Term-limit pledges get left behind

[Judi Lynn]

(Via Raw Story)
Term-limit pledges get left behind
By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY
Thu Apr 13, 7:06 AM ET

Jeff Flake pledged during his first campaign for Congress in 2000 that if elected, he would serve three two-year terms. But the Arizona Republican is running again to keep his seat in the House of Representatives.

"It was a mistake to limit my own terms," says Flake, a conservative who has challenged Republican leaders on federal spending. He says the once-fashionable movement to limit terms in Congress has "just petered out."

Flake is one of at least seven House Republicans who had vowed to leave Congress next year but will be on the ballot in November. They ran as citizen legislators - antidotes for "career politicians." But after six or 12 years on Capitol Hill, they say they're just getting the hang of the job. None faces serious opposition because redistricting has protected incumbents.
(snip)

Term limits eventually stalled in Congress. Once Republicans took charge, "a lot of the motivation disappeared" to stick to them, says John Pitney, a former House Republican aide who teaches political science at Claremont McKenna College near Los Angeles.
(snip/...)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/termlimitpledgesgetleftbehind&printer=1;_ylt=Ag2x1u9REmEKwZbCSsBMA5AJCGYD;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-

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1. Duplicate

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