Term Limits and the Immortal Congress How to Make Congressional Elections Competitive Again

INTRO MUSIC : "Permit'due south Become" past The Cars

Philip Blumel:               Mr. Term Limits goes to Washington. For the first time in 20 years, last week, the United states of america Senate held hearings on congressional term limits and the star witness was our own nick Tomboulides. Hello, I'yard Philip Lomell. Welcome to No Uncertain Terms, the official podcast of the term limits motion for the calendar week of June 24th, 2019.

Stacey Selleck:              Your sanctuary from partisan politics.

Philip Blumel:               Senator Ted Cruz, chaired a hearing earlier the Judiciary Commission Subcommittee on the Constitution last Tuesday. It was titled Keeping Congress Accountable, Term Limits in the The states and featured Senator Cruz, Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, old Senator Jim DeMint of S Carolina, and the Executive Director of United states of america term limits is going to tell us how it went? Hey Nick.

Nick Tomboulides:        Hey, Phil.

Philip Blumel:               Commencement, I want to say that I thought you did a fantastic job in representing the outcome and also our arrangement in Washington last week.

Nick Tomboulides:        Cheers. I appreciate the compliment.

Philip Blumel:               Nosotros're going to hear some of your testimony in just a bit, only permit's prepare the scene commencement. Where did this take place?

Nick Tomboulides:        This took place in Dirksen building of the Usa Senate. That's where all the Senate offices are, and that's also where the most of the major hearings are. It was in the judiciary committee room, which is probably best known to the American public equally the identify where Brett Kavanaugh was questioned by the judiciary committee over a series of days. And so I non just got to be in the same room where that took place, simply I got to sit at the aforementioned table where Kavenaugh was and take questions from some of the aforementioned senators. Information technology was actually cool. I was hoping, by the way, that mayhap Kavenaugh had left a 6 pack of beer under the tabular array to help me get through the hearing, simply unfortunately, it wasn't there.

Philip Blumel:               No? Well, you did all right. Anyways, like I say.

Nick Tomboulides:        Sometimes you need information technology though to deal with politicians, correct?

Philip Blumel:               Sure.

Nick Tomboulides:        Simply to take that border off a petty bit because it tin can exist frustrating at times.

Philip Blumel:               I'm certain it was. On this committee, which is the Subcommittee on the Constitution, which is a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The chairman, every bit we mentioned, was Ted Cruz. Also, John Cornyn of Texas is on this committee. Mike Crapo of Idaho, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Those are the Republicans, and on the Democrats Committee, Mazie Hirono, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island, Chris Coons of Delaware, and Kamala Harris of California. Then were all 10 of these senators engaging yous last Tuesday?

Nick Tomboulides:        No. No, actually only 4 of the senators showed up. Ted Cruz, the chairman, he had to be there. He'south the guy who called the hearing. He'south actually the sponsor of the the United states term limits amendment, the ranking member, Hirono, who is the leading Democrat on the committee, she was there as well. And and so Mike Lee from Utah and Ben Sasse from Nebraska, both Republicans, the rest of the committee members were totally absent. But they didn't really have a practiced excuse because right before this hearing, the full Senate was actually voting on some judges on the Senate chamber. At that place was literally nil stopping them from coming into this hearing and discussing term limits, except maybe some of them feared talking near it.

Philip Blumel:               Oh, I accept no uncertainty.

Nick Tomboulides:        Because they didn't want to face the music. They didn't want to have to confront some of the arguments and confront their terrible track record.

Philip Blumel:               Correct. And Kamala Harris is probably out of politicking, running for president.

Nick Tomboulides:        It'due south so funny you mentioned that. I didn't know what Kamala Harris was doing, but when I was flying back from DC later that evening, I was watching MSNBC on my seat back and I saw Kamala Harris was in New York City on the Lawrence O'Donnell show and she was talking about how President Trump doesn't understand the importance of his job. I was thinking to myself, do you grasp the irony here? Like this is unbelievable. You just missed a very important commission hearing on term limits.

Philip Blumel:               A subject area that has important to 82% of the people in the Us.

