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Birds of a feather voting Nay: Alexander Barasso Burr Chambliss Coats Cochran Collins Cornyn Crapo Enzi Hoeven Inhofe Isakson Kyl Lugar McCain McConnel Murkowski Risch Roberts Shelby Snowe Wicker

Birds of a feather voting Nay: Alexander Barasso Burr Chambliss Coats Cochran Collins Cornyn Crapo Enzi Hoeven Inhofe Isakson Kyl Lugar McCain McConnel Murkowski Risch Roberts Shelby Snowe Wicker

HAVANA—Cuba's Communist Party will consider reforms this weekend that could impose term limits on its leaders in what would be a striking change on an island that Fidel Castro ruled for 49 years and was succeeded by his brother. President Raul Castro said in an April Communist Party congress that this conference, which starts on Saturday and is the first in the party's history, would consider limiting Cuban leaders to two five-year terms. The party has said it was also pondering age limits for high-ranking officials as it tries to bring younger people into its aging leadership. … The party...

“You’re talking to a guy who is really sad but also who is really angry,” Rep. John Dingell told Roll Call in a wide-ranging interview on the eve of the 56th anniversary of his 1955 entry to Congress.

If there was ever a case for term limits, the actions of this past week have certainly demonstrated that now is the time. Twelve Senators and Congressmen were asked to not make budget cuts, but to simply slow down the growth rate of government. The greatest con is that a budget increase of 10% reduced to 7% is considered a 30% reduction in growth. The growth, however, is still 7%. The attitude exemplified by all these politicians of both parties is one of entitlement, which explains why nobody wants to do anything that will rock their boat. Just imagine if...

Republican presidential candidates are issuing biting and sustained attacks on the federal courts and the role they play in American life, reflecting and stoking skepticism among conservatives about the judiciary. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas favors term limits for Supreme Court justices. Representatives Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Ron Paul of Texas say they would forbid the court from deciding cases concerning same-sex marriage. Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, and for Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania want to abolish the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, calling it “a rogue court” that is “consistently radical.” snip...

WASHINGTON Rick Perry, like other conservatives, has lots of complaints about the Supreme Court: The justices, he says, have meddled in social policy, stepped on state power and generally run amok. One solution the governor embraces is to end lifetime tenure - a cornerstone of the Constitution, whose drafters worried far less about activist or senile judges than about meddling tyrants and political pressure. The idea isn't original, and it's not limited to conservatives. Some scholars on the left have also embraced the idea as a correction for judges serving too long. It began to percolate in the 1980s and...

For several months now I have followed the vicissitudes of Sarah Palin's career in politics, and I must say, I have a great deal of admiration for her as a devoted red, white and blue American. She speaks out as a mother, an Alaskan and one who champions the freedoms derived from the sacrifices of those who have fought for democracy. I thank her for what she has had to endure to speak out on behalf of millions of Americans, not just Republicans or Democrats. Americans are fed up with our political parties - the outrageous greed, nepotism and partisanship....

The two smartest political votes that Palm Beach County voters ever passed were Term Limits for county commissioners (2002) and Single Member Districts for the county commission (1988). Both votes removed political power from the hands of a few to the hands of many. More recently, the best political news I heard all week is that an appeals court ruled that voters can choose to amend a county’s charter to mandate term limits for county commissioners. Something bizarre happens to most politicians when they stay in public office too long. They deny it, but I have seen it happen dozens...

SPENCER, IA -- Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann said she puts "principles over party" and is prepared, if elected, to be a one-term president. "So be it," she said today.

The pitch to California voters was wrong in claiming that imposing legislative term limits would replace career politicians with "citizen legislators" who would serve at the Capitol and then return home to resume private careers, according to a new study. Most lawmakers who left the Assembly and Senate in 2008 continued to work in public sector jobs, mirroring results from 1990, the year that term limits were imposed, the Center for Governmental Studies found. "A majority of state legislators stay in government and simply move to other elected offices," said Tracy Westen, chief executive officer of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Los...

