Virginia Election Map Fades Blue

Seats flipped bigly in northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC.  But also in both the Norfolk-Hampton-Virginia Beach AND Richmond metropolitan areas, as well as, on western district in Appalachia.

A Demographic Question

What do the two shaded regions of Virginia have in common?

Together, they represent half of the states entire population AND each on its own is home to 25% of the state's population.  In other words, the same number of people live in both areas.  So when you see maps colored in red and blue and red covers a larger area, don't assume it means that there are more people living there.  Our democracy is founding in people NOT soil.

Puerto Rico Speaks

Ambassador Up-date

Question:  What do Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia , Cameroon, Canada, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France & Monaco, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy & San Marino, Jordan, Luxembourg, Mauritius & Seychelles, Morocco, Netherland, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain & Andorra, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland & Liechtenstein, Syria, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, Venezuela and Yemen? 

Answer:  We have NO AMBASSADORS in these countries!    

We do have many Ambassadors who remained in their roles from the Obama administration.  The idea that ALL Ambassadors were fired by Trump isn't actual accurate.  Some of the nations that have retained Obama appointed Ambassadors are actually important like Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Colombia--four nations that we have tremendous industrial and agricultural ties with through our NAFTA economic cooperation treaty.  Also there's Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt, and Libya--all critical allies in our current morass confronting Islamic extremist terrorism.

Trump has actually placed 5 Ambassadors to represent the United State's interest. 

Terry Branstad (former Governor of Iowa) is his Ambassador in China,

Todd Haskell (a career foreign diplomat) is his Ambassador in the Republic of Congo,

Tulinabo Slama Mushingi (a career foreign diplomat) is his Ambassador to both Guinea-Bissau and Senegal,

Scott Brown (former Senator from Massachusetts) is his Ambassador to New Zealand

and,

William Hagerty IV (a private equity investment firm founder) is his Ambassador to Japan.

Deliver Us From Insipidness

Is that asking too much?

African American Civil Rights Memorial

In a city chalk full of memorials and monuments, this is only of the most important.  Dedicated to the black soldiers who fought of their own freedom during the Civil War.  In this era of hyper-revisionist history and renewed White-supremacy, it is ever more important to remember what the Civil War was first and foremost.

IT WAS A WAR TO EMANCIPATE AFRICAN SLAVES AND THEIR DESCENDANTS!

THE SECESSION OF STATES FROM THE UNION WAS AN ACT OF TREASON AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION OF SOVEREIGNTY OF THE UNITED STATES.

It would do those modern day rebels well to remember that you cannot be a patriot and traitor at the same time--you are one or the OTHER.

 I love how these two images emphasize that these soldiers were often just young men, teenagers willing to die for their basic human rights.

Washington National Opera Kennedy Center Gala: Trading Voices

Tonight's event was the Washington National Opera Gala Concert titled: Trading Voices featuring luminaries from both the Opera and Broadway stages and headlined by Aretha Franklin.  The event was part of an evening fundraiser that included for many of the guest after concert diners at one of about 20 Embassies from Finland to Japan and Australia to Russia.  There was also a moment to honor the retirement of WNO Board of Director's Chairman and holder of the Mars Inc. Candy Bar fortunes, Jacqueline Badger-Mars.  The point to raise money and the whole experience raised over 2.3 million dollars for the WNO.  Bravo! 

But to quote one of my favorite lines from Truman Capote's seminal work "Christmas Memory": "I am disappointed!  Who wouldn't be?"  For you see there was no Aretha Franklin, and no explanation as to why she was not there.  Since there wasn't even a moment a silence, I assume she didn't die.  I bought my ticket on the thrill of seeing her perform in the flesh--and her absence was a huge letdown for me. 

