The Inevitability of Congressional Term Limitation
By Rense Johnson, Chairman, Citizens for Term Limits
Term Limitation now runs on two tracks: the state level and the congressional level. On each track career politicians have been working against term limits. In Congress, leadership has been doing its best to keep the lid on the issue, hoping it will go away. On the state level career politicians and their friends have been working in the various state venues to put an end to term limitation, as they see their political careers coming to a close. We are seeing such activities in states where legislatures are term limited and the limits have not yet taken effect.
On the congressional track and on the state track term limitation opponents appear to be working together to squelch the issue: In Congress to keep it subdued and keep it from happening, and at the state level to roll it back. Ironically, recent anti-limit shenanigans across the country in states where legislators are term limited has caused a large national backlash by the voters who are outraged by the antics of state and local careerists. To the average man in the street it matters not that the activity is on a state basis. To him it is all term limits, and he is rebellious. He wants congressional term limits as badly as he wants state term limits. He feels as alienated by congressional careerists as he does by state careerists. This helps make term limitation a powerful election issue and even more so now.
It is significant that Oklahoma City’s “Oklahoman” newspaper recently editorialized in support of term limitation, and extremely significant that a joint poll by that newspaper and the University of Oklahoma show that 82% of Oklahoma folks now support term limitation, even after congressional careerist leaders and state careerist leaders have been doing their best to stifle the issue. This 82% exceeds the 67% of voters who put term limits in place in the state 11 years ago.
Moreover it was also a strong reaffirmation of term limitation when New Orleans’ popular mayor, Marc Morial lost strong campaign to amend away the mayoral term limits in that city’s charter so Morial could continue in office. The amendment was defeated by a 60-40 margin or better, even after Morial had outspent his opposition close to 10-1. New York City has refused to rescind its term limit law, even for the benefit of popular mayor Rudy Giuliani. Other jurisdictions are leaving term limits in place, but they don’t get the headlines.
What we are witnessing is a large national backlash by the people. A strong endorsement of congressional term limitation and commitment to work for term limits in the Congress will give any campaign a big boost. It will reconnect with alienated voters.
This makes term limitation a huge campaign issue for congressional candidates astute enough to understand and embrace it. It is inevitable.
Citizens for Term Limits has a pledge, America’s Contract for a Citizen Congress, which is easy to sign for candidates, because signers can opt to stay in office beyond our limits, until the constitutional amendment is ratified and limits apply to all equally. Candidates interested in learning more may contact Rense Johnson, Chairman, Citizens for Term Limits at 405-751-3232, or by e-mail to Rense@termlimits.com.
