Nancy Mace on Government Reform

Term limits are the only way to stop the ruling elitists

"I believe the real fight is between the political class and the working class: the ruling elites are entrenched on one side, and the American people are taking the punches on the other. Well, it's time the American people fight back; it is my firm belief that most Americans are tired of out of control government and the double talk that comes from the career politicians who have put us in this fiscal tailspin with no clue of how to correct course," writes Mace in her new press release titled "Term Limits Are the Only Way to Stop the Ruling Elitists.

"For 59 years, two men have occupied the senate seat now held by South Carolina's senior Senator Lindsey Graham. In fact, the end of his current term will mark 20 years in Washington for Senator Graham. Of course, 20 years of "service" isn't enough for Lindsey Graham, as he has already announced his intention to stay in the beltway for at least six more years."

Term limits of 12 years for Senate; 6 years for House

"Term limits would not only cap the number of years a specific person would serve in Congress, it would limit the power of lobbyists, corporations, and other special interests that invest millions of dollars in the status quo," said Mace.

Mace went on to say, "Today, countless Americans have lost faith in our government. Establishment politicians cannot be trusted. I believe we can fix the mess in Washington, but we need the right tools to make it happen. Term limits are a great place to start, but we also need bold leadership to make it happen."

If elected, Mace plans to serve no more than two terms in the U.S. Senate.

I don't trust this government; it overreached its boundaries

The problem we face today is that the government has overreached its boundaries. We have a federal government intruding in our families, churches and businesses. This is the definition of an oppressive government.

The question facing voters this election is simple. Do you trust this government? With your health care, with your taxes or your cell phone records. Because I don't. I believe this government is too big, too intrusive and too powerful, and must be put back in its place by the people. If we get back to the principles based in our Bill of Rights, we can reclaim the promise of America.

Signed term limit pledge: 6 years House; 12 years Senate.

Organizational Self-Description: U.S. Term Limits, the nation's oldest and largest term limits advocacy group, announced that 14 new signers of its congressional term limits amendment pledge have been elected to the 114th Congress. The group includes five new senators, eight new House members and one House incumbent who signed the pledge for the first time this cycle. The pledge calls for members to co-sponsor and vote for a constitutional amendment limiting House members to three terms (six years) and Senators to two terms (12 years). The USTL President said, "The American people are fed up with career politicians in Washington and strongly embracing term limits as a remedy. Gallup polling shows that 75% of Americans support term limits."

Opposing legal argument: [ACLU, Nov. 7, 2014]: In U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton (May 22, 1995), the Court ended the movement to enact term limits for Congress on a state-by-state basis. The Court held that the qualifications for Congress established in the Constitution itself could not be amended by the states without a constitutional amendment, and that the notion of congressional term limits violates the "fundamental principle of our representative democracy 'that the people should chose whom they please to govern them.'"

Opposing political argument: [Cato Institute Briefing Paper No. 14, Feb. 18, 1992]: Several considerations may explain political scientists' open hostility to term limitation:

• Political scientists were instrumental in promoting the professionalization of legislators.
• They are cynical about the attentiveness, general knowledge, and judgmental capacity of the average voter.
• They are committed to the conservation of leadership.
• They perceive attacks on professional politicians as a threat to their own self-proclaimed professionalism.
• And political partisanship may encourage them to oppose term limits.

Anti-CFR, according to PVS survey.

Project Vote Smart inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Campaign Finance: Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?' PVS self-description: "The Political Courage Test provides voters with positions on key issues. Historically, candidates have failed to complete our test due to the advice they receive from their advisors and out of fear of negative attack ads."

Don't impeach President Trump for events of Jan. 6.

GovTrack.us summary of H.Res.24: Article of Impeachment Against Former President Donald John Trump:

The House impeached President Trump for the second time, charging him with incitement of insurrection. The impeachment resolution accused the President of inciting the violent riot that occurred on January 6, when his supporters invaded the United States Capitol injuring and killing Capitol Police and endangering the safety of members of Congress. It cites statements from President Trump to the rioters such as `if you don't fight like hell you're not going to have a country anymore,` as well as persistent lies that he won the 2020 Presidential election.

Legislative Outcome:

Bill introduced Jan 11, 2021, with 217 co-sponsors; House rollcall vote #117 passed 232-197-4 on Jan. 13th (a YES vote in the House was to impeach President Trump for inciting insurrection); Senate rollcall vote #59 rejected 57-43-0 on Feb. 13th (2/3 required in Senate to pass; a YES vote in the Senate would have found President Trump guilty, but since he had already left office at that time, a guilty verdict would have barred Trump from running for President in the future)