Take a look around sometime and maybe you'll notice that despite all the talk about Obamacare or socialized medicine, you never hear conservatives or libertarians go after Medicare. Is it really constitutional? Is this good socialized medicine? Why can't anyone articulate a plan to get out of Medicare? People like David Frum are already acting like even the most modest reform via Ryan's proposal is akin to Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign suggesting political slaughter. Democrats have found a rallying call in sea of bad news by latching on to the issue. So is Medicare really a third rail in American...

The Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is promising to cut $100 billion from domestic spending this year. The Tea Party caucus’s response? I’ll see your $100 billion and raise you $2.4 trillion over 10 years. Both groups are barking up the wrong tree or, to use a more appropriate animal analogy, putting the cart before the horse. The road to real deficit reduction, not a cosmetic nip and tuck, runs through term limits. If Americans are truly interested in shrinking the size of government — one of the takeaways from the 2010 midterm election — they can...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican Sen. Richard Lugar plans to seek a re-election in 2012. Lugar spokesman Mark Helmke said Tuesday that Lugar plans to run a vigorous campaign and is committed to winning a seventh term representing Indiana in the Senate.

The new Michigan Legislature was sworn into office Jan. 12. The next day, they were at work on a proposal that could greatly extend the years that most of them are able to spend in Lansing. On Jan. 13, state Rep. Sharon Tyler, R-Niles, introduced House Joint Resolution C, a proposed amendment to the state constitution aimed at changing the term limits imposed on state officeholders. It would benefit most those politicians who get elected to the House of Representatives, according to Jack McHugh, the Mackinac Center’s senior legislative analyst. In 1992, Proposal B was passed by 58.7 percent of...

Text of H. J. Res. 17: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second... Back to Bill Status Show this version: Download PDF Full Text on THOMAS Compare to this version: Show changes: Side-by-side Highlighted Expand all sections Collapse all sections Link to this view Jan 7, 2011 - Introduced in House. This is the original text of the bill as it was written by its sponsor and submitted to the House for consideration. This is the latest version of the bill currently available on GovTrack. HJ 17 IH 112th CONGRESS 1st Session H....

Arlen Specter's rabid outburst on the floor of the United States Senate the other day was nothing out of the ordinary for his particular brand of politician. A political opportunist baring his teeth and foaming at the mouth in fury at what he perceive as the barbarians storming the gate is as trite as it is silly. But buried in the diatribe there was a most revealing and interesting phrase employed by the Scottish lawman over his apparent astonishment at the behavior of some of his brethren "in the Senate I joined 30 years ago." (Italics added) Did you catch...

Just hours after delivering what sounded like a stage-setter for a presidential run, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg insisted he will not join the race. “There’s nothing” that would compel him to run in 2012, Bloomberg told CBS News. “I’m not going to run for president,” he said. “Period. End of story.” But interviewer Katie Couric persisted: “Ever?” “I think at my age, ever is the easy thing to say,” said the 68-year-old Bloomberg.

Neither rookies nor seasoned veterans were spared in Tuesday's House Democratic bloodbath, which saw Republicans defeat three major committee chairmen and at least seven lawmakers who claimed 20 years' seniority or more in Congress. While the losses of 16 freshmen "Obama babies" — those elected during the president's 2008 sweep — were expected, the number of long-serving Democrats who lost re-election this week is staggering, and suggests a widespread dissatisfaction with Washington. All told, with about a dozen races still uncalled, Democrats have already shed 376 years of congressional experience, and that could go as high as 430 years if...

Across the land, the cry is heard: Throw the bums out! The people are prepared to do exactly that on Tuesday, but there's a catch. There's little to stop today's insurgent from becoming tomorrow's bum. Or, as a pessimist once said, many reformers take office to do good and stay to do well. Take heart, optimists, for there is an antidote to the corrupting disease of permanent poweritis. Term limits. They are a blunt instrument and they work. They do it by forcing the turnover that the power of incumbency too often thwarts. By using gerrymandering, earmarks, favors for contributors...

