Talking Politics with Dan McHugh Issue # 3: Why We Need Term Limits with Special Contributor: Robin Ficker, Term Limits Advocate, & 2024 Republican Candidate for United States Senate of Maryland

  

Talking Politics with Dan McHugh 

Former President of Montgomery County, MD Young Republicans, Former Maryland Legislative Aide, 2020 Field Organizer for Trump Victory in Pennsylvania, 2022 Campaign Manager for Julie Giordano Wicomico County, MD Executive   

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Issue # 3: Why We Need Term Limits with Special Contributor: Robin Ficker, Term Limits Advocate, & 2024 Republican Candidate for United States Senate of Maryland 

 

 

 

     

 
“Term limits are critical to fixing what’s wrong with Washington, D.C.,” Cruz said in a statement. “The Founding Fathers envisioned a government of citizen legislators who would serve for a few years and return home, not a government run by a small group of special interests and lifelong, permanently entrenched politicians who prey upon the brokenness of Washington to govern in a manner that is totally unaccountable to the American people.” 

Cruz added that term limits are important to restore accountability within Congress. 

“Terms limits bring about accountability that is long overdue and I urge my colleagues to advance this amendment to the states so that it may be quickly ratified and become a constitutional amendment,” Cruz added.” Washington Examiner 

 

 

 

Being an elected official was not meant to be a career, yet we have seen politicians on both sides of the aisle do just that. People that defend career politicians say that elections decide whether elected officials are doing a good job or not, in addition “experience matters” and we need entrenched politicians because of their experience.  Yet we see it time and time again an entrenched politician, gets reelected every time they are up for election very easily, the special interests and biased media make it hard for the opponent of an entrenched incumbent to get any traction or raise any money to be competitive making the election almost a joke, congressional incumbents have a 98% reelection rate. 

 

Just some examples the longest serving United States Senator was Robert Byrd of West Virginia a Democrat who was once a leader in the Ku Klux Klan for 51 years, the longest serving Governor was Terry Branstad a Republican from Iowa who was 1st Governor for 28 years, then left and returned to serve for 6 more years making it 34 years total, and even state legislature’s in Maryland, for example, Democrat State Senator Thomas “Mike” V. Miller Jr. served in the State Senate for a record 32 years as Senate President. The Senate building in Annapolis was named after him while he was still the Senate President, and his political career stemmed for over 40 years.   

 

We do have term limits, for example in Maryland. The Governor is term-limited to two four-year terms or 8 years. Since the creation of the Governor for the State, the 1st term-limited Governor was Thomas Sim in 1782 who served 3 years.  

In the State of Virginia, the Governor is currently term limited to one term of 4 years, a tradition that dates to 1776.

"According to Brent Tarter, a retired historian with the Library of Virginia in Richmond, the ban has roots in the commonwealth’s founding in the wake of the American Revolution. 

“It dates back to 1776,” he says. “There was a legacy of resentment of royal authority at the time of the American Revolution, and the way royal authority was exercised was through the office of the governor.” WMAU 88.5  

 

The President of the United States is currently term limited to two terms of 4 years, or 8 years. This was put in place on February 27th, 1951 when the 22nd amendment was ratified to the United States Constitution which ended Franklin Roosevelt’s four elected terms in the white house, the longest-serving US President. 
 

In Congress dating back to 2017 United States Senator Ted Cruz republican from Texas introduced an amendment to the US Constitution, to impose term limits on members of Congress, the amendment would limit US Senators to two six-year terms, and members of the US House to three two-year terms. Senator Cruz stated the following.  

 

“Term limits are critical to fixing what’s wrong with Washington, D.C. The Founding Fathers envisioned a government of citizen legislators who would serve for a few years and return home, not a government run by a small group of special interests and lifelong, permanently entrenched politicians who prey upon the brokenness of Washington to govern in a manner that is totally unaccountable to the American people. Terms limits brings about accountability that is long overdue and I urge my colleagues to advance this amendment along to the states so that it may be quickly ratified and become a constitutional amendment." cruz.senate.gov 

In addition to Senator Cruz’s efforts an advocacy group was formed in Washington called US Term Limits, its mission is to enact and defend term limits on elected offices at all levels of government via the ballot box, legislatures, and the courts with the aim of enacting a congressional term limits amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The organization’s executive director Nick Tomboulides stated the following in his congressional testimony "Congress is less popular than traffic jams, root canals, and hemorrhoids, you are beating head lice, but the lice have asked for a recount." “Term limits are a check on arrogance, incumbency, and power.” 

 

Some recent examples of where term limits have passed. In the 2016 Maryland election term limits were put on the ballot in Montgomery County for the County Council and the County Executive to hold them to three terms of four years, or 12 years. At the time the Montgomery County government decided to increase property taxes on residents by 9%. It was put on the ballot, and it passed with 70% percent of the vote holding local elected officials accountable. In the 2022 Maryland election Baltimore City put term limits on the ballot to hold the Mayor and City Council to two 4-year terms, it passed with 71 percent of the vote. Bringing much-needed accountability to a city that has the highest crime, and the worst schools in the entire state of Maryland.

Robin Ficker term limits advocate from Montgomery County, and current 2024 Republican candidate for United States Senate who led the 2016 ballot initiative in Montgomery had the following to say about term limits and why he believes they are needed "Term limits bring fresh ideas, if you can't get your program accomplished in 8 or even 12 years chances are you won't get it done. and it's time to let some other bright people give it a try, it brings accountability to the government which is why I acted in 2016 for the initiative. In addition, the President and the Governor are both terms limited and I believe we need term limits at the local level as well, in 2016 it seemed the voters in Montgomery County agreed with me." 

In closing term limits for elected office is a good thing the United States is not a monarch with kings and royal families, even though families like the Kennedys, Bushes, and the Clintons have been viewed as political dynasties. They say “Experience Matters” Well I’ll leave you with the current President Joe Biden has over 50 years of ‘Political Experience” How's that working out for the average American right now? With record high inflation, energy rates, and a foreign policy that has the world more unstable than it was before he became President, so yes, we need term limits on the ruling class at all levels of government.