Liberals have always coveted the return of Clinton in the Oval Office. Those were the days, if only he could run again, they dream. Can you imagine unlimited terms for any president? Nixon perhaps or Bush the second? Maybe we should bring Carter back? God forbid. Now they have Obama. What if President Barack Obama could be our President forever? Imagine that?
I know, you think this could never be in the home of the free. But Democrat Congressman José Serrano (NY) had the audicity to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would allow this to happen. He introduced the House Joint Resolution 5 (HJR5) entitled: "Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President."
To give you a bit of Constitutional history, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote in 1807: “if some termination to the services of the chief Magistrate be not fixed by the Constitution, or supplied by practice, his office, nominally four years, will in fact become for life.” (Thomas Jefferson in reply to the Legislature of Vermont, 1807. ME 16:293) George Washington set the precedent for a two-term tradition that prevailed even without the existence of the 22nd amendment. Only after the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who served four terms, the 22nd amendment was established in 1951, setting term limits for the Presidency. It was and is a safeguard to prevent a tyrannic oligarchic federal government.
It's interesting to note this isn't Serrano's first attempt to repeal this vital amendment. He did this in 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. According to reports, his current version introduced on January 6, 2009, is still alive. Action was taken on it on February 2009 referring it to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties where it still sits today.
Here's what the bill states (from Govtrack.us):
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. J. RES. 5
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 6, 2009
Mr. SERRANO introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:
`Article --
`The twenty-second article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.'.
