DCPolitics

Nancy Mace: Term Limits Can Help Fix DC

Watching the battle on Capitol Hill last week reminded me once again how desperate we are for real leadership in our nation’s capitol. While many have been willing to assign blame and offer the blow-by-blow details of the left vs. right fight, not too many have pointed out the larger…

Watching the battle on Capitol Hill last week reminded me once again how desperate we are for real leadership in our nation’s capitol. While many have been willing to assign blame and offer the blow-by-blow details of the left vs. right fight, not too many have pointed out the larger problem. Our current “leaders” in Washington are making “deals” and signing bills that have never even been looked at by the American people. Forget accountability to constituents, these guys aren’t even reading the bills themselves. They are using political theatre and scare tactics to ram through big spending bills and then acting as if they deserve credit for averting disaster. I guess that’s one way to run a country. However, I think most Americans would rather see a different approach.

I believe the real fight is between the political class and the working class: the ruling elites are entrenched on one side, and the American people are taking the punches on the other. Well, it’s time the American people fight back; it is my firm belief that most Americans are tired of out of control government and the double talk that comes from the career politicians who have put us in this fiscal tailspin with no clue of how to correct course.

For 59 years, two men have occupied the senate seat now held by South Carolina’s senior Senator Lindsey Graham.  In fact, the end of his current term will mark 20 years in Washington for Senator Graham. Of course, 20 years of “service” isn’t enough for Lindsey Graham, as he has already announced his intention to stay in the beltway for at least six more years. The question I have for those who have served in Washington for 20 plus years is simple: how do you effectively represent people you haven’t worked with or lived beside for more than 20 years?

It has not always been that way.  State legislatures around the country chose their senators until 1913. The 17th Amendment ushered in the direct election of senators in an effort to give the people a voice. However, it also gave rise to powerful special interests and gave us the lifetime politician.  Some have suggested we simply return to the model of legislative appointments to the U.S. Senate. Perhaps that’s one idea worth exploring, but I think there is a better answer: term limits.

Term limits would not only cap the number of years a specific person would serve in Congress, it would limit the power of lobbyists, corporations and other special interests that invest millions of dollars in the status quo. This unholy alliance with career politicians largely mutes the voice of the people. The reality is, even well-intentioned public servants become bogged down in the process of deal making, vote swapping and bringing home the bacon to remain in touch with the needs and desires of the people they represent.

Today, countless Americans have lost faith in our government. More specifically, I believe most Americans have lost trust in elected officials and the Washington, DC establishment. I often ask people I meet if they trust this government. The answer is almost always an emphatic no! Establishment politicians cannot be trusted with our tax dollars, our e-mail or phone records, and they certainly cannot be trusted with our healthcare. While the ruling class works to gain favor with the beltway crowd, who is looking out for the American people?

I have not lost hope. I believe we can fix the mess in Washington, but we need the right tools to make it happen. Term limits are a great place to start, but we also need bold leadership to make it happen.

As a conservative, I know term limits is a powerful issue. However, I believe people of every political stripe realize the need to rein in career politicians and limit the power that has corrupted our political system. I am running for the U.S. Senate to work for reforms that will offer a framework for solving problems both today and in the future.

We have the support and the political will, now we need the leadership. As a member of the U.S. Senate, I would vote to limit members to two terms. We can make term limits a reality, but, first, we must term limit these career politicians at the ballot box.

Nancy Mace is a wife, mother and small business owner. She is the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina.

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54 comments

venomachine October 24, 2013 at 11:49 am

Meaningful campaign finance reform would work wonders as well.

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warren October 24, 2013 at 11:54 am

I agree 100% with Nancy Mace on this. While Senator Thurmond was in Washington a long time, he made frequent trips to SC and stayed in touch with the citizens. He was the exception who didn’t get caught up in the trappings of DC.

Lindsey Graham, on the other hand, is the special interest lobbyists’ best friend as evidenced by the millions of dollars they have given him. He rarely comes to SC, preferring to be on the Sunday talk shows or traveling at taxpayer expense with John McCain. Twenty years in Washington has made Lindsey Graham forget the people he is supposed to represent. It is time for a change.

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CNSYD October 24, 2013 at 4:55 pm

Graham obviously has a twin brother as I see him frequently in Oconee County where he lives.

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Ouch October 24, 2013 at 11:56 am

They all say that, until they get elected.
Sic, did you miss this story about Lonnie Carter’s big raise?

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20131018/PC05/131019371/1010/

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Ouch October 24, 2013 at 11:56 am

On term limits: We have them. They’re called elections.

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Will Folks aka Sic October 24, 2013 at 12:07 pm

And politicians need to be changed like diapers. We can play the soundbyte game to, Josiah Bartlett.

