President Barack Obama’s current approval ratings are some of the highest he has experienced since his initial few weeks in the White House. And as much as I would like to claim the high numbers are because of his policies, in all likelihood the popularity has very little to do with anything other than a comparison between him and our next choices.
Regardless of what has caused the bump, it’s safe to say that if Obama ran for a third term, he would win this election in a landslide, especially facing Donald Trump. The race would be a bloodbath, and as someone who would love to see such an event occur, it’s left me thinking maybe President Obama should have been able to run again if he wanted to.
Unfortunately — or fortunately, depending on how you look at it — the 22nd Amendment exists, limiting every president to a maximum two terms. A Republican Congress designed the amendment after President Franklin Roosevelt wiped the floor with Republicans one too many times. Though it has benefitted both parties over the years, I would argue it may not have benefitted the American people as a whole.
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In a democracy, we’re given the right to select our choice for a leader. If a president is doing what the majority of Americans deem to be a good job, let them continue to do so if they can win reelection. As long as they do their job, and do it well, they can keep it — looking at you, Congress.
In the last 65 years alone, aside from President Obama, I believe at least three other American presidents would have likely been elected to a third term had they chosen to run and been allowed to do so: Presidents Eisenhower, Reagan and Clinton. Why? Simple. Because the majority of the American people believed they were the best available option for the next four years.
With President Kennedy being the obvious exception, presidents who have replaced potential-third-term presidents have included George H.W. Bush, who was a fairly unpopular one-term president, and George W. Bush, who was an unequivocal disaster. And now, there’s the possibility of a President Trump.
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It seems as though when we switch from what most deem to be a good and productive president, the result is regrettable for everyone. It makes me wonder how different things would be for our country if President Clinton had taken on another four years, instead of introducing the Bush-Cheney era.
Maybe, just maybe, executive term limits aren’t the way to go. If we live in a democracy, Americans should be allowed to pick who they want for president, regardless of how many terms they’ve been in office, as long as they do their job.
On the other hand, term limits could be effective for other areas of government, where those in charge are bogged down in what seems to be a never-ending bid for reelection. Think for a second about what would happen if we flipped the system on its head.
Term limits for state legislatures and members of the U.S. Congress across the board might force actual change on both sides of the aisle. If it weren’t possible for politicians to run for their position after a certain number of years or terms, there would certainly be less time spent on political posturing, fundraising and campaigning. Ideally, that time could be spent helping constituents, holding negotiations with opposing party members and passing legislation to actually initiate the changes we need to see in this country.
I may be naïve, but if elected officials in Congress only had to worry about making things better and not about protecting their next term, they might be more efficient and effective as leaders. Moreover, maybe those who run for office with a term limit system actually want to make a difference, rather than running simply because they are rich and bored or because they like having a title in front of their names.
At the end of the day, far after this election is over, we are going to have to face the realities of our political system. Regardless of which party wins, the president will be incredibly unpopular, far more than Obama ever was, and Congress will stay firmly stuck in the mud per usual.
Even if it isn’t practical, it’s important to think of the possibilities that could come from changing our system. We could have a president who is trustworthy, sure-handed and a proven leader rather than having to deal with the very real possibility that Donald Trump becomes our next commander-in-chief. We could have a Congress where legislating and problem-solving are the most important aspects of the job. Most importantly, we could have a government where all of our officials, on both sides of the aisle, worked for the people rather than their ballot. And that would be a change I would love to see.
