Don’t let “No More Term Limits” Fool You…

BCC Term limits supports the enactment of limited terms for lawmakers both on the local and national level. Limiting terms allows for a greater number of candidates, and a more diverse range of individuals running for office. Putting a limit on time in office means less time to develop financial ties to lobbyists and special interest groups. Congressmen are more likely to fight for constituents if they must live under laws they enacted. However, some Americans continue to vote against their own interest, support the agenda of corrupt career politicians, and deny the obvious need for term limits.

“No More Term Limits” is a group that has disputed the need for term limits. This is a great example of American voters who have been sadly misled and deceived to think the current political system is working them, and should stay as is. The flaws in their key arguments are addressed below:

“In a 2015 Gallup poll, it was concluded that younger generations of Americans (under 30) and older Americans (over 65) both gave 74% approval of term limits (Fund, National Review).  It is critical that these demographics see the issue at hand, which is the lack of knowledge that newcomers in the legislature hold.”

“The federal government is more complicated than any of us truly know.”

• They acknowledge widespread support for term limits by American voters, but still feel the need to side with career politicians and fight against limited terms. They suggest it is too complicated for an American who hasn’t previously held office to act effectively as a legislator. This argument was fed to them by corrupt politicians, it is extremely condescending, and highlights the obvious need for term limits. There are plenty of Americans who are well-informed on the American political system and are completely capable of representing their constituents and enacting effective and smart legislation and policies.

“Another crucial demographic that is in support of consistent legislative terms are the politician’s donors, and generally white males. Legislatures in the House and Senate need money in order to get votes.  People who have invested their time and money into the current politicians, typically people in economic power, have high expectations that their stake will be preserved by current members in the House and Senate”

• This is an excerpt where “No More Term limits” describes key demographics that support their cause. Unsurprisingly, term limits are supported largely by white males and political donors. They even acknowledge the fact that these powerful political donors don’t support term limits because they don’t want to invest money buying off politicians that may only be in office for a short time. According to a 2016 Gallup poll, the majority of the country (75%) thinks that corruption is widespread throughout the government. It is no longer a secret, Americans know special interest groups are buying politicians support, but they feel powerless to change anything. We acknowledge the reality that career politicians cannot continue to receive unlimited financial contributions from lobbyists and special interest groups, and pretend they are still serving the interests of their constituents. They act as though they are victims of a system they created. Enacting term limits will empower voters, remove corrupt politicians from the system, and allow our country to get back to a point where the government serves its people, and not the other way around.

“Term limits for the United States congress would have a negative impact on lawmakers ability to complete political agendas and would limit the ability of lawmakers to accomplish the political goals of their constituents.”

• Some states have already enacted term limits that typically range between 8 and 12 years. Thus, even the most aggressive term limits allow a lawmaker to be elected twice, and hold office for a total of 8 years. If a politician cannot accomplish any political goals in the span of 8 years, they have no business being in office in the first place.

“There is no such wall between people and their representatives. Offices of representatives must serve all of the people under their constituency regardless of whether they agree with a particular individual’s political preferences or not. If a representative fails to keep up with doing so, the people which vote for that representative have the option to vote for a different candidate in coming elections”

• No More Term Limits wrote this in regard to the power of incumbency. They suggest that if a currently elected official does something its constituents disagree with; they simply don’t vote for that candidate again. When we look at the numbers, it’s just not that simple. In 2014 Congress had an 13% approval rating, and 96% of incumbents were reelected. Clearly, the politicians we want to remove have developed methods to remain in their position of power regardless of what the constituency and American people want. Not to mention the thousands of politicians who run unopposed. If there is no challenger to a politician who voters do not support, there is no way to remove that official from office.

Term limits work. We can’t simply take corrupt politicians word for it when they suggest no one could possibly do their job without decades of experience. Term limits will address the corruption and broken campaign finance system operating in our country in one fell swoop. BCC Term Limits doesn’t expect a broken government to fix itself. We need to take a stand, and fight to end career politicians and grasp they have on the American people and their pocketbooks. Join BCC and support term limits now!