Change is coming to Washington, and there's hope on the horizon that America will ensnare the big-government colossus that's consuming our wealth and curtailing our liberty. But even after next week's elections, the temptation of pay-to-play politics, in which career officeholders sell access to the public till, will remain a threat. It's time to address the crisis of out-of-control government by imposing term limits on members of Congress who overstay their welcome on Capitol Hill. Last year, Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican, introduced a constitutional amendment to limit senators to two consecutive six-year terms and members of the House...

Plain and simple. Jerry Brown is ineligible to run for Governor. CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 5 EXECUTIVE SEC. 2. The Governor shall be elected every fourth year at the same time and places as members of the Assembly and hold office from the Monday after January 1 following the election until a successor qualifies. The Governor shall be an elector who has been a citizen of the United States and a resident of this State for 5 years immediately preceding the Governor's election. The Governor may not hold other public office. No Governor may serve more than 2 terms. (my emphasis)...

She talks about the attacks on Christine O'Donnell, the Senate race in Alaska, the unmasking of Lisa Murkowski, the importance of electing conservative Republicans, and whether or not we should enact Congressional term limits which she said it's time might have come. Link to Video

This is recent footage of Democrat Vancouver city council member showing us what the definition of 'ugly' is. Also a good reason for term limits. Her name is Jeanne Harris. I am not affiliated with the youtube poster, so I am not secretly trying up the view count on a video.

As Washington D.C. slips further below the waves of partisan rancor and unprecedented red ink, voters of both parties are overwhelmingly endorsing term limits as a way to right the sinking ship. In fact as increasing numbers of Americans have begun to recognize the importance of refocusing our nation on its founding principles, none of those principles is garnering more support than term limits. According to the results of a new FOX News poll, 78 percent of all voters favor term limits — including 84 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of Democrats and Independents. By contrast, only 16 percent...

CNN's Don Lemon talks to the Rev. Al Sharpton about the investigations into Reps. Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters.

Pete Stark: The Federal Government Can Do Most Anything in This Country http://www.breitbart.tv/congressman-at-town-hall-the-federal-government-can-do-most-anything-in-this-country/The questioner has a good understanding of the Constitution. Pete Stark is just one more example of the ruling class. Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

synopsis from back cover of book: Taking America back....one politician at a time. What if America's leaders were held accountable for their broken promises--and made to pay for their corruption? Vince Flynn brings to life a chilling scenario of Washington under siege--in the provocative, edge-of-your-seat political thriller that stormed onto national bestseller lists. TERM LIMITS. In a night of shattering brutality, three of Washington's most powerful politicians have been executed with surgical precision. Their assassins, vanishing without a trace, have delivered a shocking ultimatum to the American government: set aside petty, partisan politics and restore power to the people, or...

The vultures are already circling Charlie Rangel. Here is video of the Rev. Al Sharpton saying “it would be a blow to Harlem” if Democrat Rep. Charles Rangel had to resign or was removed from Congress in the face of ethics violations he must answer for in front of a House Ethics Committee on Thursday. Sharpton also said “it would be a political bloodbath” to see who replaces Rangel in representing the district should Rangel have to leave office. He said you would likely have “half of Harlem” running for the seat. Rangel has represented Harlem for 40 years in...

Sen. Robert Byrd, the longest serving senator in U.S. history, is in serious condition in a Washington area hospital, according to aides to the West Virginia Democrat. According to a statement from Byrd’s staff released Sunday afternoon, the senator “was admitted to the hospital late last week suffering from what was believed to be heat exhaustion and severe dehydration as a result of the extreme temperatures. He was expected to remain in the hospital not more than a few days.” The statement added: “However, upon further examination by his doctors, other conditions have developed which has resulted in his condition...

Oooh, I hear laughter in the rain...That song's been running through my head all day... Neil Sedaka Ooooh, how I love the rainy days and the happy way I feel inside...Bob Bennett is toast. The Utah delegates said so today, speaking on behalf of their fellow Utah citizens (would that be Utes?... ) He was in near tears at the shock, the SHOCK! of losing his "career". Ummm, bub, (Bob), that was never meant to be a "career". This is the problem. These SOBs have been in there so long it is their freaking career. And it has been, because...

