Comment on YSK that Gerrymandering allows politicians to choose their own voters. In many countries, it's illegal. Gerrymandering is common in the United States

Jarix@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

• bitjunkie@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  In the original Constitution, there are no limits for any of them. George Washington made it a tradition not to seek a third term, but it wasn’t actually enshrined into law until ~150 years later.

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  • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    It was invented because FDR was so popular that rumor has it without that rule, his bones would probably still be president to this day.

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    • Jarix@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Ive never understood why someone who is popular can’t keep doing the job. I also don’t understand lifetime appointments like the supreme court without mandatory requirement ages or other mechanism to prevent mentally deficient people in the role

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    • Empricorn@feddit.nl ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Fun fact: the bones of any president would be a better leader than our current president.

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• AA5B@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  They focussed more on term length

  • House: two years for frequent turnover, voice of the people
  • Senate: 6 years for stability, maturity
  • judges: lifetime, for independence from who appointed them and from politics of the day

  While these don’t seem to be working right, anyone proposing changes needs to understand what they were trying to do and not make it worse trying to fix another aspect

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• SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  It was added for the president with Roosevelt. Likely because the president has much more power than a single congressman.

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  • Jarix@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Oh I knew it happened then, but I don’t really follow the reasoning.

    I am glad it affects Trump, but I think Obama might still be president of he was ever elected (he may never have run as the world would have been very different anyways)

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