Sources:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/185759/widespread-government-corruption.aspx

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/nov/11/facebook-posts/congress-has-11-approval-ratings-96-incumbent-re-e/

Dear Mayor Suzanne Jones and Mayor Pro Tem Mary Young,

On the November ballot this year, there will be a proposal for a three term limit for members of city council. We here at BBC Term Limits strongly urge you to support this proposal to limit the amount of terms that a city council member can serve in Boulder. Enacting term limits for members of Boulder City Council would promote a more democratic system, ensure greater accountability per politician, and reduce lobbyist and special interest influence. It would be a great error to not support this proposal because a lack of term limits restricts political change by keeping politicians in office who will focus more time and attention on campaigning to be reelected than they will spend writing and passing legislation that could better the lives of the citizens of Boulder.    

The state of Colorado has already enacted legislation to limit the terms of state level senators, however there is currently no such legislation for Boulder City Council members. The state of Colorado has made the wise decision to have strict term limits for senate members because they believe that it makes for a more judicial system of government. Although Colorado’s state government is much greater in size than the City of Boulder’s government, the reasons for why the state government is in favor of term limits are just as applicable on a smaller scale. Not only do term limits for government members create a more diverse and fair environment within government itself, but there is overwhelming public support for term limits from both sides of the political party binary. In fact, 75% of both republicans and democrats are in favor of term limits. It is detrimental to the strength of this city’s government to be at odds with the vast majority of the population on an issue as pertinent as this. 

A more democratic system of city government is what would emerge if you support this proposal and term limits are enacted. The more democratic a system is, the more success it will have. The upcoming presidential election has revealed a strong public distaste for establishment politics. The established democratic party has fallen out of favor with many would-be democrats, and the republican party is hugely divided. Term limits for Boulder City Council would provide checks and balances by keeping fresh faces in the government which  reduces lobbyist and special interest influence. This would keep Boulder City Government from reaching the state that our national politics are in right now, either too established or hopelessly divided. 

The lack of term limits for members of Boulder City Council is a non-partisan issue, because as stated the majority of both republicans and democrats support the regulation of term limits. That being said the benefits that would come from implementing term limits on this city’s government would positively effect the citizens of Boulder regardless of political party affiliation. A greater number of more diverse candidates would be able to run for office with limited terms. The City of Boulder is diverse in race, ethnicity, and gender, amongst other things, and the government running this city should reflect the range of diversity of the citizens. Without term limits the same people can hold office for many years. Having the same people running the city government for years on end does not promote diversity nor does it accurately portray the ever changing demographic of the civilian population. 

Enacting term limits would end the cycle of career politicians running our city and make room for the citizen legislator. Citizen legislators are very important because they will have greater focus on legislation that will be beneficial to the average citizen of Boulder. Citizen legislators also will help to reduce lobbyist and special interest influence which can corrupt the democratic system of government. Those against term limits may argue that a new legislator or a citizen legislator would cause much time to be wasted on training and education and that by the time experience is being gained their term will be up. However this argument could not be any more erroneous. If a non-career politician is elected to the city council, they will be excited and ready to learn. Additionally, the three term limit that is being proposed for the November ballot provides more than enough time for those that are reelected to become highly proficient in their position.

In closing, support for limited terms for Boulder City Council members would promote a system that is more unified, reliable, diverse, and democratic at its core than it is in its current state. We urge you to support this proposal for the reasons listed as well as the hope for a stronger government and better life for the citizens of Boulder. 

Sincerely,

BBC Term Limits 

Demographics

Key Demographics Supporting Term Limits

What group of people will be easiest to motivate?

According to a Gallup poll conducted in 2013, 75% of Americans are in support of congressional term limits. The issue was slightly more popular among blacks and females. When it comes to age the concept is universally supported, those under 30yrs and over 65yrs both awarded term limits 74% approval. Given these statistics, the key demographics that support term limits for Boulder City council would be politically educated younger upper middle class families. These young families would encourage democratic ideas and would embrace diverse new faces.

