• Jarix@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    This is kinda if topic, but why does the US have term limits for the presidency, but not all the other major positions?

    • bitjunkie@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      In the original Constitution, there are no limits for any of them. George Washington made it a tradition not to seek a third term, but it wasn’t actually enshrined into law until ~150 years later.

      • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        It was invented because FDR was so popular that without that rule, his bones would probably still be president to this day.

        • Jarix@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Ive never understood why someone who is popular can’t keep doing the job. I also don’t understand lifetime appointments like the supreme court without mandatory retirement ages or other mechanism to prevent mentally deficient people in the role

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      They focussed more on term length

      • House: two years for frequent turnover, voice of the people
      • Senate: 6 years for stability, maturity
      • judges: lifetime, for independence from who appointed them and from politics of the day

      While these don’t seem to be working right, anyone proposing changes needs to understand what they were trying to do and not make it worse trying to fix another aspect

      • Jarix@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Oh I knew it happened then, but I don’t really follow the reasoning.

        I am glad it affects Trump, but I think Obama might still be president of he was ever elected (he may never have run as the world would have been very different anyways)