5 ms·

There are a lot of people who want term limits. Even for their own candidates. I don't think we were ever supposed to have career congresspeople. Part of the pr

There are a lot of people who want term limits. Even for their own candidates. I don't think we were ever supposed to have career congresspeople. Part of the problem is they start to lose touch with their constituents. I don't know the right length 2-4 for representatives and 1-2 for senators.

kadoban 5y ago
I used to agree with that. The problem, I've since been convinced, is that increases the power of lobbyists. If the only people that can stick around long enough to figure out how to get anything done are the lobbyists, they're going to have an even more outsized role in what laws get passed.
- nradov 5y ago
  It's not just lobbyists. Congressional term limits would also increase the power of staffers, who would tend to just move from one Congressperson to another as they term out.
  - kadoban 5y ago
    True, but is that much better? Ideally I think we want the main driving force behind what laws are written to be the actual people we elect, right? Otherwise, what's the point?
joe_the_user 5y ago
There are a lot of people who want term limits. Even for their own candidates. I don't think we were ever supposed to have career congresspeople. That illustrates how ridiculous ideas get traction. Term limits are inherently anti-democratic. They don't end entrenched power but move it to unelected bureaucrats and lobbyists. I don't think we were ever supposed to have career congresspeople. The framers of the Constitution imagined wealthy gentleman farmers like themselves alternating positions in power. But term limits wouldn't bring that back, they just make sure that membership in congress would be even more held by the type of person who jump from CEO to congress to Federal bureaucracy and so-forth, reinforcing the "permanent government" situation that already quite strong here.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- throw0101a 5y ago
  An article that puts forward points why term limits are bad: * https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/01/18/five-reasons-to-oppose-congressional-term-limits/ https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/01/18/five-reason... Also: > The democratic peace – the regularity that democracies do not go to war with each other – is one of the most robust findings in political science. This column presents recent research showing that democratic leaders unable to seek another term in office behave like autocrats. Accountability to voters in the next election lies at the heart of the democratic peace. * https://voxeu.org/article/democracy-and-accountability-perverse-effects-term-limits https://voxeu.org/article/democracy-and-accountability-perve...
  - Retric 5y ago
    Congress only has collective power, no individual can wage war etc. Yet it’s only the president that has any term limits that’s the opposite of what we should be doing if you’re worried about loose cannons. ~20 year term limits aren’t going to see most members of congress in their last term. However, it would still have real impacts as people aren’t going to end up nearly as complacent. We have 3 members that are currently in office for 40+ years and many on track to reach that point very soon.
- Retric 5y ago
  If you’re worried about the parties selecting yes men to fill seats then at a mandatory primary. As it stands with gerrymandering we are already in a situation where people get selected by the party and sent to congress without any meaningful voting by the general public. Look up how many congressional seats don’t have any opposition running at all, that’s the antithesis of democracy.
  - q1w2 5y ago
    Correct - and term limits would make that situation much worse.

kadoban 5y ago

I used to agree with that. The problem, I've since been convinced, is that increases the power of lobbyists. If the only people that can stick around long enough to figure out how to get anything done are the lobbyists, they're going to have an even more outsized role in what laws get passed.

nradov 5y ago
It's not just lobbyists. Congressional term limits would also increase the power of staffers, who would tend to just move from one Congressperson to another as they term out.
- kadoban 5y ago
  True, but is that much better? Ideally I think we want the main driving force behind what laws are written to be the actual people we elect, right? Otherwise, what's the point?

joe_the_user 5y ago

There are a lot of people who want term limits. Even for their own candidates. I don't think we were ever supposed to have career congresspeople. That illustrates how ridiculous ideas get traction. Term limits are inherently anti-democratic. They don't end entrenched power but move it to unelected bureaucrats and lobbyists. I don't think we were ever supposed to have career congresspeople. The framers of the Constitution imagined wealthy gentleman farmers like themselves alternating positions in power. But term limits wouldn't bring that back, they just make sure that membership in congress would be even more held by the type of person who jump from CEO to congress to Federal bureaucracy and so-forth, reinforcing the "permanent government" situation that already quite strong here.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
throw0101a 5y ago
An article that puts forward points why term limits are bad: * https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/01/18/five-reasons-to-oppose-congressional-term-limits/ https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/01/18/five-reason... Also: > The democratic peace – the regularity that democracies do not go to war with each other – is one of the most robust findings in political science. This column presents recent research showing that democratic leaders unable to seek another term in office behave like autocrats. Accountability to voters in the next election lies at the heart of the democratic peace. * https://voxeu.org/article/democracy-and-accountability-perverse-effects-term-limits https://voxeu.org/article/democracy-and-accountability-perve...
- Retric 5y ago
  Congress only has collective power, no individual can wage war etc. Yet it’s only the president that has any term limits that’s the opposite of what we should be doing if you’re worried about loose cannons. ~20 year term limits aren’t going to see most members of congress in their last term. However, it would still have real impacts as people aren’t going to end up nearly as complacent. We have 3 members that are currently in office for 40+ years and many on track to reach that point very soon.
Retric 5y ago
If you’re worried about the parties selecting yes men to fill seats then at a mandatory primary. As it stands with gerrymandering we are already in a situation where people get selected by the party and sent to congress without any meaningful voting by the general public. Look up how many congressional seats don’t have any opposition running at all, that’s the antithesis of democracy.
- q1w2 5y ago
  Correct - and term limits would make that situation much worse.