This doesn't mean that the rest of the evening wasn't amazing.  It was.  They brought in Cynthia Erivo to sing in her place, and I know she's all the current rage--but she's no Aretha.  Local favorite contralto extraordinaire, Denyce Graves, international Opera star, Rene Fleming and a local phenom and product of the WNO Cafritz Education Initiative, Solomon Howard represented the opera side of the slate, with Jordan Donica, Leslie Odom Jr. and Erivo representing Broadway.  Brian Stokes Mitchell played host and performed, as well.  Highlights included Solomon Howard's performance of aria I was unfamiliar with, but under his incredible bass-baritone voice, it was transcendent.  I immediately thought of  Paul Robison and "Old Man River."  The entire row behind me was made up of a group of gay men who chattered before the program started.  Later when the conductor announced that the next number would be "Old Man River" they all gasped and a couple said in low voices, "Solomon"...  but the announcer went on to introduce Denyce Graves.  Solomon was the only performer to only get a single number.  Rene Fleming brought the house down with a performance of "O Mio Caro Bambino."  Leslie Odom Jr. sang a throw away song that were drowned out by the WNO Orchestra, very disappointing, and then he recovered for a number from "Hamiton".  But Jordan Donica?  OMG--what a tall glass of water that man is!  And his two appearances on stage were both stunning.  The second was a performance of "The Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera. 

The performances that I experienced were mostly amazing.  The one I was told to expect and then didn't happen is the one that hung over the experience like a damp rag.

Brian Stokes Mitchell performing a number from "Progy & Bess"--"It Ain't Necessarily So".

Jordan Donica performing his opening number.

Leslie Odom Jr. performing a number from "Hamilton" the show he won a Tony in

The Final Bow

At one point luminaries were pointed out:  Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, drew applause, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, got a more robust acknowledgement.  Then Mick Mulvanney, the head of Trump's Budget Office and architect of the raping of America's arts funding to give the uber rich a tax cut was named and the moans were pretty much equal with the applause.  Finally, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson was named and the applause fell flat, the moans winning out. 

They're back!

They're back...and four years early.  After a couple of centuries of stoic clockwork cycles of return, cicada's have started appearing earlier than their traditional brood years.  Why?  Global WARMING! So, here in the Washington, D.C. region our 2021 brood of 17 year cycling cicadas had arrived in 2017...

Resist

Seen from the lobby of the Mead Center for American Theatre and the Arena Stage.

Do you see it?  Need a hint?  

HINT!

Who Is More Powerful Than Trump?

Does it matter how sanity is preserved?  How tyranny is slapped down?  I wonder...

Bridges Not Walls

 The much maligned Washington "Beltway" is the stuff of legend.  The very dividing line between the witless sions of political power and the good common folk who are always under the oppressive thumb of the "man".  Well, it's also just a freaking road!  One that I use to commute to and from work on a daily basis.

 Now, this isn't to say that as a road, it's completely without it's political side.  In fact, there's a rather infamous train plate girder bridge just north of Georgia Avenue.  It forms a sort of foundation for the Mormon Temple--which bears a striking enough resemblance to the castle of Oz to have been the reason for pointed graffiti on the bridge.  Messages like "Surrender Dorothy" and another in my time here that said "Free Dorothy" fitting the letters between the seams.  It pisses off the Later Day Saints, but everyone else is pretty much delighted.

 And then earlier this year, "Bridges Not Walls" joined the pantheon of messages!  Bravo to the brave soul/s who pulled this one off.

First Votes Are In

In the quaintest of all traditions, the leader of the Free World is chosen by election every four years and there is one little Hamlet in the northern reaches of the one of the smallest and least populated states, Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, that gets to proclaim it's verdict first.  And here we are in 2016, and they have made their will known.

From their ballots to God's ears!!

My Own Rainbow and A Gift For Myself: Memento For This Election Season!

 Made my own chromatic rainbow wreath from dogwood leaves.

 Visited the shops in downtown Takoma Park and my found this in my favorite little Tchotchke shop. It seemed like the perfect token for this year's election, because no matter what happens, pigs might just fly!

Hot Topics

The political geek that I am...I found this data on Real Clear Politics and turned it into this map. Very interesting!

1) AFTER ALL the talk about Immigration, ONLY littlest state of all Rhode Island has it as it's top search...

2) Terrorism bookmarks the nation and tops two states that share a boarder with CANADA!

3) The Economy is the #1 topic is ultra poor Mississippi and ultra wealthy Massachusetts!