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just a thought October 24, 2013 at 12:27 pm

Changing the subject…Will/”founding editor” – if you ‘did’ Nancy, I’d start bragging about that. She’s not exactly a 10 but she’s FAR better than Nikki.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein October 25, 2013 at 12:32 pm

PLEASE!!!!!

Will is having a hard enough time finishing up the first book.

GIVE THE POOR MAN SOME SPACE, WILL YA!!!

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tomstickler October 25, 2013 at 1:40 pm

Maybe he would have more time for the tell-all book if he cut back on crap blogposts like “50 Shades of Gray” or

Seriously October 24, 2013 at 1:07 pm

It should be “too,” not “to,” in this sentence. Damn. YOU must be the one writing Mace’s crappy press releases after all.

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Curious October 24, 2013 at 1:11 pm

Bless their hearts. They’re trying, but it ain’t gonna happen.

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CNSYD October 24, 2013 at 4:56 pm

The system works on seniority. But perhaps Sic Willie slept that day in Civics class.

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Ouch October 24, 2013 at 6:14 pm

You can’t vote them out, so you want to change the rules.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d be happy to see all of SC’s reps lose (for different reasons than yours, probably), but THAT’S WHAT THE VOTE IS FOR.

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Benevolent Dictator October 24, 2013 at 1:48 pm

When everyone talks term limits, they are really saying “The people can’t be trusted to vote well.”

I agree, but naturally argue “Then why let them vote at all?”

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Seriously October 24, 2013 at 11:58 am

Poorly written. Full of platitudes. Nothing new. Desperate. Oh, and it’s “our nation’s capital,” with an “a.” I think I heard somewhere that you’re the first female graduate of The Citadel. If you’re writing the press releases that FITS keeps publishing, proper command of the English language must not have been a graduation requirement.

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Are you friggin serious? October 24, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Those whose throw stones shouldn’t live in glass houses.

capitAl = $$$
capitOl = where our nation’s leaders congregate to continually f@ck us over.

looks like she was write and you were rong Mr. Dumas (pronounced dumbass of course)

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BeauRivage October 24, 2013 at 12:55 pm

No, the Capitol is a building that could be said to sit on Capitol Hill. The Capitol is located in our nation’s capital, though.

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Jim October 24, 2013 at 4:46 pm

Even if your spelling lesson had been RIGHT, you should have said “She is right and you are wrong.” By saying “she was right, and you were wrong,” you are implying she is now wrong and Seriously is now right. Which is true, but I don’t think that is what you intended to say.

Can I presume you are either Nancy or a Tea Partier?

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afmajret October 27, 2013 at 9:29 pm

CapitAl :(1) a city that serves as a center of government, (2) wealth in the form of money or property, and (3) a capital letter

CaitOl :(1) a U.S. state legislature building, and (2) the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C

Lets all English properly together.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein October 25, 2013 at 12:27 pm

I think I heard somewhere that you’re the first female graduate of The Citadel.

YES!!

TBG believes he, also, has heard the same thing…somewhere.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 24, 2013 at 12:03 pm

Ms Mace is absolutely correct about term limits. They need to be the law with regard to everything, from school boards all the way to the highest office of the land, where they have been the case as far back as I can remember. I would also suggest making Senate elections every four years instead of every six. NO politician should EVER go more than four years without having to answer to the voters.

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Guest Poster October 24, 2013 at 12:09 pm

You’re gonna need to amend Article One of the U.S. Constitution to change the length of Senators’ terms, which sets those terms at 6 years. Good luck.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 24, 2013 at 12:10 pm

Then so be it. That is something that needs changing, seriously.

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MashPotato October 24, 2013 at 12:57 pm

I’d propose this amendment to address term lengths and limits:

House: 5 two year terms

Senate: 3 four year terms

President: 1 six year term (sure it’s Jimmy Carter’s idea but it’s a good one)

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shifty henry October 24, 2013 at 2:56 pm

Shifty especially is for the six year term for president, but with a provision for RECALL…..

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Torch October 24, 2013 at 12:20 pm

Change the campaign laws and you would have term limits. Limit the amount that can be spent. No money from outside of the state.

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Smirks October 24, 2013 at 12:40 pm

Term limits won’t help solve the issues in D.C., the old, corrupt politicians will just create some crappy shadow network in the background to boost new, corrupt would-be politicians into power. You’d also need to enact laws to prevent them from becoming lobbyists or getting cushy jobs from companies they’ve helped out.

The whole notion of term limits stems from the notion that people can’t be trusted to vote out shitty politicians. The problem with the proposed solution here is that it (poorly) attempts to fix the effect, which is crappy career politicians, without doing jack to fix the cause, which is piss poor voting habits of the general population.

There’s no magic pill to fixing the stupid.

