alt Hacker NewsTerm limits are perhaps the dumbest idea that ever plagued democracy. The idea of mandatory firing your most qualified, experienced employees in an incredibly difficult job that can only be learned with on-the-job experience is literally insane. If not for term limits, the US would have had Obama in the presidency this entire time instead of the absolute garbage scraps that were left over when they fired the only person remotely competent enough to lead them.
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Term limits encourage the development of robust laws, systems and institutions which provide a far more stable basis for running a society than having power structures that rely on the brilliance of an individual or individuals. Without terms limits or the like (and there are countless examples not just in history but currently around the world), individuals in power are motivated mostly to preserve that power and have less incentive to work on improvements that will outlast them.
If your hypothesis had any merit, shouldn’t Congress work far better than it does?
How else would you deal with people who are too old to do the job, and too senile to realize they can no longer perform and should abdicate?
Because we have politicians who can barely walk and talk on their own they're so goddamn old. These aren't the best and brightest of our country, these are old people who can no longer string together enough thoughts to understand their mere presence is hurting the entire country.
Nah you are wrong, and I will provide as much evidence for my position as you. It should be even stronger, every politician should have hard cap on how long they can serve for. Even just a congress seat and such.
Except in many cases the experience isn't benefiting the electorate.
> If not for term limits, the US would have had Obama in the presidency this entire time
I like Obama as much as anyone else. But that would've been bad for democracy. Not to mention the man himself. He looked absolutely shattered by the end of his second term. Executives need term limits. And possibly judges too; albeit much longer terms than the legislatures or executives that appoint them.
I agree with you that term limits for legislators are a dumb idea.