Nick Tomboulides:        Exactly. Then she says this on the same mean solar day she didn't show up for her own job and missed a major committee hearing. I call up the fact that so many senators missed the hearing just underscores why term limits are so important. Could you lot imagine if you had a job in the real earth? Could you imagine if you were a plumber or an accountant or a lawyer or you worked at Taco bong or wherever and you lot just decided, I'm not going to prove up today.

Philip Blumel:               Right.

Nick Tomboulides:        I'yard not going to requite anyone a skilful reason. I only don't feel similar coming into work. Y'all would be out on your ass with a pink skid. It'southward merely adequate in the fantasy country of Washington DC to behave similar that, only in the real world that is ridiculous behavior. They should have been there. Term limits is a really important subject to the American people and they really just fabricated the instance for term limits by non showing upward.

Philip Blumel:               They did indeed. So let's start out by listening to your opening remarks. This was on the second of ii panels that were held that afternoon, and the first was with former senator Jim DeMint, but we'll here from him on next week'south podcast. Only starting on the second panel last Tuesday was our own Nick Tomboulides. Permit'southward gyre it.

Ted Cruz:                      Mr. Nick Tomboulides is the Executive Director of US Term Limits, i of the nation'south leading advocacy groups in favor of term limits. Nether his leadership United states of america term limits launched the term limits convention, a entrada to obtain a constitutional amendment for term limits via convention of the states. Nick is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and currently resides in Melbourne, Florida with his family unit. Our first witness, Mr. Tomboulides.

Nick Tomboulides:        Thank you Mr. Chairman and senators for providing me an opportunity to address this important event. I want you lot to imagine for a moment that you are an employer and you've got some problems with your employees. When you hired these employees, they promised they would do exactly what you lot asked of them, but once they got the job, they became a nightmare. They stopped listening to you and started using the job to line their own pockets. They took the company credit card and racked up more debt than you could afford to pay back. They became so obsessed with keeping their jobs that they forgot to do their jobs. And afterward all that failure, all that thwarting and all that incompetence, your employees came to you and said, we deserve a raise. If you're a reasonable person, that should brand your blood boil. And yet that is exactly what it feels like to be an American taxpayer.

Nick Tomboulides:        The first iii words in our constitution are, nosotros the people. It's written larger than anything else because the framers of that certificate, the architects of our Republic, wanted to remind you lot at all times who's in charge. We the people, we are your employers and you have an obligation to mind to us. And so I come to you with a message from the American people. We demand term limits for members of Congress. In fact, according to the nigh recent national polls on the issue, 82% of Americans want term limits. That includes support from 89% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats and 83% of independent voters. This is not a left or right issue. This is an American consequence. In fact, term limits could be the only outcome with support from both President Trump and former president Obama.

Nick Tomboulides:        Now, there was a time well-nigh 25 years ago when Congress was debating this. Most every opponent of term limits up here had the same rebuttal experience, experience, experience. We need experienced to do this job correct. If simply leave your Congress member in office for decades on terminate, he or she will become such a policy expert that all our problems will be solved. In hindsight, that was ane of the worst predictions ever. This system is broken. Congress has given us $22 trillion in debt, the longest state of war in American history, a broken healthcare system, a broken immigration system, a revenue enhancement code written by lobbyists and explosion of money in politics. Worst of all, likewise few hither have the backbone to accost these bug because the simply focus is on getting reelected. That'southward why it comes equally no surprise that Congress has a 14% approval rating and threescore% of Americans say that they would burn down every unmarried member of Congress if they could. Congress is less popular than traffic jams, root canals and hemorrhoids. Y'all're beating caput lice, merely the lice have asked for a recount.

Nick Tomboulides:        Unfortunately, elections alone cannot set up this problem, not because voters like you guys and so much, just due to the nigh unbreakable power of incumbency. At the same time, members of Congress publicly merits elections are free and fair. They secretly deploy every play a joke on in the volume to continue power. Incumbents get $9 in special interest money for every dollar that goes to a challenger. And if incumbents are having difficulty raising money, non to worry. They're allowed to ship entrada fashion mailers at taxpayer expense. That's to say naught of all the free media and proper noun recognition politicians naturally become just for being in role. The incumbent advantage creates a bulwark to entry for everyday Americans without the connections to fund a entrada. It is the case for term limits.

