Bucking the popular mood when it comes to politicians these days, a group of Republican lawmakers is quietly looking to extend legislative terms in South Carolina.
Not term limits, mind you – because sadly we don’t have those here – this bill is about lengthening legislative terms.
Specifically, two bills introduced by freshman Rep. Tim Scott would extend House terms from two to four years and extend Senate terms from four to six years – beginning with the 2012 elections.
Scott’s bills – which have attracted a smattering of co-sponsors since they were filed last week – would require voter approval if passed since they propose changes to the state constitution.
Let’s hope they don’t get that far.
Let’s also hope that at some point during his time in Columbia, Rep. Scott figures out that betraying the reformist platform that got him elected is no way to stay in power – for any length of time.
Seriously, we don’t remember this legislative power grab appearing anywhere in the Contract for Change that Scott ran on, nor do we remember him ever discussing it in his bid for the State House last year.
This legislation is a horrible idea for our state, which is something we though Scott would intuitively understand.
South Carolina should not only leave its current term lengths alone, but add real limits to prevent career politicians from continuing to wreak havoc on our state.
Meanwhile, Tim Scott continues to be a colossal disappointment since his historic election last year.
This guy needs to take his head out of Speaker Bobby Harrell’s rear end and find the ideas he ran on … and fast.
WEB EXTRAS:
By Make It Stop April 8, 2009 at 8:16 am
Talk about good old boy legislation. What is he thinking?
By HD April 8, 2009 at 9:58 am
There are actually good reasons for increasing House terms to four years. With two year cycles, they are effectively in constant campaign mode. An additional two years would give them more time to focus on things other than reelection. Senate terms are long enough.
This is a debatable point – there is no reason attack Scott for introducing it.
By Larry April 8, 2009 at 10:01 am
We need term limits. It took me 25 years of watching politics to come to this.
Without term limits, we will always be last in virtually everything that is important.
By Rick April 8, 2009 at 10:26 am
HD–I disagree. As it is House members only serve six months out of the year. That leaves them half a year when they are in campaign mode anyway.
By InstaGator April 8, 2009 at 11:05 am
HD – if we move terms to 4 and 6 years, do you think legislators will just stop campaigning and stop continuously raising money? Doubtful. That makes it even harder to get them out of office if voters want change – especially in a state where the legislative districts are so gerrymandered and most of the action is now in primaries.
House terms are two years for a reason. There’s an imperative to “get things done” as opposed to the deliberative Senate. And above all else, there’s huge responsibility knowing you have to face voters every two years.
By G.L. April 8, 2009 at 11:41 am
No, this is not a debatable point. We need to get more of the bastards out of the General Assembly not keep them in even longer.
By Earl Capps April 8, 2009 at 12:04 pm
If you want to clean up politics, forget term limits. Try longer sentences instead.
By PalmettoCPA April 8, 2009 at 1:14 pm
How about expanding the House body drastically (see New Hampshire with 400 reps)? Make the representatives more responsible to their smaller body of constituents, and make it that much more difficult for special interests to lobby (read: buy) enough votes to pass stupid legislation.
By Crooner April 8, 2009 at 1:15 pm
How about shorter sessions? And when exactly are we going to have enough laws so that we don’t need anymore? People wonder why special interests rule? Because we already have all the laws that make sense. And then some.
By Ron April 8, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Will, for those reformers including yourself and Mark Sanford who thought Tim Scott would be a conservative in Columbia after having a liberal record on Charleston County Council, I’d really like to know whose Kool Aide you were drinkin my friend. We all make mistakes, but this was a glaring one that cost the conservative movement in SC heavily. This guy is a bigger Rino than King Bobby and General McConnell put together. NOW WHAT DO WE DO? IT WILL TAKE A FORTUNE TO GET HIM OUT OF OFFICE.
Ron
By Ron April 8, 2009 at 6:43 pm
I imagine that his close friend and political ally, Bobby Harrell, put him up to this.
By Statesman April 8, 2009 at 11:44 pm
The R’s are acting like the D’s did 20 yrs ago when they started making gains in both chambers. The difference now is the amount of money to run. That is why fundraising is a continual excercise. Would limiting campaign contributions to district residents make sense?
By lou April 9, 2009 at 7:42 am
NO no NO and we must stop electing incumbants.
By Rafe Hollister April 9, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Will, H.3877 does increase the terms for House and Senate but it also calls for term limits—worth considering perhaps.
By cfd007 April 9, 2009 at 4:46 pm
What kills me is that the Republican Caucus can and has contributed 5k to some of the “good ole boys” campaigns to keep their buddies in.
By fubo m arksand April 9, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Ha, ha, ha. LBJ proposed this in 1965 for congress and the reps loved it but it went over like a lead balloon with the public. Then for the GOP, a cornerstone of their Contract with America was term limits, then they welched and waffled when they got to power. While each one of these was not pivotal in the ultimate decline in fortunes of their respective parties, they nevertheless symbolically reflect what happens when one side gets drunken with power, and seeks self-enhancement and self-perpetuation.
Are you listening, Rep. Scott? Oh sure, there may be some quasi-valid points to this, but they belong in a good barroom discussion or political science class. Don’t even bother to waste the ink it would take to put it on the ballot. It would not just lose; it would be obliterated. Hopefully, GOPers will recognize that if they become more seeking of their self aggrandizement and power rather than the people, their majorities will also be obliterated a lot sooner than they realize.
By greyghost51 April 15, 2009 at 8:27 am
This is damn disgraceful !