Lifetime Politicians
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You know who they are. Senators like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Mitch McConnell have been occupying their seats in Congress for what seems like forever. Their names- and awful legacies- permanently engraved in the history books.
The founding fathers never intended for elected officials to take up permanent residency in the House and Senate. In fact, when the U.S. Constitution was ratified to eliminate term limits in 1789, historian Mercy Otis Warren warned of the danger:
“There is no provision for a rotation, nor anything to prevent the perpetuity of office in the same hands for life; which by a little well-timed bribery, will probably be done.”
Texas Senator, Ted Cruz, agrees. Together with Rep. Ron DeSantis and several others, Cruz has introduced a joint resolution to amend the constitution to once again impose term limits. The amendment was introduced back in January but has received little coverage from the mainstream media.
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Why would they cover it?
Afterall, these are the lifetime, obstructionist politicians that feed them their “scandalous” headlines. Senator Cruz issued a statement announcing his proposal and calling D.C. “broken.”
He also noted that they have a responsibility to voters to answer their call to action.
“It is well past time to put an end to the cronyism and deceit that has transformed Washington into a graveyard of good intentions.”
Part of President Trump’s plan to “drain the swamp” hinges on successfully ridding Washington of career politicians. Rep. DeSantis echoed that sentiment by suggesting that term limits will infuse D.C. with “new blood” that will restore the government our founding fathers envisioned.
As the law stands now, senators can be reelected every six years and House representatives every two years-without limits.
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Five states, South Dakota, Hawaii, Utah, Idaho, and Florida, have already supported the call for term limits through their legislatures.
There are currently 79 members in Congress who have been there for 20 years or more. Cruz’s proposal would limit senators to two terms and Representatives to three terms. 75% of states would have to agree to enact the constitutional amendment.