Nick Tomboulides:        Elections May in theory be capable of dethrone incumbents, just that isn't how information technology works in the existent earth. Congressional incumbents accept a 98% reelection rate. That probably explains why Congress looks more like a country club than a melting pot. It's predominantly made upwards of lawyers and politicians and is disproportionately old, white, rich, and male. Term limits would requite united states of america a legislature that better reflects the multifariousness of our society. The message longterm incumbents send to immature people similar me seems to be, we want you lot just shut enough to the political process to help us win, just don't get as well close and take our jobs. The American people have lost conviction in this congress and for skilful reason. Nosotros routinely see abuses of ability. xviii months ago, information technology was revealed that members of Congress were secretly using tax payer money to settle lawsuits, some for sexual harassment.

Nick Tomboulides:        You still haven't disclosed how our money was spent and on whose behalf. So term limits is a check on arrogance, it's a bank check on incumbency and it's a check on power. It'southward a manner to restore political courage while bringing fresh faces and ideas to Washington. As Ben Franklin said, for the rulers to return amid the people was not to degrade them, but to promote them. As Kanye West said, no 1 man should have all that power.

Nick Tomboulides:        Here'southward the dilemma nosotros face. Over 80% of Americans want term limits to happen. Donald Trump and Barack Obama want it. Information technology is being blocked purely by the cocky involvement of Congress. If this were a trial, you all would have to recuse yourselves because there is a jumbo conflict of interest. If term limits pass, you lot won't stay in the limelight forever. You won't exist the centre of attention and some people might fifty-fifty stop laughing at your jokes. You lot'll take to become ordinary citizens and that is, my friends, the unabridged point. We're asking you lot to do what's right and listen to the people you lot stand for. It's fourth dimension to bring the gravy railroad train into the station, cease the reign of career politicians and give Congress back to the people. Delight support Senate joint resolution one for term limits. Thank you.

Philip Blumel:               Yeah, you lot actually gave it to them. That bit about the head lice is archetype.

Nick Tomboulides:        You like that? I had to submit my remarks in accelerate to the Senate committee. I'm not going to name whatsoever of these guys, but some of the committee staffers sent me a note on the eve of the hearing and they basically said, you can't say head lice in the United States Congress. Yous tin can't compare politicians to head lice. Do you know what'south going to what's going to happen if nosotros circulate this? The senators are going to be outraged. And I was thinking, well, Senators are going to be outraged? This is a good matter. Peradventure I demand to amp it upwardly a little bit more than. So I was simply getting kind of encouraged by this. Then one of them actually said to me, if you say this, we might have to eject you from the hearing.

Nick Tomboulides:        And then my response was, I hear senators say this all the time. I listen to cablevision news. There was a senator from Louisiana, he said something virtually caput lice a few weeks agone on Morning Testify. The Washington Mail prints these polls on the front end page about our Congress has less pop than caput lice. And so I said, going to what? I'm only going to become for it. I'g but going to say it considering this is how I feel and this is how most Americans experience, and I don't retrieve I should be bottled upward by politicians. Is it not typical Washington DC though to have staffers reach out to you and be totally inhibited, totally adventure averse, not Willing to say anything that might ruffle feathers or offend somebody. I hateful that's all besides typical and I knew if we were going to come in there and we were going to turn over the tables and really dismantle the system and brand our case, we couldn't pull whatsoever punches.

Philip Blumel:               Yeah, I'm really glad you did. I think it was called for and necessary, and plus it also increased the affect of your testimony. We've been seeing all over the internet, and people, what did they indicate to? Your testimony and especially, that part of your testimony. My only concern is that the chairman of this committee is our sponsor on the bill and a truthful laic. He's really out at that place fighting the fight to try to get this washed and chosen this hearing. I mean, well, I wonder what he thought most it.

Nick Tomboulides:        At the terminate of the hearing Cruz walks up to me, and you're going to take to pardon this terrible Cruz impression. He walks correct up to me and he said, "When you compared the states to head lice… and so he just pause for a second. I said, "Yeah?" He just leaned in further and he said, "When yous compare us to caput lice, that was being too generous." I was just thinking, this guy is my brother from some other mother. He's a true believer when information technology comes to term limits and I knew he didn't make his political career by pulling punches around politicians either, so we were totally singing from the aforementioned hymnal on that.