THE American public is not pleased with Congress — one recent poll shows that less than a third of all voters are eager to support their representative in November. “I am not really happy right now with anybody,” a woman from Decatur, Ill., recently told a Washington Post reporter. As she considered the prospect of a government composed of fledgling lawmakers, she noted: “When the country was founded, those guys were all pretty new at it. How bad could it be?” Actually, our founders were not all that new at it: the men who led the revolution against the British...

Term limits may be the answer to what ails Washington. Its truly amazing when one stops to consider that there are Senators and Congressmen who have served upwards of 50 years in office. While it is possible for a politician to remain untarnished by corruption for that lenght of time it is unlikely. I have compiled this list of the longest serving Senators and Congressmen. I have to take my hat off to those who have dedicated thier lives to public service. It is a noble and worthy cause. Having said that maybe we should question why the people of...

Um…is Harry Reid losing it? The historic Senate version of the Health Care bill passed on Christmas Eve last year, was almost derailed when the Senate Majority Leader notoriously and mistakenly voted ‘no’ before quickly changing it to yes. Getting the vote wrong on such an historic vote is a once-in-a-lifetime mistake, right? Alas, no it is not, for lightening appears have struck twice for the Nevada Senator. Or to quote an unidentified clerk picked up by a nearby microphone, “he did it again!"

House speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Friday that "we'll take whatever time is required for us to pass" health care legislation. "We stand ready to stay as long as it takes to pass a bill," she said. Pelosi sent somewhat mixed messages, however, stating that "I'm delighted that the president will be here for the passage of the bill, it's going to be historic." The White House announced Friday morning that President Obama will delay his trip to Asia, which had been scheduled for March 18th, to March 21st. The White House had been pressing for health care legislation by...

NIAMEY — A Niger opposition chief was put back in prison Tuesday after being freed following his arrest for calling for protests against a new constitution extending the president's rule, his organisation said. Earlier in the day, Niger police teargassed a crowd of political figures and human rights activists who had come to attend the trials of the opposition leader and a prominent journalist. "Marou Amadou has just been kidnapped aboard two 4x4 vehicles by members of the Republican Guard at the prison in Niamey as he was trying to complete formalities for his freedom from prison," Ali Idrissa, a...

Niger's president pushed ahead Tuesday with a controversial referendum on a new constitution that would remove term limits and grant him another three years in office with increased powers. Security forces on trucks with mounted machine-guns blocked the streets around the mayor's office in Niamey, where President Mamadou Tandja cast his ballot. Opposition leaders called the move "illegal" and are boycotting the vote. International donors may respond by cutting aid to one of the world's poorest nations. Ruler of the uranium-rich country since 1999, Tandja, 71, has twice won elections that were hailed as free and fair. But in the...

Five-term Democratic Rep. Diane Watson will retire at the end of this term, Fox News has learned. The 76-year-old California congresswoman represents parts of Los Angeles County and the city of Los Angeles and is known as a loyal Democrat. In a 2006 evaluation of voting records, National Journal ranked her as the most liberal member in Congress. President Obama won her district by 32 points in the 2008 election. Watson becomes the 12th House Democrat to announce his or her retirement. Seventeen Republicans have decided against seeking re-election, including Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Mich., who announced his decision earlier Wednesday....

Each idea below is totally unwinnable, downright daft, and probably unconstitutional to boot. Some are mutually incompatible. But each would effectively end the corruption that campaign finance “reform” advocates worry about. Each would also show more respect for individual liberty than the usual fare we get from them. And there’s even a method to my madness, which I will explain below. Life Terms Members of Congress serve for life. Few special interests will throw money at the political process in this system, because the cycle of funding and response won’t exist anymore. Elections will be hard to predict and infrequent,...

