Posted on 11/16/2016 1:05:03 PM PST by bobk3
If one thing could put Mr. Trump on a collision course with his new allies on Capitol Hill, it is his embrace of proposals such as term limits and tougher restrictions on allowing lawmakers and top aides to become lobbyists in the lucrative world of Washington influence peddling.
Members of Congress like to talk about returning power to the people, but many would prefer not to vote to limit their own tenure or future employment opportunities. Bringing up term limits now is seen by some as raining on their postelection parade.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, made that quite clear last week when he said the Senate outlook for term limits was severely limited.
“I would say we have term limits now,” Mr. McConnell told reporters. “They’re called elections. And it will not be on the agenda in the Senate.”
Still, Mr. Trump’s highlighting of his call for term limits — it is No. 1 on his list of priorities to “clean up the corruption and special interest collusion in Washington, D.C.” — revives an initiative that has been dormant in Washington for years after Republicans rode it to the House takeover in 1994 but then failed to make it happen.
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(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
1) Support for the "Forgotten Man".
2) Cleaning up our corrupt political system.
Let's not forget the second one. Trump needs our support on this.
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Trump should move to bully pulpit in term limits via congress, if they refuse....
Trump should then bully pulpit the public and governors and state legislators to Article V around our idiot federal congress.
Congressional term limits will require a Constitutional Amendment.
Make it a national referendum vote
Term limits are a dead issue outside a constitutional amendment process. The only leverage Trump had here is to support candidates in primaries against fossils like McCain and McConnell.
Yes, but how many people know that - and remember when the SC ruled that states could not impose term limits for their Federal Representatives and Senators? And how many believe that the President can impose term limits by fiat?
Lots and lots of uniformed people live in this country.
They have already refused. Article V is his only hope.
Yes, he needs our support on this. We need a Constitutional Convention of the States to repeal the 17th Amendment and enact term limits on representatives. I’m already on board.
Term limits are a must! If a grandfather clause has to be included in order to get it passed, so be it.
You expect these people to vote themselves out of office?
I’m not sure why FR folks keep saying we need to repeal 17th amendment?
do we want more senators?
How does that drain the swamp?
Maybe such rallies would help him develop and increase support for his executive/legislative objectives.
Go ahead, Pres Trump, what do you have to lose?
They’ll never get term limits through congress because the congressmen and senators, especially the senior ones, don’t WANT term limits. It would be like voting themselves out of office.
The only way I can think of it might pass would be if it was a direct national referendum, i.e. the citizens vote on it directly nation wide, like we do on a lot of town and state issues. I don’t know if the constitution allows for it.
Seems to be an unchecked power. Executive order? Supreme court decision? So maybe somebody needs to sue for it.
I completely agree. The more they resist a term limits amendment, the more public pressure Trump will be able to bring to bare on Congress. He can point out all the hypocrits like Ryan, who talk about draining the swamp yet refuse to push for reform in their own back yard.
Hmm...intriguing....what if Trump visibly and prominently campaigns in the midterm primary against entrenched GOP candidates?
Most of America stands behind Trump.
Drain the swamp.
“Term limits are a dead issue outside a constitutional amendment process. The only leverage Trump had here is to support candidates in primaries against fossils like McCain and McConnell.”
True. But the bully pulpit was designed for Trump. He can start the movement and carry it forward.
How was trump using the forgotten man in his speech?
Yep. I agree.
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