Philip Blumel:               Right, next allow'south hear the portion of the testimony where after the 2d panel has made their introductory remarks, nosotros have a Chairman Cruz asking you some questions and and so there were some other dorsum and forth. Allow's hear that.

Ted Cruz:                      Mr. Tomboulides, your organization, US Term Limits has been one of the major groups supporting term limits for Congress since the 1990s. Can you tell u.s.a. near how your group got started and how information technology got involved in the term limits movement?

Nick Tomboulides:        Yeah. Term Limits is basically the largest grassroots move in the history of our country. This has never been a politician driven enterprise. In fact, politicians don't similar term limits. That's why I think it's such a adept idea. Only this was basically started in a minor grouping of people across several states in the early 1990s, were just dissatisfied with the quality of authorities that they were getting at the land level and from Congress. They had looked at presidential term limits, which were ratified in the constitution in 1951 and said, this has served our state well. This has struck a good balance betwixt getting a fresh face up in function, without allowing them to become also stale. And and then they developed the concept for legislative term limits at the state level, and congressional term limits. Information technology went to the ballot in 23 states, and it was passed in all 23 states with an average yes vote of 70% without any assistance from the political course.

Nick Tomboulides:        Then that that's basically how it got started. We formed an organisation effectually this to continue promoting the effort considering largely despite some of what you've heard today, term limits in the states accept worked very well. States with term limits actually have the virtually competitive elections in the state. And that'due south the chief aim of term limits, to brand elections more competitive. The state with the tightest term limits, Michigan, is the simply state in the country with 100% of its elections contested, and as for the idea that political experience is more valuable than real world experience, that's not what we see happening at the state level among rankings of states by fiscal health.

Nick Tomboulides:        United states with term limits tend to be clustered toward the pinnacle and the states run past career politicians are pretty much at the lesser. I live in Florida. Nosotros were ranked number i in fiscal health for I call back three consecutive years. We simply dropped down to three or four. Just it's okay, we're beaten by two other term limits states. And so the results of the state level have really borne fruit and I think it would take an even bigger touch hither in Congress because the political class is fifty-fifty more entrenched.

Ted Cruz:                      One of the benefits of term limits, I believe, is increasing the diverseness of representation. Dorsum in 1995, Edward H. Crane testified to this committee that term limits would increase the number and diversity of Americans choosing to run for Congress. And Dr. Rausch, you testified in item, that in California, term limits probably speeded upward the increase in female person and minority representation.

Dr. Rausch:                   That's correct.

Ted Cruz:                      And your testimony as well cites an article by Samantha Petty that finds that women are more likely to successfully run for the state legislature in states with term limits. Can you tell u.s. a little bit more about that conclusion?

Nick Tomboulides:        I can. There's actually an interesting point to that conclusion. I hateful, I would give you the bodily percentages but I didn't memorize them. But information technology's interesting that she did find that in… and nosotros detect this in other elections as well. Typically, in an open seat election, if information technology'south between a male person candidate and a female person candidate and an open seat election, the female person candidate has a better take chances of winning than a female running confronting an incumbent. What she establish that was particularly interesting and maybe maybe more relevant to our give-and-take today is that information technology tended to favor Democratic women versus Republican women. That in an open seat election where the Republican woman was running against a Autonomous male in an open seat, the Democratic male was going to win. And then at that place's it's a sort of a double edge sword. Simply definitely it does show that in an open seat election women tend run and tend to win more oftentimes.

Ted Cruz:                      And I estimate it's my agreement that Dr. Petty's newspaper as well says, quote, this pattern of of women running and prevailing more than oft, holds for both Republican and Democratic female candidates.

Nick Tomboulides:        I'll have to go back and reread it, but the summary that I saw showed that it… she took the article and she made a blog entry. At the London Schoolhouse of Economics, they have an interesting weblog, and mayhap she misspoke or missummarized her own article, which I can't believe, merely she had suggested that information technology does… and possibly she also looked at additional elections too, that that it really favors more Democratic women than information technology does Republican women. Now also, need to look to run into how many Republican women run. That might exist the other question.