4) Police Brutality is NOT a top issue in states with major urban areas that have experienced large upticks in police brutality like Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Phoenix, but five with no large urban areas: Delaware, West Virginia, North and South Dakota and Wyoming.

The only UN-surprising thing is the prevalence of GUNS as a topic.

ps- South Carolina has the lowest UNemployment rate in the south...also a little odd.

Democracy in the Show Me State!

ROY BLUNT,
Republican Party, incumbent

I did something today that I would venture to guess not very many other people did. I live streamed the one and only "Candidates Forum" for the Missouri Senate Race. It was held in a hotel meeting room in Branson and sponsored by the Missouri Press Association. There were five candidates present:

Roy Blunt, Republican Party, incumbent

Jonathan Dine, Libertarian Party, challenger
Jonathan McFarland, Green Party, challenger
Jason Kander, Democratic Party, challenger
Fred Ryman, Constitution Party, challenger

JONATHAN DINE,
Libertarian Party, challenger

A panel of journalists were given turns asking any question they liked and then each candidate had 30 seconds to respond in turn until all 5 each had a chance to respond.

It was fascinating.

Blunt and Kander were so beyond the league of the other gentlemen on the stage in both their range and depth of answers and certainly poise in answering. I felt especially sorry for Jonathan McFarland who hemmed and hawed his way through every answer--getting across his sincerity loud and clear, but little else.
 

JASON KANDER,
Democratic Party, challenger

Jonathan Dine wants to decriminalize ALL drugs and get rid of all the outrageous regulations and rules, and Fred Ryman wants to save Missouri from the Federal government, period...state's rights, baby--all the way. Blunt stressed his bi-partisan ways. A move clearly meant to woo back independents disaffected by the Senate's obstructionist gridlock record under Mitch McConnell. And Kander stressed his work ethic (in contrast to Blunt and the do nothing Senate) and his service in the military and as the state's elected Attorney General. 

JONATHAN McFARLAND
Green Party, challenger

FRED RYMAN,
Constitution Party, challenger

I've already made my bed in this horse race by investing now $200 in Kander. It was an interesting exercise in state level Democracy. It took place between 2:30 and 3:30 CST today, so I'm sure by design all that most Missourians will get is a sound bite or two and excerpts in tomorrow's news paper articles on the event. Shame really.

Trump Needs A Whambulance!

Vulnerable House Seats in the Sunshine State: part 8

Florida is operating under a new map that was redrawn to right unconstitutional shenanigans in the previous map created by the state's Republican Congress.  The old map was taken to court and where the new map was mandated.  As a result, a handful of districts have become more competitive, and one district has become less in favor of the Republicans.  Ergo, in the aggregate the benefits falls in favor the Democratic Party.  Add to that the whole-sale alienation of 1) Black voters, 2) Latino voters, 3) Women voters, 4) Jewish voters, 5) Young voters, and 6) Immigrant voters and you've got a pretty likely scenario for down ticket advantage to the Democrats.

A) Florida's 2nd.  The present incumbent is Democrat Gwen Graham who benefitted from the previous map's concentration of African American voters in the northern counties that abut Georgia.  Without them, the new boundaries of the district favor Republicans and so the Republican Candidate, Neal Dunn is the likely winner by virtue of demographics.  Dunn is a Republican in the good old Tea Party mold.  His challenger is Democrat Walter Dartland who is a retired Deputy attorney general for the state beat out his primary challenger by 133 votes and will surely loose to Republican Dunn in the general election.

B) Florida's 7th.  The seventh has been redrawn to represent a more balanced demographic, and pits 2 term Republican incumbent, John Mica against Democratic challenger and political newbie, Staphanie Murphy.  Mica is fairly lack-luster member of congress who champions veterans and small business owners.  Murphy is well positioned to take on Mica on these issues as a former National Security Specialist and small business owner.  This is a very close race in a borderline district with a incumbent who has built up his war chest for just such a vibrant campaign.  Too close to call is my call.

