Politics is not really my thing...but I say it's time for Congressional term limits

[Anonymous]

I've been thinking for a while now, that to make any REAL changes we need to shake up Congress a bit and get some new fresh ideas. These folks should not be able to stay in Congress for 20, 30 , 50 years!!! I think from what I remember from school that it would take a Constitutional Amendment to get this changed and since Congress will never approve this, it would be up to the states. Is this all correct? Why hasn't this been done yet? Any lawyers/professors or ANYONE out there that can shed some light on this.

[Anonymous]

The Republicans said they would do that back in the Gingrich era. But they didn't pass it - 40 of their own party defected and that was that.

[Anonymous]

How many Dems voted for it?

[Anonymous]

OP here, but can't the states do it with a percentage of the states voting yes?

[Anonymous]

I think this would be a HUGE improvement! Unfortunately, the people needed to make this into law are the same people who would be inconvenienced by it. I'm not holding my breath.

[Anonymous]

I agree!

[Anonymous]

As much as I'd love to see a constitutional convention convened for this purpose, it's never happened before.

The only other way would be to get 2/3rds support in both the House and Senate and ratified by 3/4 of the states.

Given that we're still waiting on a couple from the 18th Century to be ratified, I don't have high hopes.

[Anonymous]

But they didn't pass it - 40 of their own party defected and that was that.

Let me get this straight....163 Democrats opposed term limits and you blame 40 Republicans for the law not passing? That is some fucked up reasoning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But they didn't pass it - 40 of their own party defected and that was that.

Let me get this straight....163 Democrats opposed term limits and you blame 40 Republicans for the law not passing? That is some fucked up reasoning.

It wasn't my point to assign blame. My point is that even a party committed to the prospect can't deliver its own votes.

But since you made it political, of course the Democrats were voting against it, it was a political ploy to unseat senior Democratic incumbents. Now ask yourself, what did those senators and congressmen who made the term limit pledge do, once THEIR 12 years was up? Of course, they kept on running! Because THEY are different.


In more recent times (ie this year), the Senate shot it down by a vote of 24-75.

[Anonymous]

Hear, hear! or is it here, here?

[Anonymous]

As someone who worked in a state with term limits and has a lot of experience in this area, I can assure with absolute certainty that it will not get you what you want and what you will get will be exponentially worse than anything you can possibly imagine.