The Pros and Cons of Term Limits
Manage episode 356939181 series 3392534
The Omaha Bugle's crack broadcasting team discusses whether members of Congress should be subject to term limits. Adam points out that the decision to limit the President to two terms occurred in part due to concerns that elderly and infirm (but popular) presidents could keep getting re-elected even if they were totally out of their minds. Many people believe that lifetime politicians lose touch with their constituents and look out for themselves more than the voters. Jeff points out that incumbency is an enormous advantage in that 90%+ of the members of both the U.S. House and Senate are re-elected--even though you might not trust them alone with your fine china and silver. Term limits might cause members of Congress to be less beholden to lobbyists but they could also cause members to weigh the views of lobbyists more heavily if they expect to be seeking a job outside of Congress sooner rather than later due to term limits. Adam and Jeff agree that most voters detest Congress as an institution but typically give high marks to their own representatives. Unfortunately, term limits for presidents do not always guarantee outstanding (or even mentally coherent) chief executives so it is ultimately the voters who must bear the blame for the quality of our political leadership.
102 episodi