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BeauRivage October 24, 2013 at 12:55 pm

But it’s a helluva start.

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Smirks rhymes with Jerks October 24, 2013 at 1:45 pm

Yea, but you got that healthcare you desperately wanted other people to pay for, so it’s not all bad.

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fred October 29, 2013 at 11:24 am

Oh I just love these republican one liners with absolutely no back up or support. Kindly explain your inane comment, which of course is a typical republican half truth or a complete lie. Tell me in detail how other people will have to for other people’s healthcare?

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TontoBubbaGoldstein October 25, 2013 at 12:29 pm

Term limits won’t help solve the issues in D.C., the old, corrupt politicians will just create some crappy shadow network in the background to boost new, corrupt would-be politicians into power.

They are waaaaayyy ahead of you there, Bubba.

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BeauRivage October 24, 2013 at 12:56 pm

“Nothing so strongly impels a man to regard the interest of his constituents as the certainty of returning to the general mass of the people, from whence he was taken, where he must participate their burdens.”–George Mason, 1788

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MashPotato October 24, 2013 at 1:00 pm

I’m sort of on the fence on term limits, but Nancy makes quite a compelling case.

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Blah Blah Blah October 24, 2013 at 1:20 pm

“I have not lost hope.”

You’ll be singing a different tune after Rump Ranger destroys you in the election.(not that I’m happy about that)

Term Limits have been discussed for how long now? Since at least Reagan by my memory, but probably even before that.

Good luck getting the establishment congressmen that never get voted out of office to vote for term limits…that why it’s been 30+ years of discussion it’s never happened.

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Okay October 24, 2013 at 3:05 pm

Yeah, term limits. A “conservative” talking about limiting your first amendment rights. Seems legit. You should be able to vote for whomever you want. The Supreme Court said the same thing.

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Anon. October 24, 2013 at 3:31 pm

Nancy, where’s the cleavage?

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Z-TAC October 24, 2013 at 4:07 pm

Term limits will do little if anything to change the system. So you tell a crook that he can only serve 5 terms in the House or 2 terms in the Senate…does he say to himself: “Gosh, with this term limit thing I can’t steal, lie, cheat, hire my friends and relatives, or suck up to my donors!”….Not likely. He is more likely to embark on a faster pace in his dishonesty to get as much as he can in a shorter period of time.

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RHood2 October 24, 2013 at 4:57 pm

Term limit good.

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CNSYD October 24, 2013 at 5:04 pm

Nancy mentions a return to state legislatures electing Senators. We all KNOW that state legislatures are honest and are NEVER influenced by lobbyists, special interests, money, etc.

BTW. I heard that Mace was the first female graduate of The Citadel. Any one else heard that?

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Ouch October 24, 2013 at 6:20 pm

“Nancy mentions a return to state legislatures electing Senators. We all KNOW that state legislatures are honest and are NEVER influenced by lobbyists, special interests, money, etc. ”

The Constitution was amended to change that BECAUSE of rampant corruption involved in state legislature’s picking Senators. Nancy needs a history lesson.

The thing about conservatives is they are ever-increasingly in the minority, and they are desperately trying to game the system to change that. Every single proposal to limit people’s right to vote comes from the right and is specifically designed to get more wingers elected.

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nitrat October 24, 2013 at 7:09 pm

She wants the state elected elite electing the federal elected elite.
How elitist.
This 17th amendment crap + the Hastert Rule. How anyone does not figure out that the once GOP is anti-majority rule and anti-democracy is mind boggling.

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shifty henry October 24, 2013 at 7:26 pm

—– first WHITE female graduate………

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Matt October 24, 2013 at 7:07 pm

Wow reading through that entire press release was painful, blah blah blah blah.

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Cecil October 24, 2013 at 8:04 pm

Term limits are not constitutional. The founding fathers knew best. We wouldn’t have the problem if we hadn’t added the 17th amendment. After the fiasco with Ted Cruz, God help us if we have a House and Senate made up of rookies.

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Cecil for President October 24, 2013 at 8:18 pm

“The founding fathers knew best.”

I agree. We need to go back to when only property owners and those paying taxes were the only ones allowed to vote.

Contrary to popular belief there was no mandate for “white” int he Constitution either, the racism was a state by state issue.

I also agree that the 17th accentuated the mob rule characteristic of the country as a whole and has been a travesty.

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Jim October 27, 2013 at 1:48 pm

What difference does it make? You are saying you are happy with government now, ok. This is what you get when only 1/2 the people vote. People respond here because talk is cheap. Some has to change because I am not happy. Just ask for government that follows the law I have to. Do not want thing my way just freedom and justice

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Chandler October 24, 2013 at 9:07 pm

Damn the Constitution, full speed ahead.