C) Florida's 10th.  Currently held by Republican Daniel Webster (who only last year saw himself as a viable alternative candidate for Speaker of the House when John Boehner quit, now has chosen to quit himself after having his district redrawn to favor Democrats.  An open seat being contested by Val Demings for the Democrats and Thuy Lowe for the Republicans becomes that rarest of all political transitions, a seat held by a conservative white man suddenly becoming a contest between two minority women.  Lowe is immigrant from Vietnam who has thrice now run for Congress, each time unsuccessfully, and Demings is an African American former Police Chief of Orlando.  I give this one to Demings...after all, I would want to the Lowe's streak broken.

D) Florida's 13th  The incumbent in Florida's 13th district is Representative David Jolly, a first term Republican who has drawn one of the worst cards in the deck of House elections this season.  Between the tweeking of his district in the redrawing of the state's map and the decision of his opponent, former Florida Governor Charlie Crist to seek the seat for the Democrats--well, as the Bible story goes: The writing is on the wall--er, ballot--for this one.  Without any need to introduce him, Charlie Crist will add United States Representative for the House to his Resume in November.

E) Florida's 18th  This is a swing district presently held by Patrick Murphy who is now running for Florida Senate.  An open seat and here are the candidates: Hoping to retain the seat for the Democrats is Randy Perkins, and seeking to swing it back to the Republicans is Brian Mast.  Perkins is self-made small business owner who is running a grassroots populist campaign emphasizing social safety net, public option healthcare, and women's rights issues (he is also the father of 4 grown daughters...)  Mast is a double amputee (a fact he features in all of his campaign adds) Iraq war veteran who wants to repeal Obamacare, protect gun rights, privatize Veteran healthcare and re-militarize with an eye to escalate conflicts with Iran and Russia.  All I can say is that I sure hope Perkins wins.  I'm giving him the edge.

F) Florida's 26th  One term congressman, Republican Carlos Curbelo is facing a return fight with previous Democratic congressman Joe Garcia.  Garcia was famously derided for getting caught picking his nose on camera during a congressional hearing and lost a close race in a midterm election that favored Republicans everywhere.  Now the tables are turned.  Garcia keeps a hanky in his pocket, and the district's tweeking slid it in the direction of a more Democratic demographic.  I give this one back to Garcia--BUT there is a very interesting caveat.  With Marco Rubio running Senate and his seat of political power residing in areas of this district, his presence on the ballot could tip the needle in favor of Curbelo.  We'll see what matters more, support and redemption for a duplicitous former favorite son, OR the none stop insults and buffoonery against Latinos and minority voters by the Republican top of the ticket.

Vulnerable House Seats in the Mid-Atlantic, Part 7

The middle-Atlantic region stretches from the shore of eastern Lake Eire to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.  Traditionally, a Democratic region, through careful gerrymandering, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia have all gone majority Republican in their representation in the House--in spite of the fact that by registration both Pennsylvania and New Jersey of by huge numbers majority Democratic.  Virginia lost a court battle over their 2011 district map and will be voting with a new map this year.  Through shifts in boundaries and retirements as many as 4 of their districts are now competitive.  Add to that 3 districts in Pennsylvania and 1 in New Jersey and 8 total districts are interesting.

A) If this weren't a year with a Republican Governor who is a hot mess and polling below 20%, a Republican Presidential candidate not doing much better, I would not think that this district was even vulnerable.  The Republican incumbent is Scott Garrett.  Garrett has been in possession of this seat for the past 7 terms.  In the past two cycles, he was managed to get about 55% of the cast votes against nominal opponents.  Garrett is a staunch conservative who has never had his record fully exposed.  And here's the difference this time.  His opponent is Democrat Josh Gottheimer, an executive with Microsoft who works as their General Manager for corporate strategies.  He is well financed, fully supported by the DCCC and plays to win with an intelligent, aggressive campaign.  He is running on economic issues and infrastructure renewal.  He supports securing Medicare & Social Security, important issues for the aging population of the district and against Garrett's stand to privatize retirement.  I might be stepping out on a limb, but I honestly think this is the year when an incumbent like Garrett, in a district like the 5th of New Jersey, can lose.

