What if a president's term was for 6 years and only one term? They would then not have to run again

[demtenjeep]

and would have time to get their agenda done?




I also think congress should have term limits.

[tblue37]

1. Think of the damage Trump could have done with 2 more years, plus even more covid deaths!

[JohnSJ]

4. +++

[RKP5637]

6. K&R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[pandr32]

14. Absolutely!

I think it would be better to have publicly funded elections and to limit campaigning to a short period of time instead of it being pretty much constant.

[brooklynite]

24. "limiting campaigning" is a pie in the sky idea...

In 2012 I went to the Democratic Convention. Martin O'Malley and Brian Schweitzer were making the rounds, talking to State Delegations. Were they "campaigning"?

In 2017, Congressman John Delaney spoke at the NH Democratic Party dinner to raise funds for the State Party. Was he "campaigning"?

AS long as we have a First Amendment, you can't stop politicians from getting their name out in public.

[pandr32]

31. We seem to be in campaign mode 24/7

It has gotten so ridiculous that one party in particular is fundraising and campaigning instead of governing. When it is more important to pander to big donors than your constituents we are officially dysfunctional.
In Canada there are laws to keep this in check. An election campaign can last no more than 50 days. Third parties are also limited on what they can spend on election advertising and donations.
We are out of whack.

[ProfessorGAC]

21. My First Thought, Too

And, the last 2 years could be scorched earth and/or time to plot a coup, because a would-be tyrant would have nothing to lose.
I suppose that part applies to any 2 term president, as well.
But, recency bias makes a 6 year term seem ominous.

[bottomofthehill]

2. Imagine if we had two more years of Trump

No thank you. There are term limits, House 2 years, President 4 years, Senate 6 years.

[brush]

19. There's really no reason for the Senate to have 6-year terms.

Or the filibuster. It bills itself as the world's greatest deliberative body. Ahhhh....No. It's broken and the filibuster is what's broken it as it gives the minority the power to block the majority. And last I heard in America, in a democracy, the majority is supposed to rule.

It's simple, a simple majority or larger, as in the House, should rule. And that of course brings to mind the question...well what do we need with two bodies that vote simple majority on bills, especially one where a state like Wyoming with a population of some 600,000 people has the same power as California with a population of 40,000,000?

We need the Constitution 2.0 now. The founding fathers we're prescient but no one could ever be 245 years prescient (see the 2nd Amendment wording for example).

[bottomofthehill]

32. It can be amended at any time.

Complicated process but so would constitution 2.0

[tritsofme]

3. Voters can choose to impose their own term limits, as we saw in November.

I don’t like the idea of a single six year term, the president would immediately become a lame duck.

And term limits for Congress are a bad idea too, it would leave lobbyists as the only professional lawmakers in Washington. People like John Lewis and Ted Kennedy serving for decades in Congress is not the problem.

[Elessar Zappa]

9. I kinda wish

representatives had a four year term instead of two. As it stands now they’re always in campaign mode.

[lastlib]

28. I long toyed with the idea of abolishing the midterm election,,,

giving Congressmen four-year terms. tRump and 2018 made me re-think it. Without the 2018 elections, Former POS would've had four years' free-rein to pillage/destroy democracy--no chance of impeachments. Think how f*cked we would've been.

[meadowlander]

10. I agree.

If four years of the Trump administration didn't convince you of the importance of competence and experience in government then nothing will.

It takes decades to learn how to govern effectively. Kicking people out of office every eight years or so arbitrarily is like saying someone can only be a top neurosurgeon for eight years and then we need some fresh blood.

If someone is doing their job well and that's the candidate that the majority of people support, they should be able to run as many times as they want to. Term limits are profoundly anti-democratic and were only introduced because the right was so scared of FDR being unbeatable.

[magicarpet]

5. No,... look at the efforts and desire to get rid of trDUMP.

If trDUMP was not out in four years due to the end of his first term, but remained for six years.

The trDUMP/Putin agenda may well have succeeded and ended the last vestige of democracy. We would now be a full blown Fascist State.

[Walleye]

7. I think that term limits for Congress is unconstitutional

I often hear this brought up as if it’s a solution to a problem. Think of all the lame ducks whowould be looking to feather their nest outside the government. They would be much more vulnerable to bribery. And I think it would take a constitutional amendment. Yet, I hear it mentioned all the time.

[catrose]

8. I've often considered that, not that I'd want another 2 years of T.

I think we lose a lot of a president's focus by the necessity of campaigning for re-election--of course, T would have spent the time trying to get himself declared president for life.

[Ferryboat]

11. We do have term limits

It's called voting. Effective politicians should be allowed to have a long tenure. Not to mention it takes years to ascend into leadership positions.

Of course it can lead to problems, Diane Feinstein is a prime example.
Flip side is Senator Patty Murray D - WA.
Low key and can deliver .

[Towlie]

12. With a good person in office a term limit is bad. With a bad person in office a term limit is good.

 
←

But there's no argument that could convince me that one is better than the other. It's just part of an arbitrary set of rules that can't easily be changed when bad people figure out how to exploit them.

[randr]

13. Six year term with a vote of confidence after three

If they lose the confidence vote we have another election the following year.

[Grasswire2]

30. I like that! nt

[rsdsharp]

15. The President would be a lame duck on day one.

Bad idea in my opinion.

[dflprincess]

16. Term limits would just give lobbyists more power.

they'd be the only ones around long enough to understand how it all works.

[bottomofthehill]

33. And 1

Money would really talk then.

[csziggy]

35. Yes, our Congress people need to have the institutional knowledge

Not the people ready to bribe them.

This of what we would have lost - medicare and the Civil Rights Act - if Lyndon Johnson had not had the knowledge of the people in the Senate and the House. Or without Nancy Pelosi's familiarity with the House members.

We need long time members of both Chambers to carry the traditions and integrity forward.

[LakeArenal]

17. I think something like term limits for SCOTUS.

[PSPS]

18. If anything, trump has taught us that even 4 years is too long for a term

If we had a proper parliamentary system, "no confidence" could end a madman's term immediately.

As for term limits, perhaps you didn't notice but we already have them. It's called an election. Roosevelt was re-elected three times for a reason, you know.

[Amishman]

20. One 4 year term only, maximum 20 years in federal / high office.

That 20 year overall limit includes SCOTUS.

[brooklynite]

22. So you'd be prepared for two more years of Trump?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

23. This has been suggested any number of times, and the general consensus

is that it is a Very Bad Idea, mainly because the President would be a lame duck from day one.

[LisaL]

25. We'd still have Trump right now.

Is that what you want? Is that what anybody wants?

[LeftInTX]

26. They have this in Mexico...6 years and one term for President

[LiberalFighter]

27. Absolutely not on either part.

Term limits won't solve the problem. It will only make it worse.

Put limits on lobbying and political contributions. Also, restrict members of Congress from becoming a lobbyist.

Term limits on Congress will only put more power in the hands of the President and the Executive Branch. Congressional members need time to learn the ins and outs of the different departments and agencies.

[Grasswire2]

29. I've been advocating for that for a very long time.

May it be so.

[Demsrule86]

34. No I don't believe in term limits...and then the president is lame duck from day one.

[stillcool]

36. I kind of like people who know what they're doing...

not that anyone would vote for them.