"TWO TERMS ARE ENOUGH!"

AMENDMENT LIMITING PRESIDENT TO TWO TERMS RATIFIED

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On February 27, 1951, the 22nd amendment to the United States Constitution stipulating that...

 "No person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice" 

was ratified.

Congress had approved the proposed amendment on March 21, 1947.  

The idea for the amendment came out of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to a third term in 1940 and a fourth term in 1944.  FDR broke the long-standing tradition set by President George Washington of serving no more than two terms.

Maine and Michigan were the first states to approve the amendment on March 31, 1947 and Minnesota was the 36th and deciding state on March 1, 1951.

In a televised interview in December 1962, President John F. Kennedy was asked his opinion on the 22nd amendment.  JFK laughed and said that although he had not yet had the opportunity to serve a second term, it was his belief that "two terms are enough."

SOURCE

"How the 22nd Amendment came into existence," by Scott Bomboy, April 5, 2019, National Constitutional Center, www.constitutionalcenter.org/

22nd Amendment Word Cloud

www.flickr.com/

"TWO TERMS ARE ENOUGH"

PRESIDENTIAL TERMS LIMITED TO NO MORE THAN TWO BY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On February 27, 1951, the 22nd Amendment* to the United States Constitution was ratified.  The amendment stipulates... 

"no person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice."

Prior to Franklin D. Roosevelt, no chief executive had broken George Washington's precedent of serving no more than two terms.  In 1940, however, FDR was elected a third time and in 1944 a fourth.

Robert Longley writes...

"In the 1946 midterm elections, many Republican candidates made limiting presidential tenure a large part of their campaign platforms."

With Republican majorities in both houses of Congress beginning in January 1947, the Joint Resolution proposing the 22nd Amendment passed with bi-partisan support (House of Representatives 285-121, Senate 59-23).

Congressman John F. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) voted for the 22nd Amendment and as sitting POTUS in December 1962 said...

"two terms are enough." 

*The 22nd Amendment (1951) permits a POTUS to serve up to 10 years.  If a president assumes the office with less than two years left in a term, he/she may run for & be elected to two full additional terms.

 SOURCE

"The 22nd Amendment Sets Presidential Term Limits," by Robert Longley, January 21, 2020, ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/ 

 
 

Five Presidents Oval Office

GWB, BHO, "W", WJC & JEC 

Jan 7 2009

Photo by Eric Draper

 

I THINK TWO TERMS ARE ENOUGH

FDR WINS FOURTH TERM

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On November 7, 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first POTUS to be elected to four terms.  In 1940, FDR had been elected to a third term and served as commander=in-chief for most of the Second World War.

FDR defeated Republican challenger Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York by an electoral vote of 432 to 99.  Dewey was the first presidential candidate born in the 20th century and the Election of 1944 would be the last time the Democrats would win every state in the "solid south."*

FDR was the beneficiary of the founding fathers' decision not to restrict the length of service of the chief executive officer of the nation.  President George Washington, however, set the precedent of serving no more than two terms.

On February 27, 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified limiting the office of the Presidency to two terms. Senator John F. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) voted for the amendment and even as president said "I think two terms are enough."

*The Solid South was the unified support of the Democratic Party by southern states following the Civil War.  The end of the SS as a political entity came with the support of civil rights by the Kennedy=Johnson administrations & the return of white southerners to the Republican Party.

SOURCE

"Election of 1944:  Four Terms for FDR", United States History, www.u-s-history.com/

NO PERSON SHALL BE ELECTED POTUS MORE THAN TWICE

TERM LIMITS ON U.S. PRESIDENTS

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Our neighbor has a child who is in the 2nd grade.  I asked him the other day which U.S. Presidents he could name.  He immediately answered George Washington and then paused for a while before adding Donald Trump.

One difference between these two POTUS is the former was not limited by the U.S. Constitution to the number of 4 year terms he could serve while the latter is limited to two.   The 22nd Amendment stipulated that "No person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice...."   It was ratified on February 27, 1951.

Washington set the precedent of serving no more than two terms, but no law or amendment restricted the number of terms or years a president could serve until passage of the 22nd amendment.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first incumbent President to seek a third term in 1940 and was also the first to win a third term.  FDR would go on to run for and be elected to a fourth term in 1944. After President Roosevelt's death in April 1945, there was a move in Congress to place a limit on the length of presidential service.

While there have been presidents since the 22nd amendment was ratified who spoke out in favor of its repeal, (Ronald Reagan for example) Congressman John F. Kennedy voted for the proposed law and supported it as president.  

In a televised interview in December, 1962, President Kennedy was reminded of his vote and asked if he would be in favor of the amendment as a sitting president.  JFK laughed and said that although he had not served a second term yet he believed "two terms are enough."

The White House

Post Tour Photo

by John White (2017)

ARE TWO TERMS ENOUGH?

