Tag: term limit

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wants to place term limits on members of Congress, an idea that has long appealed to people across the political divide who have grown skeptical of the current crop of professional politicians. But even if Cruz's amendment to the U.S. Constitution were somehow enacted by the current Congress and the states – a long-shot at best – it would not bar him from running for a third or even fourth term in the Senate. Cruz and Florida U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, a Republican, introduced an amendment last week to limit U.S. senators to two six-year terms and members of the U.S. House of Representatives to three two-year terms. It's awfully difficult to get them to vote for it if they'd be immediately giving up their jobs." Cruz, who ran for president in 2016, said he would vote for a retroactive term limit proposal. Still, delaying the impact on current office holders would avoid some political awkwardness in Texas, where 25 of the state's 36 House members – many of them veterans of more than a decade in Congress – are currently in their third terms or beyond. Opponents also argue that term limits would restrict voters' choices, applying to good lawmakers as well as bad ones. The 27th Amendment – the most recent – was ratified in 1992. Trump's election vindicated an anti-establishment message, and polls show support for the idea of term limits across party lines. "They don't favor or disfavor Republicans or Democrats ...

Nancy Pelosi’s path to Speaker of the House effectively seemed secure on Wednesday after she agreed to comply with a proposal limiting her tenure as the top Democrat in the House of Representatives to three terms. The Brief Newsletter Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. View Sample Sign Up Now Immediately after Pelosi issued her statement in support of it, all three representatives issued statements of support for her. This included two of the most vocal lawmakers calling for new leadership, Reps. Seth Moulton and Tim Ryan. The show of support effectively gives Pelosi the backing she needs from her caucus for speaker’s gavel, although the official vote will not take place until Jan. 3. But the support was conditional upon making this term her last, unless she receives overwhelming approval from the caucus in the 117th Congress. The requested rule change, however, would need to pass by a majority of Democrats in the new Congress. Pelosi said the proposal will be voted on in February, but that she intends to comply with it even if it does not pass. The proposed rule change will most certainly push Pelosi over the top in terms of speaker votes – she needs 218 votes on the floor – but a handful have still said they will vote against her. Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com.

Nancy Pelosi has all but sealed her ascent to speaker of the House after striking a deal with a rebellious group of Democratic lawmakers demanding fresh faces in leadership. The agreement, which she announced on Wednesday, was the latest in a series of hurdles that the Democratic leader from California has cleared in her bid to reclaim the speakership, a post that is second in line to the presidency. She was the first woman to hold the position when she became speaker in 2007. But that was shy of the support she would need to win an absolute majority on the House floor, if all Republicans opposed her nomination as is expected. “I have pushed for new leadership because I want to see generational change in the Democratic Caucus,” the Colorado congressman Ed Perlmutter, who led the negotiations between Pelosi and the rebel group, said. “I am now convinced that generational change has started and will continue to accelerate.” The deal means that Democrats must prepare to clear the way for a new generation of leadership. Pelosi, 78, has sat atop her party for 16 years, assisted by her longtime deputies, congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland, 79, and congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina, 79. Pelosi had been unwilling to put a timeline on her tenure, arguing that it would make her a “lame-duck” speaker. “With the agreed-upon measures, we will do that.” The issue of term limits has deeply divided the Democratic caucus and it is not certain that the rules changes would be approved. However, Pelosi said: “It is my intention to abide by it whether it passes or not.” Julián Castro calls Latinos to action as he moves toward 2020 run Read more There are still several newly elected Democrats who campaigned on a promise to oppose Pelosi for speaker.

The June ballot measures would impose new term limits on National City elected officials. What’s really going on: Ron Morrison, a Republican, has been National City’s mayor since 2006. He voted to put both measures on the ballot and told the Union-Tribune he supports Measure B. If Measure C passes with more votes than Measure B, Morrison will be done. One side of labor: The United Food and Commercial Workers union, led by Mickey Kasparian, opened a PAC this month to support Measure B, and put $25,000 into it. Meanwhile, IBEW, Building Trades and the Labor Council all support Nathan Fletcher in the 4th District race. What’s at stake: National City is not one of the largest cities in San Diego, but it has become increasingly pivotal in local politics. Although San Diego’s mayor is currently a Republican, Gonzalez Fletcher and other supporters of the bill had their eyes on a not-too-distant future in which Democratic mayors of San Diego, Chula Vista and any third city could move the regional transportation agency to the left. Now, this week, SEIU has voted to re-join the Labor Council. Chula Vista Tax Beef Another big South Bay ballot measure in June is Measure A, in Chula Vista.

China's ruling Communist Party has recently proposed to abolish term limits on the presidency, paving the way for President Xi Jinping to stay in office as long as the party is willing to keep him there. "In traditional Chinese culture, there is a need for a guiding voice, a leading will," explains Wang Yiwei, professor of International Relations at Renmin University of China. Five years later, Xi Jinping took power, having marketed himself as an anti-corruption champion. And the media outlets reporting on that story played a central part in it. When they do actually report, they only put out good news, and reduce so-called 'negative energy' or whatever is critical. Control of the press is at an unprecedented level." Weibo has long been a principal platform for political dissent, with users signing up with fake names. Since last year, Beijing has made it mandatory for Weibo users to register with their real names. Is it possible that the party can control even more media? Lead contributors: Chang Ping, writer and journalist Deng Yuwen, political commentator Megha Rajagopalan, China Bureau chief, Buzzfeed Dr Wang Yiwei, professor of International Relations, Renmin University of China Source: Al Jazeera News

Could term limitation laws actually make our poor underpaid and overworked politicians vacate their powerful perches . While this level of turnover is certainly unheard of in the U.S. Congress and the 35 states lacking term limits, it is not so out of the ordinary for Michigan. In fact, one clear result of the state’s toughest-in-the-nation term limits law is the state’s best-in-the-nation level of electoral competitiveness. Perhaps that is why the “renewed interest in reform” comes not from the state’s citizens, but their politicians. They are likely to argue that since people can now serve six years in the House and eight years in the Senate, which if they served the full time in both chambers (few do) would be 14 years, allowing 14 years in the House or 14 years in the Senate wouldn’t really be much different. For all other Americans, just take a moment to imagine what would be the result if the U.S. Congress were beset with Michigan’s “mass turnover.” That would mean giving the heave-ho to 68 out of the current 100 U.S. Senators and 95 of the 435 incumbent Representatives in the House.