Quote from: mdgiles on December 30, 2012, 06:39:25 AM
Indeed. Up to that point Presidents had felt they should follow the example of Washington and leave after two terms. It took a Dimocrap to decide he was "too important" or "too indispensable" to leave. There was a lot of that going around at the time - witness Hitler and Mussolini. Roosevelt not leaving after two terms, was just another example of how much the Dims had in common with the Fascists and the Communists of that era. If he had lived, He probably would have had himself appointed "President for Life" like some South American "Banana Republic".

That's how I got the idea that it was somehow in the founding documents. Washington set the precedent; and it stayed that way for a long time. It's hard to believe that with all of the precautions that they took to prevent government corruption, that term limits weren't in there. Although I suppose they saw the vote as a countermeasure to anyone taking over forever.

I'm sure they are spinning in their graves, if they can see the guy we have as president and the stupidity of the people that voted for him.

Quote from: kramarat on December 30, 2012, 08:04:28 AM
That's how I got the idea that it was somehow in the founding documents. Washington set the precedent; and it stayed that way for a long time. It's hard to believe that with all of the precautions that they took to prevent government corruption, that term limits weren't in there. Although I suppose they saw the vote as a countermeasure to anyone taking over forever.

I'm sure they are spinning in their graves, if they can see the guy we have as president and the stupidity of the people that voted for him.

As they were writing the Constitution, Washington was in the room with them. He - and they - knew they who they were writing the office for. The problem was that there was no question in their minds about Washington becoming some kind of a king or dictator. When he walked into the Continental Congress and resigned his commission and went home, Washington was the undisputed leader of the best and largest army on the North American continent. They Knew the kind of man he was. And they assumed only his type would hold the office, and they were pretty much right.

IMHO, I think a lot changed with the enormous immigrant inflow in the beginning of the 20th century. Up to that point many of the immigrants had come to the US from Northern and Western Europe. Many had come here specifically to escape any kind of political oppression in their home countries - for example the Irish - they were not going to see the same thing here. At the beginning of the 20th century people started coming from Eastern and Southern Europe, for the economic opportunity. Many of them came from Oppressive regimes, and had lived under those regimes for centuries. It was easy to convince them that business owners, for example, were no different than the feudal lords they had just escaped. I think this is where "Progressivism" got it's big push from. From people who really didn't understand the American system. 

Quote from: mdgiles on December 30, 2012, 08:47:24 AM
As they were writing the Constitution, Washington was in the room with them. He - and they - knew they who they were writing the office for. The problem was that there was no question in their minds about Washington becoming some kind of a king or dictator. When he walked into the Continental Congress and resigned his commission and went home, Washington was the undisputed leader of the best and largest army on the North American continent. They Knew the kind of man he was. And they assumed only his type would hold the office, and they were pretty much right.

IMHO, I think a lot changed with the enormous immigrant inflow in the beginning of the 20th century. Up to that point many of the immigrants had come to the US from Northern and Western Europe. Many had come here specifically to escape any kind of political oppression in their home countries - for example the Irish - they were not going to see the same thing here. At the beginning of the 20th century people started coming from Eastern and Southern Europe, for the economic opportunity. Many of them came from Oppressive regimes, and had lived under those regimes for centuries. It was easy to convince them that business owners, for example, were no different than the feudal lords they had just escaped. I think this is where "Progressivism" got it's big push from. From people who really didn't understand the American system.

Much like no one saw Obama coming when the Patriot Act was signed. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach when that went through............and here we are. It's being turned against regular Americans, and nobody can stop it.