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Dude, where are my rights? January 27, 2014 at 1:39 pm

Barack? Is that you?

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Just another guy October 24, 2013 at 9:33 pm

Tell your girlfriend that it will not help. The only thing that can fix DC is if we repeal the 17th amendment. It worked great before then.

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shifty henry October 24, 2013 at 10:00 pm

Brushing the dust off of some old ones………….

————————————————–

1) A politician was complaining to his neighbor about the news organizations lack of coverage of his speeches. “It’s a complete conspiracy of silence against me, I tell you, a complete conspiracy of silence. What should I do about it?”
His neighbor replied, “Join it!”

2) “What would be the best way to raise revenue and still benefit the people?”
“Tax every political speech made in this country.”

3) “I’m taking Political Economy at college.”
“That’s a useless course. Why learn to economize in politics? It’s not being done.”

4)“All these delegates for me?”
“No, those are candidates, friend.”

5) “My father was just itching for a political office.”
“Did he get over it?”
“Yep. They scratched him at the polls.”

6) “My father was a great politician in his day.”
“Oh, yeah, what did he run for?”
“The state line!”

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BIN News October 24, 2013 at 10:21 pm

Ms. Mace. Citadel Graduate. So what?

No big deal. Except to her.

She reminds our Funding Editor of Katherine “Sweet Toes” Jenerette who pandered her military experience. Actually, her lack of experience.

Ms. Mace is a soccer mom who started a web business in her kitchen with a used laptop computer. Her tiny business still just has a few Republicrat clients.

She has no experience. No funding. No credibility. Except with a few voucher clowns and a few Teabuggers – like sic(k) willie.

No one really cares what she thinks. Graham by a landslide in the primary.

BIN News Editorial Staff
Flair and Balanced

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euwe max October 25, 2013 at 10:35 am

Ya THINK?

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Jim October 27, 2013 at 2:04 pm

What difference does it make? You are saying you are happy with government now, ok. This is what you get when only 1/2 the people vote. People respond here because talk is cheap. Something has to change because I am not happy. Just ask for government that follows the law I have to. Do not want thing my way just freedom and justice. Elections are the one thing the US Citizen can do to turn things around in Washington and that is the point NANCY MACE is saying. It is so sad the US Citizen is happy with the governments in USA. When was the last time you talk to anyone about voting you dumb ass

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felldownandcantreachmybutton October 27, 2013 at 8:14 pm

The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers lists 53,041,983 cars produced worldwide in 2007. This does not count commercial vehicle production of 20,059,712 vehicles.

Then it depends on how you define “day”

.

If you assume 52 weeks of 5 business days each, or 260 business days per year, then on average 204,007 cars are produced each business day.

For a rough estimate, it’s probably reasonable to say that approximately 150,000 cars are currently produced worldwide each day. Source:http://oica.net/category/production-statistics/

I got this off the internet, and I am trying to relate the use of AIR TO THE FEELINGS RATIO. I see that 204,007 cars built each day would require 204,007 x 5 tires, (this is the amount of tires per passenger car) =1,020,035 tires filled per working day! I estimated that each tire holds 35 psi. and equivelent to two and a half household televisions (21 in.). This in fact is alot of air to use each and every day, about 2,550,087.5 televisions worth of compressed air each day. To put it in perspective, my living room is 12′ x 15′, I could put about 426.6 televisions in my living room, floor to ceiling! This equals about 2,391 living rooms per day of used compressed air on tires, that move all over the place daily!!

The only reason I wrote to you is The wind blowing when I’m outside and all the important people are inside, working, I get to feel in poor health all day. I can’t enjoy anything like I did 30 years ago! Can you make this a ‘global issue’, or just keep working inside and act as thought nothing is wrong? I really don’t wanna be ‘harrassed’ about the issue, just thought I’d let people who work inside know how people that are retired and try to enjoy their life are getting treated. You all know that we need air to speak, and some of those foriegn folks look like they run really, really short. You get it?!!

Oh yah, my tongue rolling in my mouth upsets me. I know talking relieves it, but MAKES YOU DEAF. DEAF.

WHY IS THE WIND BLOWING! WHY IS THE WIND BLOWING? OH, I GATHERED PEOPLE ARE GETTING VIOLENT MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY BECAUSE THE WIND IS BLOWING. (MABE IT’S THE CAR BATTERIES) NOW CAN YOU GET OFF YOUR CHAIR AND GO OUTSIDE AND HEAR THE SCREAMING AND POLICE TRYING TO TELL THE GOVERNMENT ABOUT PROBLEMS! A man who works in Anamosa Prison cleans the hallways of the apartment building that i live in. He seems to get tortured by the inmates complaints, of being locked up because of radio and wind blowing! Why is the wind B

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