Ted Cruz:                      Without objection we'll enter her total article into the record. It will exist part of this commission hearing'due south record. Mr. Tomboulides, in your experience, why is there such overwhelming popular support for term limits and why does it cut across political party lines? Why does it include not merely Republicans, only Independents and Democrats? If in fact Dr. Rausch but testified that term limits produces more women and more than minorities in office, why do you meet such overwhelming support?

Nick Tomboulides:        I remember we see such overwhelming and bipartisan support because the American people accept largely concluded that powerful incumbents in both parties are basically colluding against them to keep newcomers, to go along fresh faces and ideas out of the political process. I call up that's also leading to a lot of voter apathy in our country. Senator Hirono mentioned earlier finding ways to get more people involved in politics. If elections are a foregone conclusion and 98% of incumbents are going to get returned to function every two years, I think it'southward a very fair question to inquire, what's the point? When you lot have term limits, you lot are guaranteed a competitive open seat election on a regular footing. Voters are guaranteed more options at the ballot box. It's more exciting. It's more than in line with what our framers envisioned for how this country should actually work. I also recollect at that place'southward record levels of frustration with Washington DC. We're now in several decades of an experiment with professional politicians, and by any objective standard, it has failed. Things take gotten much worse hither, not improve.

Ted Cruz:                      Thank y'all. Senator Hirono.

Mazie Hirono:               Thank you lot. Let me ask you, Mr. Tomboulides, I noted some other ways that we can encourage more voter participation, which you just cited as a adept thing. Do y'all back up making voting easier in the U.s., non Harder?

Nick Tomboulides:        Absolutely, Senator.

Mazie Hirono:               Do you support making registration every bit unproblematic every bit possible?

Nick Tomboulides:        I do. Yes, depending on the details of that proposal.

Mazie Hirono:               Well, assuming that they're all citizens and all that. Do yous support stopping unnecessary and discriminatory approaching of voters?

Nick Tomboulides:        Absolutely.

Mazie Hirono:               Practice you support making it easier for people to vote early or permit them to vote past mail?

Nick Tomboulides:        I would have to come across the specifics of the proposal to requite you an respond on that. I would say not all early on voting proposals are created equal.

Mazie Hirono:               Well, we won't get into why all of that. I only want to get downward this list. So would you condemn discriminatory voter ID laws?

Nick Tomboulides:        I am admittedly not an expert in in voter ID laws, and then I'grand not going to take a position on that right now. I'd have to exercise more research into that topic. Term limits is more my bailiwick.

Mazie Hirono:               Merely information technology is your field of study that y'all would similar to meet more than voters participate?

Nick Tomboulides:        Right. Correct.

Mazie Hirono:               And then would yous condemn discriminatory voter ID laws, for example, that identifies a kind of IDs that blacks ordinarily take, that identifies a kind of IDs that students have, and then the voter ID police would specifically require different kinds of IDs for these two groups of voters? Would y'all condemn that kind of law?

Nick Tomboulides:        Senator, I unequivocally condemn all forms of discrimination confronting all groups, regardless.

Mazie Hirono:               So information technology sounds like you would condemn that kind of a voter ID police?

Nick Tomboulides:        If that were indeed the law, yes.

Mazie Hirono:               Yes. That is indeed the a concept underlying a lot of the voter ID laws. Would you condemn partisan gerrymandering?

Nick Tomboulides:        Absolutely.

Mazie Hirono:               Do you think we should enact a law to reverse the Shelby County conclusion that that eviscerated the voting rights act?

Nick Tomboulides:        I'm not a 100% familiar with that specific conclusion.

Mazie Hirono:               It did eviscerate the voting rights act. Exercise y'all recollect we should counter election fraud such as what we saw in Northward Carolina?

Nick Tomboulides:        Senator, I recall in debating the claim of a proposal for congressional term limits, while there may be other ideas out there that also have merit, that does not obviate the need to impose term limits on Congress. I mean 82% of Americans want term limits on Congress and I believe that's the reason why nosotros're here today.

Nick Tomboulides:        Yeah, I call back I was the only i up in that location without a PhD among the iv people on the panel, so I tried to talk with common sense that every person watching can understand. So that'southward why I call up I stood out a little bit more than, maybe in a good way, depending on your perspective. Merely when Hirono started asking me this really weird line of questioning. Information technology had nothing to practice with term limits.

