Momentum is building in Tennessee House Joint Resolution 5. Our resolution for Term Limits convention passed the State House last March. Now it has a solid chance of passing in the state Senate. State Senator Richard Biggs, chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Affairs Committee has agreed to pick up the House Joint Resolution 5 as the lead sponsor in the Senate and he is the chair of the first committee where the bill will be heard. The Tennessee media is paying attention to all of this. The Tennessean reprinted our Tennessee State Chairman Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ Op-Ed on why Tennessee should pass Term Limits Resolution. Additionally, Op-Eds advocating for the state Senate to pass the Term Limits Resolution have been appearing throughout the volunteer state. The Tennessee Star newspaper is predicting that our resolution is expected to pass. Yay. I’m Holly Robichaud and this is Breaking News on Term Limits.
This past week we also saw an additional 7/2024 legislative candidate sign our pledge. We expect that by election day 2024 we’ll have a record number of candidates who have signed our pledge. Why is this happening? Because people like you who support Term Limits and the power that your vote has at the ballot box. Polling data shows that 87% of Americans favor congressional Term Limits. Candidates for president are seeing these numbers and talking about the need for congressional Term Limits on the campaign trail. Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota who’s running for the Democratic presidential nomination is on the record in supporting congressional Term Limits representative Phillips said in interviews, congressional Term Limits would open up leadership in Congress for a generation of change. Just look at the US Senate leadership as the proof of that argument. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was first elected in 1998 and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell was first elected in 1984.
Did you see the latest Gallup poll? Only 13% of Americans approve of Congress’ job performance. 84% of Americans disapprove of Congress’ job performance with numbers like these only Hamas ranked slightly lower with the American people than Congress. Is there any question why Americans feel that way? Just look at the dysfunction in Washington. In Tennessee momentum is building for the US Term Limits Resolution being passed. That’s right. The Tennessee Star newspaper predicted that Tennessee will be the next state to pass the resolution. House Joint Resolution 5, our resolution passed it by the State House in March is now got a solid chance of passing in the state Senate. State Senator Richard Briggs, chairman of the Senate State and local government Committee has agreed to pick up our House Joint Resolution 5 as the lead sponsor in the Senate and it’s now before his committee. So our chances are good.
How powerful is congressional Term Limits among voters? A recent RMG poll of 300 likely Republican primary voters in Florida’s 11th congressional district was conducted between November 14th and the 19th. It showed that long-term incumbent representative Daniel Webster leading his primary challenger, Anthony Sabatini 35% to 29%. Sabatini is a pledge signer and a former sponsor of Term Limits legislation in the Florida state legislature. In the poll, 92% of respondents supported congressional Term Limits after respondents learned that Sabatini had signed the US Term Limits pledge and favors Term Limits. While Webster is opposed, Sabatini opens up a 37 point lead 37 point lead over Webster 55% to 18%. This means that candidates who oppose Term Limits are vulnerable especially ones who’ve been in office since the Carter administration.
We have even more exciting news this episode, our Senate Joint Resolution 2 sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz just got another co-sponsor. That’s right. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana who signed our pledge back in 2014, just co-sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 2. That brings our total number of senators up to 19 on the bill between Representative Johnson from Louisiana taking the speakership and having nearly 50% of the Louisiana State House signing the Term Limits pledge. And now Senator Cassidy co-sponsoring our bill in Congress looks like 2024 is shaping up to be a great year for Term Limits in the Pelican State.
Well, I am so glad today to have our Montana State chair Ed Walker with us. He has been so active and one of our leading supporters up there in Montana and one of our leading state chairs. So glad he is joining us today. And Ed just wanted to ask you, what made you get involved with US Term Limits?
Well, great question. It’s something that I’ve really had a passion about when I was in the legislature here in Montana. We have Term Limits in Montana and I thought they worked really well. It allows people like myself to be able to take some time and run for office instead of the same old people in there. And so new ideas and new people, new blood. So it works really well in Montana. And then when somebody was telling me about Term Limits on members of Congress, of course I agreed with that like nearly everybody does and I was really surprised to learn that these efforts are going on and they’ve been going on for a long time and members of Congress don’t wanna see it and haven’t really stepped up to make it work. And so when I understood the process of the states needing to pass it through their legislature that’s the other option to have it then I was like I’m on board. And so since I’ve been around Montana quite a bit with my job and also in politics and things like that, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to get out again and get back involved in such a great issue.
