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Biden, McConnell and Feinstein make the case for term limits

Biden, McConnell and Feinstein make the case for term limits

Do we need term limits? Let’s see if we can make the case.  With term limits we would not have an octogenarian who wants the responsibilities of the presidency for another four years – with a reasonable fear that he may not complete another four-year term.

We would not have Mitch McConnell as the Republican Senate Minority Leader – who has had repeated “senior moments” at press conferences.  We would not have Diane Feinstein as an incoherent Democrat Finance Committee Chair.  Her condition is so bad that she had to surrender the chairmanship of the Committee.

The historic record is filled with politicians who served beyond their capabilities only because of the protective nature of staff and media.  South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond would never have hung on to his Senate seat for48 years — past is 100th birthday.  He was the oldest serving member in American history.  At the end, he was wheelchair-bound, missed committee meetings and often was asleep when he did show up.

Senator Carl Hayden served Arizona in Congress, first in the House and then the Senate from 1912 – when Arizona became a state — to 1969.   At the end of his Senate career, Hayden was wheelchair-bound and had to have aides cast his floor votes.  He occasionally had to be rushed off the floor due to incontinence. He was unable to run for reelection in 1968.  In announcing his retirement, Hayden ironically expressed the importance of term limits when he said, “Among other things that fifty-six years in Congress have taught me is that contemporary events need contemporary men.”  It took him 56 years to learn that?

West Virginia Senator (and former Ku Klux Klan wizard) Robert Byrd served in the Senate for 51 years – the longest ever.  Despite his history and his devotion to segregation, Byrd’s tenure made him one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate – and a staunch opponent of school integration.  He was the last member of the KKK to serve in Congress.  He died in office at the age of 92.

Michigan Congressman John Dingell was the longest serving member of Congress with a 59-year career.  In his final years in Congress, Dingell suffered a number of debilitating age-related issues, including a broken hip.  His health issues prevented him from running for reelection. He was 88 when he stepped down.

In today’s political world, the American people express great frustration and distrust of the nation’s leaders — understandably.   If the Founders had incorporated term limits into the Constitution, most of those in Congress today would not be there – and literally all the leadership and heads of committees.  Perhaps that vision is why more than 80 percent of the American people favor federal term limits.

Yes, it is nice to believe that there should be no restrictions on elections.  Let the people decide.  Unfortunately, the amassing of power is detrimental to the democratic process.  Former Congressman and Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld perfectly addressed the dilemma when he said, “Term limits are a bad idea that‘s time has come.”

So, there ‘tis.

 

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

3 Comments

  1. Dan tyree

    First let’s get Feinstein and retard Biden replaced and get on with MAGA.

    • larry Horist

      Dan tyree … Wow! How did you get the first response ahead of Frank? LOL

      • Dan tyree

        Wasn’t easy I guess I caught him sleeping