WY-Gov: Might Freudenthal Challenge Wyoming's Term Limit Laws?

[ccharles000]

http://www.swingstateproject.com

Needless to say, this would be a major game-changer:

It now appears that Freudenthal may well seek a third term in 2010 -- thanks to a series of legal and political maneuvers that began more than two decades ago.
After Democratic Gov. Ed Herschler served three consecutive terms into the mid-1980s, the state legislature passed a bill limiting Wyoming's chief executives to two terms. Then, in 1992, voters passed a ballot initiative that brought term limits to the state legislature in the finest "If it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander" tradition.

Fast-forward 12 years to a lawsuit brought by two term-limited legislators -- a Democrat and a Republican -- challenging the constitutionality of such limits. The state Supreme Court unanimously agreed that the term limits could not be imposed by ballot initiative, ruling that an amendment to the state constitution would be required.

While that decision did not apply to Wyoming's five statewide offices -- including governor -- there is a strong sense that if Freudenthal challenged the constitutionality of his own term limits, it would be a slam-dunk victory for the incumbent.

Freudenthal seems an unlikely sort to pursue this kind of challenge - but he's leaving the door wide open:


Asked about the possibility that Freudenthal would seek a third term, his spokeswoman Cara Eastwood said only: "When the governor has something to announce, he will announce it."
Putting aside my own feelings about term limits & voter referenda, this would be great news for Democrats, of course. And here in NYC, it doesn't appear that Bloombo is paying a price for extending his own term limits (despite far worse optics and behavior), so I suspect Freudenthal could pull it off.

[BlooInBloo]

1. (shrug) Regardless of party-stuff, I think extra-constitutional term limits should be banned...

I'm not in favor of any further limitations on the voters' right to elect whomever ever they like, beyond Constitutional restrictions.


EDIT: It's especially jackass batshit stupid that people would vote to restrict THEIR OWN RIGHT TO VOTE, and then in the next breath whine about "losing their Democracy" - but I'll save that rant for some other time.