B) The circumstances of this election also place the 15th district on the map.  Incumbent Charlie Dent is a high profile Republican congressman with a very moderate rating, leaving him out of step with the leadership of the party.  That he is popular in his district speaks volumes to the districts sensibilities that lean more to the Democratic agenda.  Dent won unopposed in 2014.  This year he is facing a rematch with his 2012 opponent, Democrat Rick Daugherty.  Daugherty is a genial candidate with local roots and years of working in the Democratic Party apparatus at the grassroots level.  It's an odd de je vu moment in a Democratic year, but I still give this one back to Dent.  A Republican keep.

C) Pennsylvania's 8th is the ultimate swing district in the state.  The current holder is Republican Michael Fitzpatrick who is not seeking re-election.  In his absence, his brother, Brian is running.  Brian Fitzpatrick is a former FBI Agent and is leaning on this as his sole reason to represent.  Steve Santarsiero is running for the Democrats.  Santarsiero is a state Senator with wide popularity and a long history of bi-partisan support and success.  This one is swinging back to the Democrats.

D) Pennsylvania's 16th district is open and being sought by two strong opponents with views that represent the progressive Democratic agenda and the conservative Republican agenda.  The Republican is a state Senator with 7 years of experience named Lloyd Smucker.  The Democrat is political novice, Christina Hartman and is well known in the local not-for-profit community.  In a year with a strong Republican presidential candidate I would give this one to the Republicans, but in this year?  It's a toss up.

E) Virginia's 10th District is held by freshmen congresswoman, Barbara Comstock.  Comstock won the seat in a squeaker, and the shifts in demographics give this seat a zero bias one way or the other.  The Democratic opponent is LuAnn Bennett.  She has an amazingly compelling personal story who knows the issues in the district and has the roots to give her credibility.  Bye, bye Barbara.  Check out her video:  https://youtu.be/7vYe6FLaPk0.  I did, and then I sent her a contribution.

F) Virginia's 5th District runs down the center of the commonwealth.  This area is traditionally Republican territory.  It is an open seat with the retirement of it's current Republican representative, Robert Hurt.  The Republican vying to replace him is Tom Garrett.  Garrett is a lawyer and a state Senator for the past 5 years.  He is a party line conservative who is anti welfare, anti choice and anti immigration, but he would like the government to bring high speed internet to rural communities (read between the lines for yourself).  His Democratic opponent is Jane Dittmar a local politician in a small county in the district.  She has deep roots and is mounting a serious campaign.  This one is probably my largest stretch of all of these predictions, but given Virginia's generally strong support for the Democratic ticket and the campaign support from other Democratic state office holders like Senator Warner and Governor McAuliffe--and more importantly the addition of more Democratic precincts in the redrawn congressional map.  I'm gonna say, for now, too close to call.

G) Virginia's 4th district benefits the most from the state's redrawn district map.  The demographics so favor the Democrats now that the Republican incumbent chose to retire.  His replacement wannabee is Mike Wade a local county sheriff.  His Democratic opponent is a member of the Virginia state Senate, Donald McEachin.  McEachin wins easily.

H) Virginia's 2nd district is a swing district, and it's open with the retirement of current Republican Scott Rigell.  The Republican candidate is Scott Taylor.  Taylor is a current state representative, former Navy SEAL, a small business owner.  These credentials all carry a lot of weight in a district that encompasses all of Virginia Beach and one of the densest concentrations of military families and employees.  The Democrat is Shaun Brown.  Brown is a local business owner, community activist and liberal Democrat, who is probably too left of center for the majority of this district's residence.  I'm calling this one for the GOP.

Vulnerable Seats in the House of Representatives 2016: part 6 the Empire State

Part 6 of my exploration of vulnerable House seats is 100% Empire State! They represent the single largest group in one state of seats that are in play with a whopping 7. The fact that the Empire state is HOT with vulnerable seats in this election cycle is a gift to the Democrats. This election will certainly be a wave election for their side in this state, because in most of New York, the type of Republicans that will come out and suffer their votes for Donald Trump is much thinner than in other states. This should bode very well for the candidates running in the seven vulnerable seats at play.

