 Bronx Congressman Serrano — Kingmaker |
Amendment Would Make Pres. Obama “King for Life” – The Times Examiner
Rep. Jose Serrano, D-NY, would make President Barack Obama President for life. Earlier this month the Congressman introduced H. J. Res. 5 that proposes an amendment to the US Constitution that would repeal the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President The U. S. House Committee on the Judiciary is considering the bill.
In 1807, Thomas Jefferson warned that presidents not bound by term limits could use their popularity and power to become kings.
Idiots like this Congressman, who should be voted out of office, do not realize that this sort of thing is a two-way street and some popular Republican could also be in office for decades. But this is obviously an attempt to ride the Obama horse for the next 40 years. Serrano also introduced a bill to ban any and all attempts to make English the official language of the nation. It’s called the English-plus resolution.
Predicable. First attacks on popular conservative media personalities which is paving the way to restrict their air time & 1st Amend rights, now this. Next, Obama will restart his legislative attack on the 2nd Amend.
Typical pattern of totalitarian minded politicians throughout history…
It doesn’t matter anyways. Arnold 2012 FTW.
Not paying taxes is great! You stay sexy America.
Not having to pay taxes is great! You stay sexy America.
Wait a sec. If Wikipedia is to believed, Serrano has introduced this same amendment six times before. Guess he wanted Clinton and Bush to be presidents for life too.
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In each of 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009, Serrano introduced a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd Amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as president. Each resolution, with the exception of the current one, died without ever getting past the committee
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Serrano
What an ignorant lot you are. Let’s not allow the voters to choose who gets to stay in office. The amendment limiting presidential terms was passed by conservatives afraid of another Roosevelt. So, you already have what you believe in.
Even if this amendment was passed, it’s still up to voters to make the decision. But, then, that’s not acceptable to the libertarian elite, I guess.
Same as so-called Federalist defense of the electoral college. All of the above have only one goal – prevent majority rule.
Sure, voters make lousy choices, sometimes. We just finished 8 years of the worst in history. That doesn’t mean we have to remove the right to choose.
Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but apparently Serrano also introduced this amendment in 2003. It hasn’t much hope of winning and is probably not specifically targeted at Obama (given the 2003 version) and of course would not automatically make him “King for Life”, but why let facts get in the way of a cool headline or conspiratorial paranoia.
Brons
This will pass when pigs fly.
This is going the wrong way. We need more term limits. Say on Congress?
Term limits are a good thing. Too bad Bloomberg managed to remove his own limits here in NYC. Unless his next opponent is much worse, he’ll probably lose my vote just for that.
As for presidential term limits, I vote we leave them in place. Of course, since this isn’t a proposition up for a national election, I won’t get to vote.
Oh wait, we’re not a nation. We don’t have a national election. So, it can’t be made a national voter proposition. Dang. When will we become a nation and a democracy and fire the stupid electoral college?!
Unfortunately, the state who should be leading the charge against the electoral college, the one with the worst representation of all, seems to like it.
Texans, wake up!!
Why do you want to have your vote count for a mere quarter of the vote of a Wyomingite? Do you think a Wyomingite is as valuable as four Texans?
If you lead the charge, you know New York and California will be right behind you. And, since the high representation states like Wyoming don’t hate you, perhaps you’ll win!
Why not just have continuous elections! Politics all the time!! That way we’ll be paralyzed by partizan politics in congress and bicker over whether or not the sun is shining today.
I think congress is completely dysfunctional and needs psychiatric help. Start with the ‘speaker of the house’.
I’ll say it again, can we ask for asylum somewhere else?
Why don’t we lower the age requirement while we’re at it. Look at all the twenty year old kids that know what they are talking about. Surely they could do a much better job than an old geezer like Obama, have you noticed how tired he looks.
Oh yeah, you need at least 2/3’s of Congress and 2/3’s of the States to repeal an amendment. Good luck with that.
A single 6 year term with provisions for a no confidence vote requireing a 2/3 majority in both by both houses of congress which triggers a six month election cycle would solve lots of problems.
I agree with #7 about #5.
Obama should just threaten to veto it and that would be that. Except, this guys mustache is still a huge problem. A mustache like that often comes bundled with a pair of leather, ass-less chaps!
First of all, while this bill was submitted this morning, it has been referred to Judiciary, which will probably kill it in a heartbeat. Understand that the source of the news story used by Mr. Dvorak is not the most objective of news outlets in the nation.