What group will be the most difficult?

The most difficult group to motivate will be those in office. Though there is a great deal of support for implementation of term limits, those in place to vote and enact new legislation lack incentive to enforce these limitations on themselves.

What areas will be crucial to promoting your interest?

The state of Colorado has already enacted legislation to limit the term of state level senators, however, congressional term limits have not been instituted on the national level. We would focus our interests on battlegrounds states. Colorado would be perfect, specifically Denver because of its size and volatility. Being one of the few states enforcing term limits on state legislators, Colorado is a crucial area to focus our efforts. On the local level the university would be a perfect setting to gain support for term limits in the city of Boulder. This is due to the fact that young people are more politically active than they have ever been previously in their lives and political views are generally established by the age of 25. These students typically come from educated upper middle class families and, as stated previously, this is our key demographic. 

Here's a look at the range of experience on the current Boulder City Council:

• Matt Appelbaum: 16 years (non-consecutive terms)
• Lisa Morzel: 16 years (non-consecutive terms)
• Suzanne Jones: 4 years
• Andrew Shoemaker: 2 years
• Sam Weaver: 2 years
• Mary Young: 2 years
• Aaron Brockett: 6 months
• Jan Burton: 6 months
• Bob Yates: 6 months

Get involved: Here is the email for the Boulder City Council, use it to contact members directly! council@bouldercolorado.gov

Sources:

http://user.govoutreach.com/boulder/faq.php?cid=21446

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Term%20Limits%20in%20Colorado.pdf

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_29869378/3-term-limit-boulder-city-council-pitched-november

Assignment Number Four

Assignment: Make an argument for which party is best to support your interest (Democrat or Republican).  How would you influence the party to adopt your cause?  Be creative and use prior
examples of groups influencing parties.  Post to blog <1000 words.

Republicans are currently the party most open to the idea of term limits. According to termlimits.org, republican candidates showed widespread support for term limits before exiting the race. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Dr. Ben Carson, and Rand Paul being term limits strongest supporters; Donald Trump has yet to way in, simply promising to look seriously into the issue.
Republicans are most likely to back term limits, but to say democrats aren’t in support is incorrect. According to Gallup “Republicans and independents are slightly more likely than Democrats to favor term limits; nevertheless, the vast majority of all party groups agree on the issue.” The Gallop poll went on to indicate 82% of the GOP, 79% of Independents, 65% of Democrats are in favor of term limits for member of congress.
 After FDR served and unprecedented 12 years, congress implemented term limit legislation on the Presidency. Truman, a Democrat, inquired as to why this didn’t include the senate members as well. Written in Truman’s own hand, Letters stored in the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum at the University of Missouri, state “The Congress has passed a resolution for a Constitutional Amendment limiting the terms of the President to two. That resolution should have also contained a provision for two terms for Senators-12 years, and for members of the House-12 years. It should have contained a provision that House members should have a period of service of four years.” 

https://www.termlimits.org/where-do-the-presidential-candidates-stand-on-term-limits/ http://www.gallup.com/poll/159881/americans-call-term-limits-end-electoral-college.aspx https://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/trumanpapers/psf/longhand/index.php?documentVersion=both&documentid=hst-psf_naid735381-01&pagenumber=1 
One way I would influence the party to adopt our cause would to provide evidence of why keeping the same members of congress in office for 12 years is limiting political change. In order to influence the party to adopt our cause, we would have to pay the party significant benefits so the party would want to support our position. Incentives and proof would be essential in convincing our party to support our cause. “Term limits provide fresh faces with fresh ideas to elected office. They reduce lobbyist and special interest influence and make room in Congress for the citizen legislator.” A good example of someone influencing a party would be JP Morgan and Chase Bank supporting Hillary Clinton this election. In order to get the influence, they desired they had to donate enough money to express their interest. These two in particular donated close to $1,000,000. 
 https://www.termlimits.org/about/

https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00000019&cycle=Career