Rob's blog

Every year we see senators, congressmen, and people of various political offices get re-elected. Some have been in office for years - or even decades. There is no doubt that some of the long-term elected officials are very effective - Washington has a system that rewards the longest-serving people with the most committee chairmanships, the best or most powerful committees to be members of in seniority position and other plum positions (especially if your party is the one in control) being offered to them. This leaves the citizen-politician with little chance of making a difference or being heard unless he or she wants to become a career politician. It seems that the old adage about power corrupting is true to some degree or another no matter how strong the person is ethically or morally. The longer you are part of the system, the more difficult it becomes to be tuned in to the reality faced by your fellow citizens. This situation is repeated time and time again and doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon. How do term limits play into this?

The idea of term limits is to force people out of office after a set number of years or terms. This has the positive outcome of forcing turnover in our political offices at regular intervals so no one person accumulates too much power or loses touch with their constituents over a long period of time (not a guarantee that they are already in touch when they are elected - some presidents haven't known the cost of a gallon of milk!). However, it also has the negative consequence of booting people out of office who may be very effective. They may have just what is needed for their community, state or the nation as a whole and when they understand the system and are finally most effective in it, they have to give up their office no matter what. For example, Abraham Lincoln was elected to represent his state as a congressman for Illinois with the understanding that he would serve only one term. He went to Washington, rented a room rather than buying a more permanent residence, and made little ripples in the pond since he was essentially a lame duck. At the end of his inglorious term, even though he wanted to continue serving and gaining benefits for his state, he kept his agreement and did not run again. We had to wait for him to lose a senate race to Stephen Douglas before he finally gained office again many years later as President of the United States. It would have been interesting if those like Lincoln who were in the House of Representatives could have forestalled or averted the crises leading to the Civil War had they been able to remain in Congress for a time. It may have changed nothing, but it is interesting to consider. 

What is my position on term limits? I support the same term limit ideal incorporated by the designers of the Constitution - the people have the ultimate ability to control the terms of congressmen. When the people feel someone has had enough time and feel a change is needed, registering this at the ballot box effectively imposes the will of the people on how long someone serves. But without being voted out of office, few people have the will to leave public office of their own choice. There is one notable exception - George Washington.

Twice, while wielding enormous power, the "father of our country" voluntarily gave up that power. The first time was when he was commander-in-chief of the fledgling country's army - his men loved him, believed in him, and even offered to make him king if he would accept the position. He turned down all offers to have the prestige and power that would come from being the head of an entire nation and instead, turned command of the armies over to his generals and retired to private life. Only when his country was in greatest need and fracturing at the seams did he step forward again and first was a delegate and then the chair of the constitutional convention that drew up our Constitution of the United States. As delegates envisioned the office of President as laid out in that document, they wrote it with only one man in mind who could fill the office while not wanting it - George Washington. He was the first and only president to be elected unanimously and served two terms as president before voluntarily stepping down to make way for someone else. There were no presidential term limits when he did this as opposed to our current two-term presidential limit as established in the 22nd Amendment after Franklin Delano Roosevelt served an unprecedented three terms, dieing in office in 1945. Washington set many of the precedents for president that are still in use today, and set the ultimate example by voluntarily stepping down from office and relinquishing power so others could follow in his stead.

It is my belief that we should do our all in searching for, supporting, and electing those citizen-politicians who share Washington's view that they do their civic duty, get in and do their best, then when the time is appropriate for the position, give up the office so another can have the experience and bring a fresh perspective on behalf of those who elected them. The power of government in the United States rests in its people, and those who govern can only do so with the consent of the governed. We should also support those who are willing and able to change the "old boy's networks" that function in many areas of government where you have to be "in the circle" and accumulate personal power and authority to be able to have an opportunity to serve the public interests.

To this end, it is my personal determination to only serve two terms or eight years (depending on the length of term for the office) in any capacity I am fortunate enough to be elected by my fellow-citizens and then relinquish that office to someone else voluntarily after that time. I would not deprive anyone of the opportunity of running for office when and how they see fit, but it is my intent to serve as Washington in doing my best and then stepping aside until I may be needed in another capacity in giving back to the community, state or nation that has given so much to me. I want to go on the record saying this and let the people judge my faithfulness in keeping it.