As for the English Plus proposal, it does not ban establishing English as an official language. The non-binding resolution says:
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the United States Government should pursue policies that–
(1) encourage all residents of this country to become fully proficient in English by expanding educational opportunities and access to information technologies;
(2) conserve and develop the Nation’s linguistic resources by encouraging all residents of this country to learn or maintain skills in languages other than English;
(3) assist Native Americans, Native Alaskans, Native Hawaiians, and other peoples indigenous to the United States, in their efforts to prevent the extinction of their languages and cultures;
(4) continue to provide services in languages other than English as needed to facilitate access to essential functions of government, promote public health and safety, ensure due process, promote equal educational opportunity, and protect fundamental rights; and
(5) recognize the importance of multilingualism to vital American interests and individual rights, and oppose ‘English-only’ measures and other restrictionist language measures.
Having just dealt with this in Nashville, establishing English as the official language is different than forbidding government from offering services only in English and forbidding them from offering services in other languages, which is behind the “English-only measures” mentioned.
Be careful what you ask for regarding term limits. Michigan instituted 8-year limits for its reps and the state congress is a mess. In effect, the aides who manage the state’s departments are in charge because the elected goobers are gone before they can learn the job or get anything done. Is that really what we want?
Yeah, we don’t want lifers. But don’t cut them down just as they learn the job, either.
I doubt many presidents want more than eight years. Four terms killed FDR!
The caption of the picture should read…
Borat Sagdiyev, a popular television personality, leaves his homeland of Kazakhstan for the “Greatest Country in the World,” the “US and A” to make a documentary film of The Obama!
There’s no chance this will pass. It would take an amendment to repeal another amendment. Never happen and this “idiot” knows it. He’s just getting attention.
# 14 jvoorhe said, “Understand that the source of the news story used by Mr. Dvorak is not the most objective of news outlets in the nation.”
So, this story about the guy proposing this bill isn’t true?
#5 ericah:
“All of the above have only one goal – prevent majority rule.”
Exactly.
You goons have had your guy in office for mere days, and you already forget that a majority elected Bush last time around.
You goons have had your guy in office for mere days, and you already forget that a majority elected Bush last time around.
Yeah… and one out of two ain’t bad. 🙂
Jesus H. Christ! What a tard! If the committee gives this more than 10 minutes debate, the whole bunch of them should be set out to pasture. Hasn’t Congress anything better to do?????
As for Congressman Serrano, he should be 1. voted out of office, 2. forced to take a university level world history class, preferably one taught by a survivor of Hitler’s Germany or Stalin’s Russia.
The Parliamentary system’s provision for a vote of no-confidence spurring a quick, off year, general election would be a useful addition to our system.
I don’t have a big problem with Congressmen and senators serving forever. They is enough turnover and enough total seats in each house that the few Byrds, Kennedys and Thurmonds can be tolerated.
#7 – ‘dro
>>#5 You’re an ass.
Ah, ‘dro. We can always count on you to make insightful comments on others’ posts.
ericah made some cogent points about the recent (in historical terms) imposition of presidential term limits, and about who should be deciding what in America, and you snap back with “you’re an ass”.
When are you going to get smart and STFU??
I don’t think this will happen, but we are a long way away from having to worry about a third term for Obama. He has a little less than 4 years to screw up before the next election and nearly 8 for this to even matter.
But, what if there were no term limit in the past, would GWB even be the Republican candidate? Would Clinton have had a third term? Maybe, maybe not, but the US and the rest of the world would be a lot better off if he had. Would Regan have had a third term, probably, and again, we would likely be better off.
So why not stop being afraid of Obama’s current popularity and look at it objectively. Would it really be so bad if we could choose to keep a president who is doing a good job?
#8 I agree, that is one good example of why the electoral college is a bad idea.
#26 – Mister Mustard,
#7 – ‘dro
[snip]
When are you going to get smart and STFU??
Don’t tell him to get smart AND STFU. If he somehow magically got smart, I’d want to hear what he had to say.
It’s get smart XOR STFU.
#27, if there were no term limits they’d have Reagan propped up in the Oval Office.
But some say that he;’s all myth:
http://nytimes.com/2007/06/10/opinion/10mann.html
Both sides of this arguement have good points, but in the end what matters to politicians is to keep the gravy train rolling along and to the public it is to be left alone by politicians. This matter will probably never be settled.
[Ed. Duplicate comment deleted] C’mon Scott, you know the rules.
Wait a sec. If Wikipedia is to be believed, this representative has offered the same amendment six times before, starting in 1997. I guess he wanted Bill Clinton and GW Bush to be Presidents for life as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Serrano
-snip-
In each of 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009, Serrano introduced a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd Amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as president. Each resolution, with the exception of the current one, died without ever getting past the committee.
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