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Promises Made - Promises Broken I always believed that the term limit issue was bogus -- a red herring that allowed politicians to present themselves as outsiders railing against the tired and corrupt political establishment. Back in 1994, led by then House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a bunch of Republicans, including Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd), stood on the steps of the Capitol and declared their support for term limits. LoBiondo, who has represented South Jersey for more than a decade promised that he would quit after six terms and not run in 2006. At the time he said members of Congress shouldn’t serve more than 12 years because, over time, representatives lose their independence becoming too tied to the system and too distant from their constituents. Well, that was then and this is now. Congressman LoBiondo has changed his mind. He announced recently, that he will in fact run for reelection in 2004 and probably again in 2006. LoBiondo now says his seniority in Congress and high-ranking positions on the House Armed Services Committee, as well as the House Transportation Committee make him too valuable to his constituents. Says LoBiondo; “I consulted with my constituents, I consulted with elected officials, and I consulted with my conscience, and term limits only in the 2nd District would put us at a disadvantage. Dedication and hard work are key, but what are essential are personal relationships and seniority.” That’s funny, Congressman. Those of us who opposed term limits in 1994 said the same thing. We argued that seniority mattered a lot and talented representatives like yourself shouldn’t be forced to retire if they were still doing a good job. We argued that we already have term limits. They are called elections. But at the time, Newt Gingrich, Frank LoBiondo and other Republicans pandering to what they perceived to be the will of the masses, insisted that term limits represented real political reform. How easy it was back then to talk in such a bold way. At the time, 12 years or six terms in Congress seemed like a very long time. However, when faced with the reality of actually leaving Congress, giving up all that seniority, and yes, allowing the Democrats to potentially pick up an open House seat in South Jersey, everything changed. Let’s be honest here. The elected officials that Congressman LoBiondo consulted were Republican bigwigs who think their best chance of keeping this seat Republican is for LoBiondo not to retire and break his promise. It has nothing to do with statesmanship or conscience. This is about politics and power. Republican political power in a state with a Democratic governor and 2 Democratic U.S. Senators. Look, I respect Frank LoBiondo. By all accounts he has been a good congressman. The people of South Jersey have been served well by him. That’s why he’s so popular. But what I don’t respect is what he did nearly ten years ago on the steps of the Capitol. He made a promise that was all about headlines and posturing and trying to make Democrats look like obstructionists for stopping term limits. Promising to term limit himself was never intended to be a real commitment. What he really meant was that he would only serve six years in Congress if a law was passed limiting everyone else to six years in Congress. Frankly, Congressman, that’s not leadership, that’s just saying “I’ll do it if you do it.” At least the Democrats never pretended to be anything they weren’t—politicians who liked their jobs and wanted to keep that job as long as possible The only good thing to come out of Congressman LoBiondo breaking his promise, is that hopefully this bogus issue of term limits is now dead. And no longer will we have to listen to the pandering rhetoric of politicians in campaigns who promise to leave office before they are even elected. Our founding fathers knew what they were doing a long time ago. In the end, the people should decide how long their representatives stay in office. Now that it suits him, Frank LoBiondo agrees. Steve Adubato, Ph.D. is a commentator, lecturer and former state
legislator. Dr. Adubato is also an Emmy Award-winning television
anchor and syndicated columnist.
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