Philip Blumel:               I couldn't believe it. What was she even talking about?

Nick Tomboulides:        She was talking about all kinds of other voting stuff. I'm sure some of which has a lot of merit. And I'm looking over at Cruz the entire time like, what's going on? Why is she asking me about this? Could you peradventure step in and maybe say something? And he wasn't. Then at one point I but said to her, senator, let's stay on topic. This is a hearing about term limits. We're hither because 82% of Americans want this and we really shouldn't be discussing these other issues. It's like if I'm here to tell you nigh the evils of heart disease and you lot start asking me questions about how Lupus is likewise bad, that doesn't mean heart disease stops being of import. Information technology's simply really bad logic, and I recollect she was kind of making the example for term limits with her actions. I decided to let her proceed for a few minutes instead of responding in kind because I wanted to allow the viewers come across how their tax dollars are being wasted on this frivolity and the circus of the Senate.

Philip Blumel:               I sort of felt like that she, like the other senators, it didn't show upwards, didn't want to be there. She didn't want to talk virtually term limits. She hardly said annihilation about term limits the whole afternoon. She actually just kept wanting to bring up these other subjects. Very interesting.

Nick Tomboulides:        She was pretty placidity about it, just I volition tell you that during my main testimony I was looking straight at her for a bulk of the time and I could near see in her eyes that she kind of agreed with me in a weird way.

Philip Blumel:               Interesting.

Nick Tomboulides:        But she was kind of like nodding a little fleck when I was discussing all the problems with Washington, but having been there for as long as she's been in that location, I think maybe xxx years, she's not able to admit it, right? Because it cuts against her own self interest and cuts confronting the cocky interest of her colleagues, and therein lies the problem with trying to become term limits out of Congress, that they basically have a conflict of interest. Information technology's not going to happen unless the states apply some force per unit area and we continue to abet all over the country.

Scott Tillman:                Hi, this is Scott Tillman, the National Field Director with US Term Limits. Mississippi is a country that has odd yr elections for state legislature. We asked the candidates and those races to sign a pledge to aid united states of america term limit congress. The pledge reads, "I pledge that as a member of the state legislature, I will co-sponsor vote for and defend the resolution applying for an commodity five convention for the sole purpose of enacting term limits on Congress." We had eight Mississippi candidates sign the pledge this week. We at present have 37 candidates in Mississippi who have pledged to support congressional term limits. If you have admission to a candidate, delight enquire them to sign our pledge. Pledges are available at termlimits.com.

Philip Blumel:               Okay, let's continue to listen to some of the hearing. This is the wrap upwards with Senator Cruz and others. Roll it.

Ted Cruz:                      I will note that trouble you're highlighting was recently underscored by a report that showed of the exiting members of Congress from the last Congress, I believe in excess of lx% of them, went to become lobbyists. That in turn prompted a autonomous freshmen house fellow member, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, to tweet out to the world that she favored a lifetime ban on former members of Congress condign lobbyists. To which I promptly retweeted and said, "I agree." Let's work together. That had some interesting reactions in the Twitter globe, but, only I have long advocated a lifetime ban for members of Congress condign lobbyists for the aforementioned reason that I support term limits because both are ways to address the civilisation of corruption, bipartisan abuse in Washington.

Mazie Hirono:               Nosotros finally agree. That's a actually positive cease to this hearing.

Ted Cruz:                      Well, that is a fabulous thing. We are working actually with Representative Ocasio-Cortez. We'll see if we take bipartisan legislation on that, but that would be practiced. But let me enquire Mr. Tomboulides, a concluding question. So the amendment I've introduced to impose congressional term limits, as I mentioned, it has 14 cosponsors. And equally I was looking down the list of co-sponsors, two things stand out. Number one, every single one of those cosponsors was elected in 2010 or more recently. In other words, not a single cosponsor of the amendment was elected prior to 2010. And number two, sadly, of the 14 cosponsors, none of them are Democrats. Now, yous've testified roughly 70% of autonomous voters back up term limits, and yet zero Autonomous senators are supporting a constitutional term limits amendment. Why do you lot remember it is that none of the senators elected earlier 2010 are willing to support this policy that the overwhelming majority of the American people want, and that none of the Democratic senators are willing to back up this policy that the overwhelming majority of democratic voters want?

