Necessary to establish congressional term limits. Term Paper

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It is Necessary to Establish Congressional Term Limits
Currently, the Congress in the United States (U.S.) has no term limits since they are allowed by law to serve in office for as many terms as they want. There have been several attempts to establish congressional term limits which date back to the 90’s where at least 23 states enacted congressional limits, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the move (Dewhirst and Rausch, p.84). These authors add that during that time, the public still supported the move to instill congressional term limits, albeit the Supreme Court’s ruling, an indication that a similar move can be supported in the future. Recently, there have been talks on the need for congressional term limits, and President Trump gave his support to a group of lawmakers who have already created a plan that will ensure members of Congress serve for a limited number of years, specifically a maximum of 12 years for both chambers (Zanona). However, this move has received mixed reactions from the public and lawmakers with some supporting and others condemning the move.
On the one hand, proponents of the term limits opine that limiting the number of terms will ensure that the Congress is accountable and more effective. On the other hand, opponents of the term limits opine that limiting the number of terms will deny voters their power to elect the leaders of their choosing. This paper discusses various reasons why establishing congressional term limits is a necessary move while at the same time pointing out why those against it are wrong.
First, congressional term limits will be beneficial in reducing corruption cases among the members of the Congress. Sometimes, office holders are forced to support a policy that does not sit well with them or with their constituents in exchange of support, financial or otherwise, when seeking their re-election to office, as noted by Buckley. However, imposing congressional term limits can address this issue because a candidate will only be in office for a limited time, making it hard for people or groups with personal interests to corrupt members of the Congress. Further, as a result of high competition among candidates, it is likely that opposing candidates can be able to expose any favors or gifts given to the other candidate in exchange for a future favor once the candidate is in office, as opined by Buckley. Having congressional term limits will limit the pressures that elected members of the Congress face because they want to increase their time in office. Buckley indicates that such pressures increase corruption among the members of Congress because they understand their survival in office is dependent on their supporters.
Second, congressional term limits will enhance leadership and ensure that voters get an opportunity to be served by the best candidates from a pool of potential candidates. As noted by Caress and Kunioka, congressional term limits will increase turnover among members of the Congress. As such, more candidates will be vying for elections as often as the term limits allow, thus increasing the pool of potential candidates. Since most of the candidates are usually qualified regarding education, voters will get an opportunity to experience different leadership skills and qualities from a larger pool of office holders. Specifically, congressional term limits will allow everyone, including people from the minority groups, to get an opportunity to serve in office, provided they meet what voters need in a leader. Caress and Kunioka indicate that term limits “would increase the number of opportunities for members of these historically underrepresented groups to move up into leadership positions” (163). Of course, some opponents of term limits think this will not be the case and claim that if so, it will be a short-lived victory since the minorities will also be out of office as soon as their term ends. This might be true, but ultimately, the voters will also get to experience different leadership approaches from different office holders, which can improve their experiences and enable them to determine what works for them and what does not. As such, congressional term limits will enhance the voters' experience with different leadership.
Third, congressional term limits will ensure that new candidates are not disadvantaged against candidates who are already in office and are vying for another term during election campaigns. According to Levin, current holders of office in the Congress use their office to ensure that they prolong their stay in office. They do this by ensuring that there are initiatives that benefit them personally and their constituents as a way of securing re-election. Being lawmakers, they can make or support policies that enhance federal spending (Levin, p.21). As such, they stand a better chance of winning voters than fresh candidates because they use their office to influence voters.
Further, fresh candidates have to use much money to launch their campaigns and convince voters that they are better than the current office holder. This is because they are already disadvantaged against the incumbent regarding media coverage, name recognition and goodwill availed by their constituents based on the work they have done during their time in office (Buckley). Further, during the campaign season, current office holders have the advantage of being campaigned for by their staff who are also fighting for their interests so that they can retain their jobs. As such, incumbents have more workforce who have established connections with voters and other supporters than fresh candidates.
Fourth, term limits are likely to increase competitiveness and responsiveness among the members of the Congress. Caress and Kunioka opine that a term-limited legislature would lead to a competitive election which will push elected members of the Congress to do more and better for their constituents because they expect high competition during elections. In this sense, voters will benefit more from their leaders if a congressional term limit is imposed. Opponents of the term limit might argue that it will not encourage office holders to make real changes during their time in office because they know that whatever experience they acquire during their time in office will not be beneficial in the long run (Burgat). Further, with limited time in office, there will be limited policy-makers and leaders will not take time to horn their expertise in policymaking. However, it is possible that term limits will ensure that only c...