The ranked choice voting implemented for the first time in Alaska last year forwards the top four vote getters to the general election. If either the Dems or Reps cannot stand a candidate who can be among those four, they don’t have a candidate who can win the general.
In Alaska’s case, specifically in the US House race, there were three Republicans and one Democrat on the general ballot. The Republicans should have easily defeated the lone Democrat in the general under the ranked choice voting system, but Sarah Palin ran against her main Republican opponent, Begich, instead of the Democrat, which pissed off his supporters many of whom refused to list her as their second choice. Theoretically, if they work together, the Republicans should never lose another election in Alaska, but Palin proved there was a way to lose.
That’s what I thought up here. In general, I like the concept (I am registered as non-partisan,) but I was against the initiative that we voted on to implement it because I know how stupid voters can be. The trial run last year proved me right. There were a disproportionate number of disqualified ballots due to people not following the rules, and as I related above, even some of the candidates didn’t understand how it worked. But now that it’s in place, the voters (or at least most of them) will learn the rules and Republicans will figure out that they will seldom lose if they cooperate with each other. There is a petition out to collect signatures to go back to the former system, but I doubt if they will get the required number of signatures let alone convince people to vote for it if they do.
Dianne Feinstein is clearly declining. She did not remember casting her vote on the Senate floor for a judicial nominee, having to ask a staffer. She has reached the point of being patently unfit to hold office and really should resign. Although, like Byrd and Thurmond, unlikely to do so.
While I continue to oppose TERM limits, I do support AGE limits.
I would also introduce cumulative service limits of 40 years for the civil service.
But if we are going to raise this issue, lets deal with the entire government.
Amendment ???
No person shall be eligible for election or succession to the office of President of the United States or Vice President of the United States, who shall attain to the age of seventy prior to the last day of the term sought or the term to which they would otherwise succeed.
No person shall be eligible for election or appointment to the office of United States Senator or United States Representative who shall attain to the age of seventy five prior to the last day of the term sought.
No person shall be eligible for appointment as an Officer of the United States, principal or inferior, as an Officer of Congress or as an Officer of the United States Courts, if they shall have attained to the age of seventy five years. Any person serving as an Officer of the United States, principal or inferior, as an Officer of Congress, or as an Officer of the United States Courts, shall surrender the office on the day they attain to seventy five years of age.
No person shall be eligible for employment or for continued employment with the United States, who shall have attained to the age of seventy five. No person shall be eligible for continued employment with the United States who shall have served a cumulative total of forty years in the employment of the United States. However, employees hired under the Civil Service Retirement System shall be permitted to serve a cumulative total of forty one years and eleven months in the employment of the United States. Officers, Warrant Officers and enlisted members of the United States Armed Forces shall be considered employees for purposes of this section.
(Note: Enlisted members of the Armed Forces already have a hard service limit of 35 years, so they would not be affected by this section. They are included in this section to ensure that their military service is counted against the 40 year clock, should they go from the military to the civilian civil service.)
The President of the United States may waive the cumulative service requirements of Section 4 of this Article of Amendment, for the purpose of the appointment or service of military officers in the role of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff of the Army, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Chief of Naval Operations and Commandant of the Marine Corps. However, such waiver shall not extend an individual’s cumulative service beyond forty five years.
Any Justice or Judge of the United States, appointed to serve during good behavior under Article III of the Constitution, shall retire from regular active service on the day they meet the age and service requirements as established by law. Such Justice or Judge may continue to serve in senior status, but shall be subject to an annual physical, mental and cognitive evaluation and shall be required to present a certification, provided by a disinterested and qualified physician, that they are physically, mentally and cognitively fit to continue service. Any Justice or Judge who cannot present such certification shall immediately retire from service.
When a question of the cognitive ability of any Justice or Judge appointed to serve during good behavior under Article III of the Constitution is raised and where a reasonable suspicion exists that such Justice or Judge may be cognitively unfit for duty, he shall be suspended from duty pending an evaluation and certification as described in Section 6 of this Article of Amendment. If he shall be recertified, he may return to duty, elsewise he shall immediately retire from service. If such Justice or Judge does not meet the service requirements for full retirement under statute, he shall be retired on such percentage of pay as the Congress shall, by law, direct, but in no case shall such percentage be less than fifty.
A person who spends decades in Congress is absolutely in a position over all that time to generate MANY cozy relationships with various people in business and politics from the US and all over the world who have money and power! Must be nice to be able to use that power to set oneself and their families economically for multiple lifetimes.
Perhaps not stop, but it sure slows you down and causes you considerably more effort and ultimately, limits how far you can influence. Power is the biggest, most lucrative perk given to Congressmen.
It’s the wealthy and powerful in business and foreign governments who are the ones that are seeking out the entrenched politicians, not vice versa, I assumed that you would have know that?
I have always found it interesting that everyone I know in every professional life cannot not ■■■■■■■ wait to retire with this exception being those in positions of political power.
Imho most politicians are remarkably un remarkable people. Their political power allows them access to influence and money they wouldn’t have seen any other way. And as a bonus they can drag their unremarkable family members along with them. Need evidence…I give you the Biden’s. How else would clueless have gotten rich other than peddling influence?
That guy has been collecting a taxpayer paycheck and turning it into millions courtesy of his son and brothers for half a century.
I see nothing to lose by sending people who know they time is limited to the House and the Senate …perhaps their interests will be in service rather than furnishing the beach house in Delaware.
Sometimes I feel like inability to see nuance and complexity as a central tenet of this new trend of right-wing populism. How do you think people get elected in the first place?
The cartoonish evil businessman buying corrupt politicians thing is nonsense. It doesn’t work that way because it doesn’t have to work that way - there’s no need for risky bribes or payoffs.
Then you live in a completely different world I do. Now can I truly say that “everyone” I’ve known throughout my life fits that? No. What I can say is that everyone that I can recall throughout my life whom I’ve had such conversations with who is in the position to retire can’t wait to do so.
