Bill White Calls for Term Limits

really, term limits? (3.00 / 2)

We already have a mechanism in place for term limits. It's called an election. Suppose Bill White gets elected and becomes enormously successful and popular. Do we really want to limit his good work and effectiveness through an arbitrary limit on the amount of time he can serve?

The Republicans learned this lesson, to their everlasting regret, after they pushed the 22nd amendment through Congress and the states. Eisenhower and Reagan could have cruised to third terms had they not been limited to two terms.

And just as a matter of freedom of choice, it doesn't pass muster. We should be all be suspicious of any law that presumes to tell us whom we can, or cannot, vote for.

I remain a committed Bill White supporter, but I disagree completely with this stance.

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by: davew @ Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 15:45:15 PM UTC

A third Reagan term... (2.00 / 1)

Now that's a good reason for term limits. We would have ended up with Bush as the shadow president for a third term instead of the real president for one. He probably preferred the shadow presidency. Easier to work under the radar so to speak.

Eisenhower might have saved this country with a third term. As he ended his second term, he warned us about the "military-industrial complex" and might have used that third term to keep it from becoming any more powerful.  But, alas, it was not to be. And Halliburton and the others soon discovered LBJ. As soon as they got rid of Kennedy. And the rest, as they say, is history.  

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by: Baby Snooks @ Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 16:02:15 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yes, term limits! (0.00 / 0)

In many cases, it is a scandal, gaffe, or changes in the political climate or voting demographics that leads to an incumbent's defeat.  Elected officials are able to store up huge campaign war chests over time that can be difficult for challengers to match.

The situation also indirectly aids the self-fulfilling prophecy of "You can't win so I won't donate to your campaign." Qualified candidates are then forced to fight two fronts in their race: their opponent and potential donors who don't believe someone can defeat a long-time incumbent and refuse to give money until the candidate can prove otherwise.  Proving otherwise often requires a poll that can cost up to $10k or $20k, which creates a vicious circle.

Most challengers in a State House race need to spend at least $200k over the entire campaign cycle in order to be competitive against an incumbent.  A Congressional race would require half to over a million dollars to be competitive.  It can be argued that a lack of term limits forces these races to cost these huge sums of money.  Smart incumbents don't just fundraise when they have an opponent; they fundraise every single year.  The longer they stay in office, the harder it is to defeat them without external factors influencing the race.

James Van Sickle
Darwood Technology, LLC
http://www.darwood.us">http://www.darwood.us
http://www.facebook.com/DarwoodTechnology

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by: jvansickle @ Wed Sep 01, 2010 at 18:06:07 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The best term limits are at the polls... (0.00 / 0)

The best term limits are at the polls at the hands of educated and independent voters. Both parties of course fear the educated and independent voters. They cannot be manipulated by the propaganda and rhetoric.

The best argument against term limits is Rick Perry. As Kay Bailey Hutchison found out, the "socially liberal/conservatively moderate" Republicans in Texas are going the way of the dinosaurs.  And if you term-limited Rick Perry, god only knows what we would end up with. Sarah Palin perhaps.  

The one thing about Republicans is they pander to each other and in the end stick together. And vote for the Republican.  

The Democrats seem incapable of doing much more than alienating part of the voter base in the state elections. So not everyone sticks together.

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by: Baby Snooks @ Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 15:56:55 PM UTC

Oh, BOR commenters... (0.00 / 0)

As I expected -- three comments for this so far, none for the massive TYC piece I wrote.

I love you guys.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 16:07:22 PM UTC

I would comment but... (0.00 / 0)

I was going to comment but thought I would be nice and ignore it.  

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by: Baby Snooks @ Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 23:42:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Irony (1.00 / 1)

Bill White says he's for term limits for the governor, but appointed a commission that proposed extending the terms of Houston city officials.

Flip. Flop.

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by: txgal @ Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 18:38:55 PM UTC

I don't think... (0.00 / 0)

...that word means what you think it means.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 19:52:38 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

That's not irony (3.00 / 1)

That's pragmatism. And Flip. Flop is so 2004 which makes that reference ineffective. Overall score for the comment: 0.5 for good spelling and no apparent typos.

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by: Elsbeth @ Thu Sep 02, 2010 at 06:39:59 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Everybody needs a plan B . . . (0.00 / 0)

Maybe Bill thinks his only chance is to get the state legislature to pass term limits in 2011, make it retroactive and win special election  

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by: sdhook @ Thu Sep 02, 2010 at 12:55:14 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Bill White Calls for Term Limits (0.00 / 0)

Texans need to know that there is currently no limit to the number of terms the Governor of Texas can serve, so if Perry wanted to run for a 5th or 6th term, there is no reason to think that he would not do so.

Politicians are like dirty diapers,... they both need changing...and for the same reason.  Texas needs a change.

http://billwhiteisright4tx.wor...  

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by: malialitman @ Thu Sep 02, 2010 at 15:42:02 PM UTC