“A root cause is an initiating cause of either a condition or a causal chain that leads to an outcome or effect of interest. The term denotes the earliest, most basic, 'deepest', cause for a given behavior; most often a fault. The idea is that you can only see an error by its manifest signs. Those signs can be widespread, multitudinous, and convoluted, whereas the root cause leading to them often is a lot simpler.”From Project Management.
Anyone who is or has studied to be a project manager knows what root cause is and by defining a root cause then lessons learned allowing for a solution. So what does root cause have to do with an opinion piece on Mr. Trump?
Mr. Trump’s occupancy for the Whitehouse is no accident. He is the product of the 22nd amendment to the US constitution. Had that term limit not exist Mr. Trump would not have had an opportunity to run for the highest office in the nation. It is this reason the Republicans pushed the ratification of the 22nd amendment.
Mr. Trump is the outcome that was hoped for back in 1947 when the Amendment was sent out for ratification. It is the outcome the Republicans are hoping for with their US Term Limits initiative to force congressional term limits.
If we look at the only reason for the 22nd amendment was the intent to solely to keep a popular president from holding office and setting an agenda that benefits the electorate promotes programs and laws that are popular with the electorate.
US Term Limits initiative seeks to bring the congress in to the same fold and thereby leading to massive voter apathy. After all when the electorate starts to believe that “it’ll only be two terms and then we can vote him/her out” leads to a lack of participation in the political process.
It is this participation that keeps a democracy alive. “What country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that its people preserve the spirit of resistance.”Thomas Jefferson
Just looking at the popularity of recent presidents, George Bush one and two might never happened. Reagan would have had three terms, and Clinton would easily have had five terms. This is only based on the popularity of the president after the end of the Vietnam War.
Waiting for term limits, without taking back the Senate, holding the House and flipping at least 6 state legislatures, will not solve the problems Mr. Trump has created. Term limits for the presidency is not the safety net we all hope for and extending them to all of the federal government could actually be the end of our democracy.
I know, ya’ll think in yelling the sky is falling, but the end game is visible as it would be in a game of guerrilla chess. Mr. Trump has been making fast and outrageous moves trying to keep his opponents off guard and on a never ending defense of the board. More times than not the aggressor in guerrilla chess wins the first couple of matches but then losses more matches in the long run as hit and run tactics become predicable.
If the house fails to open an inquiry into the corruption of this administration by the 27th of August they will have solidified Mr. Trump’s march to fascism and the death of the democracy. If by the first primary or caucus Mr. Trump’s misdeeds are not under scrutiny he will bury the truth with Tweets and targeted messages on social media that will undermine our liberties.
“Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties: (1) those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all power from them into the hands of higher classes. (2) Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise depository of the public interest. In every country these two parties exist.” Thomas Jefferson