So a couple of years ago I was asked to do this and I gladly did it and we had a great time. We’ll probably talk about this later, but we thought we had the numbers and everything to happen, but it’s not just about having all the numbers of the people in the legislature to sign off on it or to vote for it. It’s also the process that you have to have in place before you get there and that’s what we learned through the exercise we had here in Montana.
Yeah, well it’s tough getting it passed at times, so elected leaders don’t wanna put limits. I’m sure you saw that the Gallup poll recently, the job performance approval rating is probably at one of the lowest points ever for Congress. Do you think the passage of congressional Term Limits would restore people’s faith in Congress?
Definitely. I mean, we look at members of Congress right now and some of them just stay so long and they lose their ability to be able to be with the people and be a representative of the people over time. You get to notice that there’s a special interest that really have a hold on them. And so definitely it will bring fresh ideas and fresh people and minds to Congress and that’s something we really need right now.
Now how do people in Montana feel about congressional Term Limits?
Well, the average person if you were to walk up to somebody on the street I think probably nine out of 10 people if you were to ask them if they believe in Term Limits on members of Congress they would all say yes. In fact I was shoveling the walk from my son in front of my son’s house. The other, well, it was a couple months ago. And there was a lady who was his next door neighbor came out and was talking to me and she was… She’s not very politically active or anything like that, but she was talking to me about my time in politics and the one thing that she brought up, and I didn’t even prompt her but she said we need to get members of Congress on Term Limits. And that just really opened my eyes to the fact that people who don’t even really think about it much this is something that’s really top on their mind.
Yeah, it sure is. Now I understand that you are running for Congress and are you going to sign the pledge?
Yes I already have actually.
Oh great.
And I sent it in and we got it in there. And so yeah, definitely I’m gonna sign the pledge. I mean, it’s one of the top things that I’m gonna have on my platform is to bring Term Limits to members of Congress. I mean look we have to… We can do it through the states and we’re trying our hardest to be able to get through the state legislatures to sign on to this and do an Article five issue convention. But the bottom line is that members of Congress are not gonna act until they get forced to act. And so we’re gonna need people who are members of Congress who are… That’s one of their top issues and they’re gonna keep moving that through.
Well, we definitely need to send you to Congress.
Yeah.
Now, how do people get more information about you or follow you?
Yeah, my website is Ed Walker. Walker… I’m sorry, my name is Ed Walker but my website is walkerformontana.com and so they can go out there and check that out and see my platform and learn a little bit about me and if they are so inclined to throw a tip in the tip jar there it’d be great to help me get my message out.
Alright, well great. I wanna thank you for joining us today and hopefully you’ll be the 136th member of Congress that supports our Term Limits Resolution.
That’s right. I will. I’ll work to do that.
Alright. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Alright, thanks, Holly. Talk to you soon.
Same.
Bye.
Guess what’s coming up soon? If you guess National Term Limits Day you’d be right. It’s never too early to start planning on how you are going to help us spread the word about our mission on US Term Limits on February 27th national Term Limits Day, if you don’t have a T-shirt or baseball cap, you can order them at termlimits.com/shop. A generous donor has offered to double all donations. That’s right. All donations made between now and National Term Limits Day on February 27th. So we hope you’ll give us a little money so that we can get that double donation. Every donation goes to programs that call out career politicians and the corruption, and they help us to pass our resolutions in the state capitals nationwide.
Now it’s time for the Corrupt Politician of the week and this week, United States Senator Jim Risch of Idaho makes our list first elected in 2008 he has served in the Idaho legislative and executive branches since 1974. As you can imagine, he’s no fan of congressional Term Limits. The Idaho statesman reported that Senator Risch used his position to divert planes from flying over his ranch. That’s right. He didn’t like the sound of the planes overhead, so he diverted the flights. Risch went to great lengths to divert these planes from taking off from the Boise, Idaho airport so that they would not fly over his 44 acre ranch, but they were diverted to less safe and less efficient routes. He lobbied the Boise Mayor’s office in the Boise Airport and they said no. He lobbied the FAA. They told him no. He spoke directly with the FAA director. He told him no. Then the senator snuck an amendment into the Federal aviation bill that changed the course of the planes. Talk about power.
His campaign was also recently fined for failing to return excessive campaign contributions despite being given numerous opportunities to do so. Jim Risch is a perfect example of rules for you, but not for me. With Congress’ sinking polling numbers and people’s support for congressional Term Limits we’re on the path of making congressional Term Limits a reality. We’ve got the momentum, but we can’t do it without you. Will you go to termlimits.org and get involved today and be sure to share this program every week with your friends and family. This is Holly Robichaud for US Term Limits Breaking News. I’ll see you next week.