Nick Tomboulides:        So I tin can't get entirely into their motivations. Simply I can imagine for those who were elected before 2010, at that place is some feeling that they may exist viewed as hypocrites if they were to cosponsor this legislation, and that might exist a mistaken understanding of the legislation itself. There are two forms of term limits out there. There's the self term limit, when someone runs for Congress and says, I will voluntarily step down over a sure number of terms. And then there are constitutional term limits. That that is what SJR1, your subpoena aims to tackle. A constitutional term limit would utilize this term limit beyond the board to every member of Congress. And in that location should really be no attrition among more senior members over supporting something like that because they were elected under a different organisation, they know seniority is the currency here in Washington DC and no ane should begrudge them using that currency to its fullest advantage. Only what nosotros're saying, nosotros want to dramatically overhaul the incentives in this place and create an atmosphere of contest and political backbone that simply did non exist before.

Nick Tomboulides:        With respect to Democrats, I don't know precisely why they're non supporting information technology to a greater extent, but I practise say that term limits are very consistent with Democratic ideals, of making elections more fair. Right now, the cost of unseating a house incumbent is pegged at $2.five million by the Center for Responsive Politics. If you have less than $1 1000000 to your name, your odds of winning a seat in Congress over an incumbent are ii in 293. And then the deck-

Ted Cruz:                      Merely repeat that last judgement.

Nick Tomboulides:        Yeah, aye. If you accept less than $ane meg in your entrada business relationship, your odds of unseating a firm incumbent are ii in 293.

Ted Cruz:                      Wow.

Nick Tomboulides:        Co-ordinate to opensecrets.org, Center for Responsive Politics. And so incumbents accept have essentially rigged the organisation. They have stacked the deck against outsiders. Congress is a career political grade primarily of lawyers and lifelong politicians, and we're non getting the diversity that our country deserves. Where are the teachers serving in Congress? Where are the doctors? Where are the firefighters? Where are the nurses? I mean, if we had term limits, we would get a true citizen legislature that reflects what our country looks like.

Nick Tomboulides:        The video of the testimony we've clipped, we've put on our Facebook folio, I've shared it, it'due south got 62,000 views. It's already got over 2000 shares. It's really resonating with people and the most mutual annotate that I'm hearing, which is really heartening, is thank you for speaking upwards for me. This is what I've idea nigh Congress for such a a very long time and I've never really heard somebody go into Capitol Hill and express my feelings, and I think this is exactly what the swamp needed to hear.

Philip Blumel:               I agree.

Nick Tomboulides:        And so that is and then encouraging and I hope that people who are moved by this clip and are moved by this progress are seeing in Washington will consider getting more involved in this movement because we're actually on the cusp of doing something historic here. I truly believe that nosotros're going to get this done if we keep to build this movement and continue to overwhelm our elected officials with energy and strength and the vision for a better land. So, that's been good to hear.

Philip Blumel:               That'south dandy. Well, I was moved to and I just want to thank yous again, Nick. Great job.

Philip Blumel:               (singing)

Philip Blumel:               A burn was lit last week in Washington and nosotros need to fan the flames. No matter what state you live in, please go to termlimits.com/SJR1 and send a bulletin to your senators asking them to support SJR1, Senator Cruz's United states of america Term Limits Amendment Neb. Tell them you watched or listened to the Senate hearings and you want to see SJR1 become a vote. If you encounter a news story or meme about the hearings, share them with your networks. Likewise feel free to send us an electronic mail at podcast@attermlimits.com and tell the states what you lot retrieve of our podcast. Adjacent week, we'll share more than clips from these historic hearings. Thank you for beingness part of the team.

Ted Cruz:                      And with that, this hearing is adjourned.

MUSIC CREDITS – Full versions of the music sampled during this podcast may be purchased via iTunes at the following links : "Let's Become" by The Cars

The "No Uncertain Terms" podcast is produced past Kenn Decter for U.South. Term Limits
Executive Producer Philip Blumel (President, U.South. Term Limits)

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Source: https://www.termlimits.com/NUT45/

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