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For reps, I’m okay with four terms for a total of eight years. Less sure on senators. But on the whole I agree with term limits for Congress. The problem is

For reps, I’m okay with four terms for a total of eight years. Less sure on senators. But on the whole I agree with term limits for Congress. The problem is getting the house full of lifers to agree to the real swamp of government (it’s Congress).

alistairSH 11mo ago
Good news, the average career in the House is already 8 years, so no new law needed! The Senate average is 11 years, so it's already less than 2 terms, no change needed there either! I'm only half kidding - yes, there are outliers, many of whom probably should have retired years ago (but not because they've been around too long, but because they're simply too old to do the job - Pelosi and McConnell come to mind). But, the range of term limits that are usually discussed are already within the existing range, so it doesn't change all that much.
- mothballed 11mo ago
  Those with longer tenure though tend to end up in the powerful senate positions like becoming a majority/minority leader. Thus you end up with absolute fossils like Pelosi or McConnell who most recently basically snuck in banning hemp into the budget bill, which was something absolutely almost no one in the USA was calling for and incredibly unpopular. I doubt a minority/majority leader with only 2 terms would be as good at snaking in this kind of stuff in, or snaking their way through the politics of various committees to kill off proposed legislation before it's voted upon, that takes practice to really get good at all the underhanded techniques.
- SoftTalker 11mo ago
  > they're simply too old to do the job I'd absolutely support a maximum age limit, maybe e.g. if you will reach 70 years of age in your term of office you cannot run. So a senator could be elected up to age 64. A Representative up to age 68. And I'd apply that to all elected offices. My biggest criticism of Biden vs. Trump was that they were both too old.
  - lanyard-textile 11mo ago
    No, no. We want the wisdom of the older generations. We want the stability of someone who has seen life’s ups and downs and understands there is more to life than the petty day to days of a presidency. There is a legacy beyond them and they imbue that in their policy. Age can be a symptom of your inability to do this, but it is not the problem. The problem is with specific mental ailments and behavior coming into the presidency. We should scrutinize those ailments heavily, and build a culture around stepping down when life inevitably gets to you too — and having it taken from you if you do not take the opportunity for mutual dignity. The problems that afflicted Biden could happen to anyone at any age. It is a problem if any candidate experiences it. And I do not really think age has effectively changed Trump’s view of the world.
    - bluGill 11mo ago
      There is a minimum age already on all those offices for exactly those reasons.
- nobodyandproud 11mo ago
  It’s not the overall average that matter here. What is average for those in leadership positions?
  - alistairSH 11mo ago
    Less than 6 years, since there’s a GOP majority and the GOP imposes a 6 year limit of chairs. And since they introduced that (late 90s, Gingrich era?) they’ve fallen into complete uselessness. So I’m not convinced that’s an answer.
    - nobodyandproud 11mo ago
      Six years per leadership position? Or six years into elected office, while also holding a leadership position? Also, where are you getting these numbers?
      - alistairSH 11mo ago
        6 years as a committee chair, then the GOP party leadership picks another chair. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46786 https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46786

alistairSH 11mo ago

Good news, the average career in the House is already 8 years, so no new law needed! The Senate average is 11 years, so it's already less than 2 terms, no change needed there either! I'm only half kidding - yes, there are outliers, many of whom probably should have retired years ago (but not because they've been around too long, but because they're simply too old to do the job - Pelosi and McConnell come to mind). But, the range of term limits that are usually discussed are already within the existing range, so it doesn't change all that much.

mothballed 11mo ago
Those with longer tenure though tend to end up in the powerful senate positions like becoming a majority/minority leader. Thus you end up with absolute fossils like Pelosi or McConnell who most recently basically snuck in banning hemp into the budget bill, which was something absolutely almost no one in the USA was calling for and incredibly unpopular. I doubt a minority/majority leader with only 2 terms would be as good at snaking in this kind of stuff in, or snaking their way through the politics of various committees to kill off proposed legislation before it's voted upon, that takes practice to really get good at all the underhanded techniques.
SoftTalker 11mo ago
> they're simply too old to do the job I'd absolutely support a maximum age limit, maybe e.g. if you will reach 70 years of age in your term of office you cannot run. So a senator could be elected up to age 64. A Representative up to age 68. And I'd apply that to all elected offices. My biggest criticism of Biden vs. Trump was that they were both too old.
- lanyard-textile 11mo ago
  No, no. We want the wisdom of the older generations. We want the stability of someone who has seen life’s ups and downs and understands there is more to life than the petty day to days of a presidency. There is a legacy beyond them and they imbue that in their policy. Age can be a symptom of your inability to do this, but it is not the problem. The problem is with specific mental ailments and behavior coming into the presidency. We should scrutinize those ailments heavily, and build a culture around stepping down when life inevitably gets to you too — and having it taken from you if you do not take the opportunity for mutual dignity. The problems that afflicted Biden could happen to anyone at any age. It is a problem if any candidate experiences it. And I do not really think age has effectively changed Trump’s view of the world.
  - bluGill 11mo ago
    There is a minimum age already on all those offices for exactly those reasons.
nobodyandproud 11mo ago
It’s not the overall average that matter here. What is average for those in leadership positions?
- alistairSH 11mo ago
  Less than 6 years, since there’s a GOP majority and the GOP imposes a 6 year limit of chairs. And since they introduced that (late 90s, Gingrich era?) they’ve fallen into complete uselessness. So I’m not convinced that’s an answer.
  - nobodyandproud 11mo ago
    Six years per leadership position? Or six years into elected office, while also holding a leadership position? Also, where are you getting these numbers?
    - alistairSH 11mo ago
      6 years as a committee chair, then the GOP party leadership picks another chair. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46786 https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46786