Evan Bayh (Senator-Indiana) Will Not Seek Reelection

A lot of these problems would be solved if all legislators were subject to term limits.

 

I would love for term limits to be imposed for the entire Congress. The founders of our government did not want professional politicians, they envisioned everyday people serving their district, their state, or their country and then returning to their lives after their service was over. One of the greatest Americans ever self-imposed his own term limits, stating that nobody should be President for more than two terms, a position we codified after FDR. Congress should not be any different.

 

I am not so sure that Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, etc. would agree that they wanted "everyday people" governing. The Founding Fathers wouldn't have much concern for today's "everyday people."

 

Exactly what problems would be solved by term limits?

 

You don't think that if Senators/Congressmen weren't constantly worrying themselves with how they are going to get reelected so they can keep their cushy jobs with their nice paychecks and amazing perks they might not be such partisan pieces of crap? Their consistent goal of maintaining and amassing even more power, wealth and prestige for themselves through their political positions undermines any hope of elected officials that go to Washington actually keeping the goal of a better America as their focus.

 

While Madison was definitely against term limits, Jefferson once said that term limits should be imposed "to prevent every danger which might arise to American freedom by continuing too long in office the members of the Continental Congress...."

 

Oh I'm not disputing the idea that Jefferson was against term limits, or that the founding fathers in general wanted to avoid a corrupt political system, I'm just disputing that they'd agree that what you and I would consider "everyday" Americans should be able to govern. They didn't even think everyone should be able to vote. For example, Jefferson would roll over in his grave at the thought of Joe the Plumber being an elected official.

 

Were I dead, I would roll over in my grave at that thought also. What I meant by "everyday" Americans was that many of the founders believed that service in the Congress or as the President should be a short-lived vocation after which the former official would return to their life, whatever that life was before they served in elected office. Many of the founders, including Ben Franklin, were vocal advocates of government being of, by, and for the people. I don't believe that the career politicians we have now, with their corporate backing and big money campaigns, would be seen by many of the founders as the best people to have in office.

 

I agree completely. Like I've said, term limits could potentially fix a lot of what ails this country.

 

because the democrats were doing so much with their huge majority.

 

I think what hurt them is they bought into the storyline that the media put out there that the last election was a turning point in American politics and that the right was basically a dying regional party and that the left was prepared to dominate politics for years to come. I think if you told them the day after Obama's election "OK, Mass is going to go red and come 2010 we are going to see significant losses in our majority, if not the majority all together" you would have seen them accomplish more.

 

no, their "problem" is they are not like republicans and they don't vote with the party dicipline of Republicans (at least the republicans during the bush years).

their problem is they took on complicated issues, its was easy to vote on tax cuts. who doesn't like a tax cut. democrats tried to take a on a complicated issue in health care.

i was thinking this morning on the way to work, they get criticized for not addressing the economy, but they did try to address the economy, they passed a stimulus package. its just the jobs haven't been created, now they are getting blamed for jobs. fine, they shouldn't have come out and said with the stimulus package, unemployment would dip much past 8%.

health care is a complicated issue, and the democrats don't all hold the same philosophy on the issue.

 

It had little to do with accomplishing more instead of trying to accomplish more important issues. Why do you think they tried to press the most far left issues immediately? Do you really think they believe the right was a dying regional party? They knew good and well the republicans would pick off their super majority come 2010 and knew this was their chance to get their agenda through congress. Cap and Tax, Health Care, and DADT are all issues that don't stand a chance after 2010, and the democrats knew this a year ago. If they really believed they were a party of dominance for years to come, why didn't they put the peoples number one priority first?

 

sadly they do. We can do better. It is just doing business ala the Bush family , the masters of this.

Rahm Emmanuel cashed in to the tune of millions for a year in financial services by trading on his connections while having no experience in finance.

That being said it is sloppy thinking not to realize that many Dems are not basically about cashing in as corprate lobbyists, while this is less often the case with Republicans.

 

This might help. Better would be a virtual complete or say 10 year ban on lobbying on behalf of corporations. If you go into "public service" you don't do it with the goal of cashing in.

Even more important is to ban corporate money from elections. Even with a term or two if you have pols bought for by the same few corporate interests you have problems.

 

Agreed with glynch. My issue with term limits is that we already have the structure in place for this. You can vote out the incumbent when his term is up.

I don't like the idea of compensating for voter apathy with term limits. Don't like how the government is being run? Vote to change it!

 

Can't process the metaphor. Evan Bayh, graffiti, brick wall.

 

Not sure if that generally ends well for the incumbent party. Stick him on the DLC or something, just to keep him in the fold.

Dems should give him a half-star for not directly attacking liberalism or the left in his retirement speech. I give him two for his resume-free job application: "bringing jobs to the economy by working in the private sector, or at university, or anywhere else with a reasonable benefits and relocation package and possibly tuition reimbursement...."

 

I think the monied interests on both sides that influence congressmen and senators now would just create a revolving door that could possibly put them in even more control.

I'm not saying term limits is a bad thing, but the idea it would solve major problems is complete nonsense. It's a rainbow with fools gold at the end. We can just agree to disagree on that. I think if, for example, 12-year term limits came into effect, you would be very disillusioned with the results. You would create another set of problems. For me, a congress full of people without much experience is very scary.

IMO, one way to dimish the cycle of influence is to have public financing. That will never happen for a lot of reasons. If the idea ever got legs, interest groups would explode and scorch the Earth to stop it because it would be a real threat to their control of the parties.

 

As a republican, I'm all for it. Dems are droppin like flies!