Bradford Adams – Term Limits Should Exist:
In light of the upcoming elections, the highly contentious issue of term limits for members of Congress has once again been under the national spotlight. The issue has a storied history; indeed, the debate predates the Constitution itself. In recent years, the movement to restrict terms has grown louder and louder, and polling suggests that up to 87 percent of the American people -according to The Pew Research Center- are in favor of imposing limits. It is not difficult to see why. Throughout the House and Senate, the government is riddled with elderly representatives who have served for decades and who often seem unfit to serve their constituents. Many will remember senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s awkward moment last year, where he awkwardly paused for 30 seconds during a press conference, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. McConnell’s gaff notwithstanding, term limits could also alleviate many of the perceived deficiencies in our government. In the short term, limits would see many new innovative representatives elected, while also benefiting the nation in the long run. For example, incumbents, who enjoy a massive advantage in elections, would either be absent from the ballot or not have nearly as many resources to devote to campaigning. In the 2022 elections, incumbent House members retained their seats in 94% of their respective races. In the same election cycle, 28 incumbent senators seeking reelection also came home with a win. As a result, special interest groups who support a specific campaign would not have as strong a hold over the government, and representatives would be more responsive to the will of the people. Term limits would also increase the number of options available to voters. As such, voters would be better able to select a candidate that is reflective of their values, again allowing for greater popular representation. Ultimately, we need only look at the most powerful position in the federal government, and observe that the framers of the Constitution, fearful of the power of a long-serving President, imposed term limits there. If the most powerful person in the world has a limit, then why shouldn’t representatives?
Brandon Li – Term Limits Should Not Exist:
The United States is operating smoothly in the status quo, where members of Congress can stay in office for as long as their voters intend, without the arbitrary mandates of term limits. It is easy to be swept up by the impulsive and alarmist groans of “gerontocracy” in the current political system; however, a more balanced and rational perspective will reveal that term limits will only harm our country.
Firstly, it is important to give members of Congress time to gain legislative experience and become knowledgeable on policy without immediately cutting off this growth through term limits. As members of Congress serve for longer, their policy knowledge deepens, they make more informed and better decisions, and they pass bills much more efficiently. To date, Maxwell Frost, a Florida representative, is the youngest American politician. With the minimum age of holding Congressional office being 25, Frost was elected in 2023 at age 26. His immaturity and irrational decision-making are already being shown; Frost failed to pay off a $4,000 credit card debt he owed to BOFA. While this minor example is not fully representative of Rep. Frost, young politicians act more often as a question mark, begging the question if their young minds and skills will make up for their inexperience. Additionally, elder statesmen in Congress play a crucial role in leading and guiding more junior legislators, as well as in establishing a sense of continuity and stability in our nation’s capital. By imposing term limits on Congressmen, we would drastically decrease the quality of our members of Congress, unnecessarily throwing away all of the benefits of this acquisition of experience in favor of the vague and naive ideal of “fresh perspectives.” Does anyone truly want a constant, revolving-door rotation of inexperienced legislators imposing their uninformed perspectives on our nation’s future?
Secondly, term limits would force members of Congress to unnaturally push for sensationalist policies with immediate impact rather than for measured policies that prioritize the long-term health of our nation. A congressional post will no longer be a job with a sense of permanence that holds grave responsibility, but rather a short-term post for politicians to garner as much media attention as possible before moving onto the next stage of their career. Because of the unnatural pressure that term limits would impose on our nation’s highest decision-making body, we should leave the system the way it is now, without choosing to prioritize short-term sensationalist policies.
