Congressional Term Limits – Does Government Work?

It’s no question that Congress is unpopular amongst Americans. The partisan aggressions between the two parties limit the reach of our government’s legislative body because a lack of compromise and productivity prevent any legislative accomplishments from being achieved. Voters have been noticing this inability to pass meaningful legislation, and many people are demanding that more action be taken to promote the interests of their constituents over loyalty to party ties. One of the many reasons that explains our gridlocked Congress is the lack of overturn in elections. The 535 seats in Congress tend to stay in the same hands because there are no Congressional term limits, meaning that once a person is elected into Congress, they can serve for as long as they want given they continue to win re-elections. People are familiar with House members and Senators who have served multiple terms, but 51 Senators in the 113th Congress had previously served in the House, meaning that power was being sequestered across the bicameral legislature.

Long term members of the House and Senate have an easier time getting re-elected the longer they serve. They gain the name recognition with voters over time, which is incredibly important for elections given many people’s apathetic attitudes towards politics, especially Congressional elections. Given our understanding of Converse, if people recognize the incumbent’s name on the ballot and not their challenger, odds are that the incumbent will get that vote because the voter will use the incumbent’s name as a heuristic, causing the voter to generate a quick conclusion. Incumbents also have more access to campaign funds. Once they receive prominence and recognition from their constituents and their party, individuals, PACs, and political party committees will be more included to give money to their campaign, giving them more resources to cultivate votes. This cycle only becomes more impactful as members of Congress build their careers and reputations.

There can be several benefits that come with having experienced Representatives and Senators. Experience in legislation allows for them to already understand the complex structure of Congress, whereas a first term member would need time to network and understand the nuanced process of getting a bill onto the president’s desk. The more time a person spends in Congress, the more influence they have, making it easier for them to faithfully serve both their constituents and their party. However, having no term limits allows for these members of Congress to protect themselves with experience and money, making it much harder for potential candidates to get their foot in the door and come in with their new ideas and energy, which is important to have given how toxic the current political climate is. Also, being comfortable in office without the threat of opposition can compel Representatives and Senators to serve interests outside of their constituents for the sake of more power or money, therefore undercutting their primary responsibility as a public servant. In order to combat some of these dangers to our democracy, one potential solution would be to establish term limits in Congress. By establishing term limits, it can allow for both experienced members to carry more influence as they serve longer, but it also ensures that new voices have the opportunity to introduce new ideas to the legislature. Term limits will also motivate people to put their name on the ballot and run for a seat, when nowadays they can be discouraged by the career politicians that dominate Congressional elections.

Given this information and the current political climate, do you think that there should be a limit for how many terms a Representative or Senator can serve? Why or why not? If yes, how long should they be allowed to serve in office before they are forced to vacate their seat?

Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/politics/btn-congressional-tenure/index.html

Lotte Elfering says:

November 19, 2017 at 6:27 pm

You raise some good arguments about why congressional term limits are needed, and I do agree with them, but the existence of career politicians is not bad in and of itself. Career politicians, as we discussed in class earlier in the semester, are more familiar with the system and are able to “work the system” so to say, meaning they know how the government works and how to best get things done.

In addition to this, while it might sound like a good idea to have a congress that is as diverse as possible, the people that are career politicians are usually the best equipped to run the country, as they have most likely studied and worked in the environment their entire lives.

The growing division within American politics these days can easily be linked to the existence of career politicians. However, the backlash against career politicians that could be seen in the election of Donald Trump, who ran on a platform criticizing the establishment, has only increased the divide within the country. Thus the question remains whether getting rid of career politicians – and the absence of term limits which facilitate their existence – would solve the problems.