"It cannot be changed by either of the two major political parties," the candidate said. "Too many people profit too much at public expense.''
Choate co-authored a book with Perot after Perot's unsuccessful 1992 presidential run and recently has traveled the country promoting the Texas billionaire as the best alternative to the two major party candidates. He lives in the District of Columbia and is little known outside of political circles, although he was a frequent radio talk show guest during the NAFTA debate.
Perot's poll standing has plummeted in recent months to the point where he now gets roughly 5 percent in national surveys - well off the 19 percent of the vote he garnered in 1992. An ABC News poll released Monday, for example, showed Clinton with 53 percent, Republican Bob Dole with 38 percent and Perot with 5 percent. In polls since Aug. 27, Clinton has averaged 52 percent, Dole 38 percent. Perot hasn't been in double digits since mid-August.
This shaky political standing apparently made it hard for Perot to attract a major political figure to share the Reform Party ticket.
In his hunt for a running mate, Perot twice made overtures to University of Oklahoma President David Boren, a Democrat, but the former governor and U.S. senator said he didn't want the job.
Democratic Marcy Kaptur (R-Ohio) also declined an offer. She and Perot see eye-to-eye on NAFTA and other economic issues. Rep. Linda Smith (R-Washington), an outspoken advocate of dramatic campaign finance reforms, also reportedly was approached and declined.
Still, the pick drew early praise from Reform Party regulars.
"He's not a politician," South Carolina Reform Party Chairperson Betty Montgomery said. "People need to think outside the box and realize you don't have to have a politician to go and run the country."
Perot friends James Campbell and Carl Owenby appear as stand-in vice presidential candidates on many state ballots because Perot was required to name a running mate when he filed candidacy papers.
Perot and Choate co-wrote a book predicting NAFTA would cause a flood of U.S. jobs overseas and put pressure on U.S. employers to keep wages and benefits down if they hoped to remain competitive. Choate's work was also cited occasionally during the Republican presidential primaries by Pat Buchanan, who is a fierce critic of the NAFTA and GATT trade agreements.
In 1990, he wrote a controversial book, "Agents of Influence" in which he charged that Japan was spending millions of dollars to influence U.S. policy through a network of well-connected Washington lobbyists.
Last month, during an appearance in South Carolina to promote Perot, Choate predicted Perot would surpass Dole by mid-October.
"Republicans will go nuts; the race will be between Clinton and Perot, and we can say, 'to vote for Bob Dole is to throw away your vote,'" Choate said.
In advance of the televised announcement, Perot aides were tight lipped.
"All I can tell you is either it's a man or a woman, a person with the upmost of integrity, the courage of his convictions, and the ability to speak in depth about the issues that confront our country as we prepare for the 21st century," said Reform Party executive director Russell Verney.
In his second bid for the White House, Perot has taken his electronic campaign straight to America's living rooms, bypassing the campaign trail.
He filmed Tuesday night's 30-minute infomercial over the weekend.
Immediately following the program, the vice presidential candidate was scheduled to appear on CNN's "Larry King Live," the same venue Perot used to announce his own candidacy, this year and in 1992.