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Showing Original Post only (View all)NYT: "Cancel the Midterms". Do you agree? [View all]
DURHAM, N.C. By Tuesday night about 90 million Americans will have cast ballots in an election thats almost certain to create greater partisan divisions, increase gridlock and render governance of our complex nation even more difficult. Ninety million sounds like a lot, but that means that less than 40 percent of the electorate will bother to vote, even though candidates, advocacy groups and shadowy super PACs will have spent more than $1 billion to air more than two million ads to influence the election.
There was a time when midterm elections made sense at our nations founding, the Constitution represented a new form of republican government, and it was important for at least one body of Congress to be closely accountable to the people. But especially at a time when Americans confidence in the ability of their government to address pressing concerns is at a record low, two-year House terms no longer make any sense. We should get rid of federal midterm elections entirely.
There are few offices, at any level of government, with two-year terms. Here in Durham, we elect members of the school board and the county sheriff to terms that are double that length. Moreover, Twitter, ubiquitous video cameras, 24-hour cable news and a host of other technologies provide a level of hyper-accountability the framers could not possibly have imagined. In the modern age, we do not need an election every two years to communicate voters desires to their elected officials.
But the two-year cycle isnt just unnecessary; its harmful to American politics.
.........
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/11/03/opinion/cancel-the-midterms.html?referrer=&_r=0
There was a time when midterm elections made sense at our nations founding, the Constitution represented a new form of republican government, and it was important for at least one body of Congress to be closely accountable to the people. But especially at a time when Americans confidence in the ability of their government to address pressing concerns is at a record low, two-year House terms no longer make any sense. We should get rid of federal midterm elections entirely.
There are few offices, at any level of government, with two-year terms. Here in Durham, we elect members of the school board and the county sheriff to terms that are double that length. Moreover, Twitter, ubiquitous video cameras, 24-hour cable news and a host of other technologies provide a level of hyper-accountability the framers could not possibly have imagined. In the modern age, we do not need an election every two years to communicate voters desires to their elected officials.
But the two-year cycle isnt just unnecessary; its harmful to American politics.
.........
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/11/03/opinion/cancel-the-midterms.html?referrer=&_r=0
21 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited | |
I tend to agree with this viewpoint. | |
5 (24%) |
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I disagree with this viewpoint. | |
16 (76%) |
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0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided. | |
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41 replies
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Two years keeps congressional representatives tuned into what their constituents want.
badtoworse
Nov 2014
#2
The volatility is a good thing. The last thing we need is a system designed for ossification and the
Nuclear Unicorn
Nov 2014
#5
If you 'cancel the midterms,' the 233 republican majority in the House stays in place until 2018!
BP2
Nov 2014
#10
Amend the Constitution and set the terms of Congress and President to four or six years, whichever.
Spider Jerusalem
Nov 2014
#12
In any parliamentary system, a small party can threaten to bring down the government,
Nye Bevan
Nov 2014
#20
Gridlock and very slow change were considered a feature, not a bug, in our system.
branford
Nov 2014
#28
If the President has to resort to repeated vetoes for the last two years of his Presidency, he ...
dawg
Nov 2014
#35
Well, it's all fun and games and checks and balances until we actually default on something.
dawg
Nov 2014
#41
I'm not sure that it's that "wacky". Two years is a very short term for congressmen.
Nye Bevan
Nov 2014
#23