Last year, Americans — everywhere from Montgomery County, Maryland, bordering the nation’s capital on the east coast, to sunny Santa Clara, California, on the west coast — voted to impose term limits on their elected officials.
There were 40 separate local votes to enact term limits or, conversely, measures put up by politicians to weaken or abolish those limits. In every single case — that’s 100 percent — voters came down on the side of strong term limits. And by a whopping average vote of 74 percent.
Not. Even. Close.
Back in 2014, term limits admittedly did not fare quite as well. In that election year, a mere 97 percent of local term limits ballot measures prevailed. You can’t win them all.
Most folks I know believe we most desperately need term limits on Congress.
Even in these days of division, with our nation racked by partisan rancor and recrimination, a constitutional amendment to term-limit Congress has better than two-to-one support by folks across the spectrum — favored by 77 percent of Republicans, 67 percent of Democrats and 79 percent of independents.
President Donald Trump pledged in the campaign’s homestretch that, as his first order of business in “draining the swamp,” he would push Congress to propose an amendment limiting House members to three terms, six years, and Senators to two terms, 12 years. Those are the limits in the term limits amendment already introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R‑Tex.) and Rep. Ron DeSantis (R‑Fla.).
Speaker Paul Ryan has promised to bring it to the floor for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused. McConnell’s office number is (202) 224‑2541.*
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
* His Facebook page is here.
6 replies on “Promises & Limits”
Again with the blind devotion to term limits. It seems like this is The Answer to all gov’t problems. I can cite several examples where term limits have made things significantly worse. Anyone have ONE example where things improved? (I’m not talking about the first couple of years before it dawns on the term limited legislators that they have free rein.)
How many of those who ‘strongly favor term limits’ back up that opinion with a vote? My guess is very few. Otherwise there would be much greater turnover in government than exists today.
People have it within their power to impose term limits — by voting for someone else. Instead they want someone else to make the decision for them.
Pat, I agree completely. I also see the great interest in term limits as the way to get rid of the OTHER guy’s representative.
Sen. McConnell is a RINO Republican who, in my opinion, should be voted out of office ASAP. If memory serves me right, it was Pres. Eisenhower who introduced term limits to the presidency and suggested that for other offices a well. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. FDR was elected 4 times, but I believe that was because he led us through a major war that was eventually won by us and our allies, and that in turn helped his successor win in 1948. Not so in 1952. Without term limits the corruption, stodginess, and poor decision making continues.
Yes, term limits for the executive else policy and corruption become too deeply imbedded. Legislators, however, do not set policy.
Huh? Legislators are explicitly supposed to set policy. It is the executive that is supposed to carry out the policies enacted by the legislature.