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Term Limitation: A Perilous Panacea
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20195 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
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1 / 1992 |
3,131 Words |
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Timothy S. Prinz
Timothy S. Prinz, currently assistant professor in the
Department of Government and Foreign Affairs at the
University of Virginia, has published articles on
congressional elections and congressional careers. |
As Congress has been rocked by scandal and perceptions of incompetence, critics and reformers describe members of Congress as a privileged class, out of touch with the people in their district, unresponsive to district concerns, and even corrupt. Frustration with Congress, and with Washington in general, is by all accounts widespread among the American public.
This dissatisfaction has fueled the hopes of those who would place limits on congressional terms. Even an observer as sanguine about American politics as George Will has decided that the career legislators currently in place in Washington have served altogether too long and have lost touch with their constituents. With recent polls indicating that 74 percent of Americans favor some form of term limits, it is time to think seriously about the implications of any proposal to limit congressional terms.
The case against limiting congressional terms presented here advances several interlocking arguments revolving around the nature of the contemporary political career. For one, members of Congress are not nearly as insulated or invulnerable as the term limitations movement would have us believe. Despite record-high reelection rates for incumbents, substantial turnover still occurs with each election. In addition, a straightforward analysis of the incentives and constraints surrounding the contemporary political career highlights several difficulties associated with proposals to limit congressional terms.
Finally, the disadvantages brought on by any successful proposal to limit the terms of members of Congress have serious implications for the American system of government. Our commonplace understandings of representation, the separation of powers, and good governance will be dramatically altered if term limits are adopted.
Much of the current movement for term limitations is rooted in a pervasive sense that incumbents have lost touch with voters and that Congress is enmeshed in governmental gridlock, unable to muster the political will necessary to address society's most pressing problems. Term limitations will do little to address either of these concerns.
In defense of professional politicians
One of the most common arguments advanced in favor of term limitations describes members of Congress as professional politicians. Implicit in this criticism is the idea that somehow
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