Can the corrupting influence of money in politics ever be brought under control?

GrayTide · Apr 17, 2015

Easy question with easy answer, NO.

Tidewater · Apr 17, 2015

Tide1986 said:
QFT

Excuse me?

In this scenario, would the terms remain the same? Or would longer terms be appropriate (e.g. Rep 4 yrs, Senator 8 yrs, VP & Pres 6 yrs)?

I could probably live with longer terms of office. The Confederate President had a six-year term, and was ineligible for re-election).

TIDE-HSV · Apr 17, 2015

Tidewater said:
That appears to be a proposed act of Congress. The cabal of Congress, President, Federal judges will get to interpret that act and they will do so in such a way as to make the law meaningless.
Checks and balances no longer work to limit the power and scope of the Federal government, the three branches work together to limit the citizens.

I would suggest a constitutional amendment of one term for each elected Federal office (Rep, Senator, VP & Pres) for life, with a minimum of five year between terms.
No re-eligility, no need for re-election funds.

Add in big industry, banking and finance industry, to take away the false dichotomies, and we're in perfect agreement...

Tide1986 · Apr 17, 2015

Tidewater said:
Excuse me?

QFT
QUOTED FOR TRUTH

Used on internet forums when quoting someone with similar views as yours.

Tidewater · Apr 20, 2015

TIDE-HSV said:
Add in big industry, banking and finance industry, to take away the false dichotomies, and we're in perfect agreement...

I also believe that one and done congressmen would mean not only more turnover (duh, the incumbent has to return to being a citizen) but more volatility by party in many districts.
To give you an example, my congressional district, Virginia 6th, has been held by the same dude since 1992. Not infrequently, he runs unopposed because the district is pretty conservative, and the DCCC opts not to waste money here.
If there was no incumbent, then I'd bet the Democrats would have a chance and would run candidates.
I do not think that is a bad thing.
I believe one of the unintended consequences of the current system is it radicalizes both parties' officeholders in Congress.

jthomas666 · Apr 20, 2015

Tidewater said:
I also believe that one and done congressmen would mean not only more turnover (duh, the incumbent has to return to being a citizen) but more volatility by party in many districts.
To give you an example, my congressional district, Virginia 6th, has been held by the same dude since 1992. Not infrequently, he runs unopposed because the district is pretty conservative, and the DCCC opts not to waste money here.
If there was no incumbent, then I'd bet the Democrats would have a chance and would run candidates.

Don't forget the rampant gerrymandering that has occurred across the nation. There are more than a few districts in which Jesus couldn't get elected on the opposition ticket.

Tidewater · Apr 20, 2015

jthomas666 said:
Don't forget the rampant gerrymandering that has occurred across the nation. There are more than a few districts in which Jesus couldn't get elected on the opposition ticket.

That is true. One example that comes to mind is a district (intended to elect an African-American, which is a form of gerrymandering itself) connected a black-majority district of Greensboro North Carolina and a black-majority district of Charlotte and included the south-bound lane of I-85, but not the northbound lane. I'm not sure how many people maintain a residence in the southbound lane of I-85, but the "district" had to be contiguous, so the gerrymanderers went to work to connect the blobs they wanted connected.

When I lived in Smithfield, Virginia, my Representative was Bobby Scott, one of the gerrymandered mostly African-American districts. The idea being that a white person cannot represent the interests of a black person, so they drew a mostly-black district to get a black man elected. I asked Rep. Scott, if that was true, how could he represent me, he said I was "virtually represented" by the white Representatives among the Virginia delegation.
He failed to see the irony in his response.

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