Rick Perry’s Last Words
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When Rick Perry rode out of South Carolina – headed to his Texas home facing the setting sun of his presidential run – it felt overdue. Yet, since the governor joined the ranks of failed presidential hopefuls like Donald Trump, Michelle Bachmann, and Herman Cain, the race no longer feels fun.
We’re back to the drab contest of what lie on which candidate will stick in the minds of the American people. When Perry was in the fray, every day news stories were brimming with Perry’s Old Faithful geyser mouth of misinformation.
He placed the American Revolution in the 16th century, forgot how many Justices the Supreme Court has, he claimed the voting age was twenty-one (it has been eighteen for decades), he accused the chair of the Federal Reserve was a traitor, that Turkey (a NATO member) was ran by Islamic terrorists, and that social security was a criminal enterprise.
“As a former Air Force pilot, I don’t get confused,” said Perry in his final speech. Good try, Rick.
But Perry did have one good idea. It pains me to say it, but one gem did lie in the dense pile of crippled neuron muck that resides in Perry’s head. This proposal comes verbatim from his now daisy-pushing campaign website:
“A Constitutional Amendment creating 18-year terms staggered every two years, so that each of the nine Justices would be replaced in order of seniority every other year.” The beauty of this idea lies in preventing aged political ideals from presiding over multiple generations.
This also levels the political playing field. Each president would have the ability to appoint two Justices during his term.
From 1789-1970 the average occupation of a Justice stood at 15 years. Since that time, the average tenure has been 26 years. As the courts have become increasingly more powerful and political, Justices have put a stranglehold on their positions.
They hang on well past their time if a current president is of an opposing ideological persuasion. Now, there’s also a growing threat for a president to appoint a younger judge who could have a half-century place amongst the Supreme Court. This would extend a president’s vision well beyond his term.
Richard Nixon appointed four Justices during his presidency. Jimmy Carter did not get to appoint a single Justice. The “Perry Plan” would finally level the playing field. Every citizen would know that every President, every two years would have the opportunity to appoint a new Justice. Hopefully, the victor of the 2012 campaign will borrow from Perry’s moment of clarity.