A) New York's 1st seat is an open seat that has been comfortably Democratic for some time. The Democrat running for the seat is Tom Suozzi who is campaigning like a progressive Democrat. His Republican opponent is embattled in a primary dispute that the courts have ruled will require a special primary on October 6--just a month shy of the general election. So there is a possibility that Jack Martins won't end up being the Republican candidate. Which is interesting, because Martins is running like a moderate Democrat! It's an odd situation, but I give it to Suozzi and the open seat remains in the Democrat's column.

B) New York's 3rd district is an evenly split district long served by a Democrat, Tim Bishop. In 2014 during an extremely successful Republican wave election, newcomer Republican Lee Zeldin took the seat. Zeldin is a very vulnerable freshman whose background includes a law degree and 4 years of active military service. His opponent worked as an international peacekeeper and several terms in local government. They both cut clear options, and I give this seat back to the Democrats in this election with their wave.

C) New York's 19th district is another open seat with the retirement of the 3rd term Republican Representative Chris Gibson. The district leans Democratic and if they elect the Democratic winner of their primary, they will be sending to congress the member with the most interesting name in the nation, Zephyr Teachout. Teachout is an outspoken liberal Democrat and law professor at Fordham University. Her Republican opponent is John Faso a career state politician who offers a conservative agenda. In this year? Welcome to Washington Zephyr Teachout.

D) New York's 21st district is currently held by freshman Republican incumbent Elise Stefanik. Stefanik graduated Harvard with honors at age 21 and immediately joined the Bush administration working on domestic policy issues. She wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, promote the extraction and transportation of tar sands oil deposits across the United States and is a strong advocate for support of the military. Her Democratic opponent is Army Colonel Mike Derrick. Derrick is a newcomer to politics and presents a strong and attractive opponent who can go tow to toe with Stefanik on issues of military and national defense, and who hold strong positions on environmental protection and access to Affordable graduate education. Many pundits are making assumptions about this one, but I am calling it too close to call.

E) New York's 22nd is the third open seat in flux. It's incumbent is retiring and was the first sitting Republican Congressperson to denounce Trump and pledge his support to Hillary Clinton. An act of courageous personal conviction or perhaps an ominous statement for the Republican candidate seeking to represent this district? The candidate who hopes to continue the seat in the Republican column is Claudia Tenney. Tenney is lawyer who has served in the New York state Assembly for 3 terms since 2011. Her opponent is Kim Myers. Myers is the daughter of the founder of Dick's Sporting Goods. She is running on issues around the opioid addiction crisis, jobs and farming, and constituent services. This is a very competitive district. Too close to call for now.

F) New York's 23rd is in a band of districts that have gone for one or the other parties over the years and some say it's a district in play again. The incumbent is Republican Tom Reed who is seeking his 6th term will probably get it. His Democratic opponent is John Plumb. Plumb is a young, energetic candidate who is working the district like crazy. If anyone could change the fortunes of this district, Plumb is wonderful candidate. Still, I'm leaning on incumbency and "war chest-ery" on this one. Reed wins with over 6 million in his account to support his campaign.

G) New York's 24th is a Democratic leaning district represented by a freshman Republican, John Katko who won against a corrupt Democratic politician in a Republican wave year. What a difference two years make. His opponent is Democratic candidate Colleen Deacon and she is a better fit for this district with strong opinions about some key issues like affordable college tuition, addressing issues around climate change, and rebuilding crumbling infrastructure for the 21st century. I am betting on Deacon on this one.

All toll, I feel like New York will deliver 3 additional seats to the Democrats--and maybe as many as 5...

Why I Vote NO on Congressional Term Limits

As a citizen of the United States of America, I believe in the wisdom of our founders.  I find their approach to the formation of our nation, built first upon a reasoned declaration of independence, followed by a hard fought Constitution outlining the design and powers of a new form of interdependent government.  It is designed to function with a range of human experience and the input of the citizenry.   It's all really a simple, yet brilliant construction.  It even came with a mechanism to allow for its own amending as times change.

