Quote:A person being so popular that nobody can run against them is a great reason to keep them in power. I don't think I've ever said I hated FDR; I don't really know much about the guy to know if I hate him or not. However, my opinion of him has nothing to do with whether or not the rest of the country believes he is a good enough man for the job.In America, at least, the reason term limits appeal to people is the idea that politics should be a service, not a career.
As an alternative, how would you feel if the system allowed for a term of unlimited length, but as a check against lifetime ownership of a position, the politician in question has to make sure that his popularity maintains a certain level, in the form of a more standardized system of polling throughout the entire year, with the threat of a recall election if polling numbers remain under a certain threshold for a certain length of time?
I think one advantage to this is that there is not the expense of both time and money involved in running full-fledged campaigns every few years. A politician at any level would be as safe in his seat as his performance (and/or popularity) warranted.
