Michael Hiltzik: Tom Steyer's proposed congressional term limits are a lousy idea
Primary debates are perfect forums for tossing out ideas that offer no virtues except that they're instantly crowd-pleasing. Sure enough, presidential candidate Tom Steyer aired out one of these at Wednesday's Democratic debate: term limits for members of Congress.
"I'm the only person on this stage who will talk about term limits," Steyer said. To which we might add: Thank goodness.
Calls for term limits are perfectly designed to appeal to voters' primal reflexes, the ones that arise from what evolutionary psychologists sometimes call the "lizard brain." They're the legislative reduction of the impulse to "throw the bums out," that all-purpose solution for disaffection with politics.
The chief problem with term limits