One of the most significant in history is the 22nd amendment that established the term limit of 2 terms for any individual in the role of President leading the Executive branch of the government.  Recall if you will that this was in part a reaction to the powers accrued by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the course of his 5 terms through the middle of the 20th century.  And yet the stability that his administration brought to a nation besieged by first an economic crisis of unprecedented proportions and then an escalated international conflict that rose to the level of a second world war was no doubt the very thing--his stabilizing presence--that was most crucial to our victory on both fronts.

I would even argue that today with life expectancies being what they have become, this amendment should be amended up to 3 terms.  But that might also be a little Obama nostalgia syndrome already kicking in....

Today, some people are now arguing for terms limits for members of Congress.  Some fifteen states have even enacted laws doing this very thing for members of their state legislatures. 

And I am here to tell you that I am NOT a fan of this sort of thing.  There is a term limit already built into the process.  It's called an election.    

The function of a government's legislative process is a complicated one.  It benefits from a range of players and those with institutional memory are crucial to the process.  In states with limits, most lawmakers cannot serve more than 8 years.  When the power no longer resides in the elected official, it goes to someone else.  It goes to people with experience and know how to get the job done and those people are the lobbyists and paid staffers.  Suddenly the chief of staff with the most experience becomes a very pricy commodity and she or he--an UNELECTED worker bee--has the REAL POWER.  Their agendas never come to light, never get scrutinized by the public and are not subject to the recall of the vote.  Term limits are a lousy idea.

 

And here's another reason, term limits are unnecessary.  Lets look at the Senate.  There are 100 Senators who serve for 6 years terms each.  The average tenure in the current senate is 22 years; however only 20% have served that long or longer.  45% are currently serving in the first term!  Nearly half of the Senate are freshmen--is it any wonder that they're so dysfunctional? 

The twelve longest serving Senators by seniority are:

1) Patrick Leahy of Vermont (Democrat) 42 years of wisdom

2) Orin Hatch of Utah (Republican) 40 years

3) Thad Cochran of Mississippi (Republican) 38 years

4) Charles Grassley of Iowa (Republican) 36 years

5) Mitch McConnell of Kentucky (Republican) 34 years

The class of 1986 with 30 years in each:

6) John McCain of Arizona (Republican)

7) Barbara Mikulski of Maryland (Democrat)

8) Harry Reid of Nevada (Democrat)

9) Richard Shelby of Alabama (Republican)

The class of 1992 with 24 years each

10) Barbara Boxer of California (Democrat)

11) Diane Feinstein of California (Democrat)

12) Patty Murray of Washington (Democrat)

Eight of these 12 are up for re-election this November and 3 of them have chosen to retire (thus ending their terms by another viable means).

When you look at who the most outrageously behaved and partisan members of the Senate are--not-with-standing the majority's current leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky listed above--you will discover just how inexperienced they are.  Granted, sometimes I like that, but sometimes it's downright embarrassing and stupid.

My list on this score would include:

Tom Cotton of Arkansas (Republican) with just 2 years of experience

Ted Cruz of Texas (Republican) with 4 years into his first term

Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (Democrat) with just 4 years into her tenure

Marco Rubio of Florida (Republican) just completing his first 6 year term

And in the Senate, seniority represents power in terms of committee assignments.  These states have the least. 

With a combined total of 6 years of experience between BOTH Senators:

Massachusetts

Nebraska

West Virginia

With 8 years of experience total:

Arkansas

Colorado

And with just 10 years of combined experience:

Connecticut

Hawaii

Indiana

North Dakota

Wisconsin

The states with the deepest benches are

1) Vermont with 52 years total

2) Alabama with 50 years total

3) California with 48 years total

4) Mississippi with 47 years total

5) Utah with 46 years total

6 & 7) Maryland & Washington with 40 years total each

8 & 9) Iowa & Kentucky with 38 years total each

10 & 11) Arizona and Nevada with 34 years total each

And we can already guarantee that California, Maryland and Nevada will be knocked out of the upper tiers after this November's election, and by the will of the people Vermont, Utah, Washington, Iowa, Kentucky and Arizona are all up for that possibility, too.  I've even contributed some scratch to support such a change in Arizona and Iowa!  The