Joe Repya is one old soldier who won't fade away. Repya, a 63-year-old retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel from Eagan who served in three wars, today will join a political battle by launching a campaign for the Independence Party endorsement for governor. He's a political newcomer but the veteran of 10 years of combat duty in Vietnam and of the Persian Gulf War and one of the oldest U.S. soldiers to volunteer for Operation Iraqi Freedom said Tuesday, "No other candidate is as battle-tested as I am." He planned to file paperwork with the state campaign finance board today to...

The Ohio Valley Tea Party has announced its’ formation as a political action committee in time for the upcoming election year. This will enable the group to raise money and support candidates for office. Although it’s still in the development stage, the potential of becoming a political party is there. To grow this grassroots movement into a party with its stated ideals of a government of limited size and power, fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Constitution, and answerable to the citizens of the United States, the Tea Party’s platform should finally embrace the seminal idea necessary to reform government to...

He was once a member of the Klu(sic) Klux Klan and famously waged a 15 hour 13 minute filibuster of 1964 against the Voting Rights Act, but has remained a loyal, even celebrated Democrat. “Senator Byrd and Senator Kennedy shared a love of the U.S. Senate and shared a loved of poetry,” said Senator Paul Kirk, who was an aide to the late Edward M. Kennedy and now holds his seat. “Throughout his career Senator Byrd has made so many footprints on the sands of time.” “It is an extraordinary record of service, dedication and patriotism to the country,” Senator...

...Mayor Bill White on Tuesday announced a 21-member commission to study Houston's term limits and make recommendations by July 1. Any changes to the current limit of three, two-year terms for Houston's mayor, controller and 14 City Council members would be subject to approval by the council and by voters... In November 1991, after Kathy Whitmire had completed 10 years as mayor and some council members had served continuously for decades, 56.9 percent of Houston voters approved term limits that took effect in 1993. The panel appointed by White represents the first serious effort to change this system. “Houston has...

Americans have been so apathetic, afraid, or down right lazy in their political involvement. It's clear that Congress has been slowly destroying many wonderful things about America, yet few speak out, or take action to rid Congress of tyrants. It's time to organize voters to PURGE CONGRESS and establish term limits for Congress. Politics was never meant to be a career. Our founding fathers were farmers, ranchers, store owners, etc... Serving in Congress was an honor and duty for patriots. By establishing term limits for Congress, we would be better assuring that only people with a genuine interest in the...

Do you support Senator DeMint’s call for a Constitutional Amendment to limit terms in the Senate and House? According to South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint, “Americans know real change in Washington will never happen until we end the era of permanent politicians.” To this end, a handful of Republican senators are proposing a Constitutional amendment limiting service in the Senate to 12 years and 6 years in the House… Yes: No:

A Republican senator on Tuesday introduced a Constitutional amendment that would mandate term limits for all federal lawmakers. Sen. Jim DeMint's (R-S.C.) amendment would limit House members to three terms and senators to two terms. Every lawmaker then could serve no longer than six years in Congress. DeMint said term limits are a reaction to the influence of special interest groups on Capitol Hill, corruption, high federal deficits, and a Democratic agenda he says will increase the size of government.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said on Monday he would have preferred to leave the White House in a coffin because he loved being commander in chief, but signaled his political life is over. "It's good that we have a (term) limit. Otherwise I would have stayed until I was carried away in a coffin. Or defeated in an election," Clinton said at a conference in Istanbul. "I loved doing the job."

Here's a transcript of what's said: Unknown voice: "We need to change congress" Friedman: No, we don't need to change congress, excuse me. You know, people have a great misunderstanding about this. People in congress are in the business, they're trying to buy votes. They're in the business of competing with one another to get elected. The same congressman will vote for a different thing if he thinks that's politically profitable. You don't have to change congress. People have a great misconception in this way they think the way you solve things is by electing the right people. It's nice...

The Indiana Secretary of State has a limited term. The current holder of that office, Todd Rokita, is nearing his limit in that position. Jockeying for the position....