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1872

TWO TERM LIMIT TO PRESIDENCY ADDED TO CONSTITUTION 65 YEARS AGO 

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified 65 years ago today, February 27, 1951.  The amendment stipulates that "no person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice."

As of the date of ratification, only one of the 33 men who served as the Chief Executive had been elected more than twice and that was President Franklin D. Roosevelt who was elected to a third term in 1940 and a fourth in 1944.

The first POTUS, George Washington, established the precedent of serving no more than two terms.  FDR's success of winning not only three terms but four led to the discussion in the Congress, after his death in 1945, of a constitutional limit of two terms.

The 22nd Amendment was proposed on March 21, 1947. The state of Maine was the first state to ratify on March 31, 1947.  My home state of Tennessee ratified on February 20, 1949.  JFK's home state of Massachusetts rejected the amendment on June 9, 1949.

Minnesota's ratification on February 27, 1952 made the 22nd Amendment the law of the land.  

As far as Congressman John F. Kennedy, he voted FOR the amendment.  In "A Conversation with the President" in December 1962, President Kennedy was asked if he still favored the amendment.  He said that he did, adding..."two terms are enough."

A reporter once asked JFK at a news conference if he favored term limits for congressmen and senators.  He laughed and said..."It's the kind of proposal I might consider in a post-presidential period...but not right now."

According to a post on "Hot Air" in August 2014, Noah Rothman quotes Larry Summers, an adviser to President Barack Obama, as saying..."many scholars regard the constitutional limit...as problematic."  One of the primary reasons for this view is that second terms are almost always unsuccessful, and the reason for that is because the re-elected POTUS almost always "has to contend with a Congress stacked with members of the opposition party."

A very good example of this phenomenon is that while Democratic President Obama has the opportunity to name a new justice of the United States Supreme Court,  he is faced with the very likely prospect that his nominee not only will not be confirmed but most likely will not even be allowed a hearing thanks to the wishes of the majority Republican party.


SOURCE

"VOX: Obama can't govern, so lets repeal the 22nd Amendment," by Noah Rothman, August 13, 2014, http://hotair.com/archives/2014/08/13/vox-repeal-22nd-amendment/

22nd Amendment to the

Constitution of the United States

National Archives Image

JFK VOTED FOR 2 TERM LIMIT ON PRESIDENCY

November 7, 2013

FDR BECAME 4 TERM PRESIDENT 69 YEARS AGO TODAY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) 69 years ago today, November 7, 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first, and remains today the only,  President of the United States to be elected to 4 terms.*

Of course, FDR is also the only president to have been elected to a 3rd term, that being in 1940.

*By virtue of the 22nd amendment to the United States Constitution, proposed on March 21, 1947 and ratified on February 27, 1951, "no person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice..."

Tennessee ratified on February 20, 1949, but Massachusetts rejected the amendment on June 9, 1949.

Until the 22nd amendment took effect and before the Election of 1940, no President served more than 2 terms.  George Washington established the precedent, however, by declining to seek a 3rd term  in 1796.

Senator John F. Kennedy voted FOR the amendment.  Later as President, he said that even having served in the office, he would still support the 22nd amendment.  He said,  "Two terms are enough!"


In 1944, Roosevelt defeated Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York by an electoral count of...

FDR        432       
DEWEY   99

Roosevelt also won the popular vote by a decisive margin...

FDR          53.4% 
DEWEY   45.9%

Mr. Roosevelt would return as Chief Executive, however, with a a new Vice-President,  Harry S Truman of Missouri who replaced Henry A . Wallace .

Delegates chose Truman on the 2nd ballot at the Democratic Convention.  With FDR's health in decline, there was concern that he would not survive a 4th term and some considered Wallace too liberal to become president.

JFK WELCOMED OFFICERS ON EMPLOYMENT OF HANDICAPPED

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) 50 years ago this morning, November 7, 1963, President John F. Kennedy welcomed officers of the State Governors' Committees on Employment of the Handicapped to the White House.**

President Kennedy said...

"We are now working...hard...on the hiring of the mentally retarded...all over the Government.  I hope you will do more in your States. 

I hope private industry and labor will also realize those who are handicapped frequently are more than compensated by their desire to be useful and to play a gainful role."

After JFK spoke, he was presented with the new seal of the committee by Maj. Gen. Melvin J. Mass, chairman.

**The officers were attending a 2 day workshop in the Nation's Capital.  

ALL SOVIET MISSILES REMOVED FROM CUBA

Moscow, USSR (JFK+50) 51 years ago today, November 7, 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, speaking at a reception in honor of the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, announced that the USSR had removed all its nuclear missiles from Cuba.

Khrushchev said:

"We were very close to a thermonuclear war.  If there had not been reason, then we would not be here tonight and there might not have been elections in the United States."

Soviet Missile in Red Square