VOA标准英语2008年-Term Limit Ensures White House Turnover

By Jeffrey Young
Washington, D.C.
04 January 2008
 

The U.S. Constitution requires presidents to leave office after a certain period of time, preventing endless control of the executive branch by one person and their party.  In this segment of the How America Elects series, VOA's Jeffrey Young looks at how presidential term limits came about.

Every U.S. president, no matter how popular, no matter how powerful, can win only two four-year terms in office. Then they're out. That was the intention of those who founded the United States, an intention later made part of the U.S. Constitution. 

The U.S. tradition of limiting presidential terms in office goes back to the first president, George Washington, who left office after two terms, for reasons explained by Georgetown University's Mark Rom. "President Washington wanted to avoid the 'cult¹ of personality.'  He also wanted to avoid the transition to a monarchy².  And, if you have a president who can stay in office indefinitely, the fear is that, somehow, this would become a position for life rather than something to serve the public."

Thus began the tradition of presidents serving no more than two terms, something the Founders³ also saw as a means of stimulating⁴ a multi-party political environment. That is, until Ulysses S. Grant, a Republican, won the presidency⁵ in 1868 and in 1872.  In 1880, he was not successful.

The next time a president sought a third term was in 1912.  Republican Theodore Roosevelt, who served from 1901 to 1909, abandoned his party and formed a new one, the Progressive Party, to challenge the Republican nominee⁶, William Howard Taft.  Roosevelt defeated Taft, but he did not defeat Democrat⁷ Woodrow Wilson, who went to the White House.

The only U.S. president elected to more than two terms was Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.  In 1940, after Roosevelt already had served twice as president.  World War Two was savagely⁸ underway in Europe and Asia.  Roosevelt ran for and won a third, and then, a fourth term. 

The feelings of the electorate⁹ at that time are described by Howard University's Lorenzo Morris. "The simplest answer, I think, is that Americans recognize that, under stress, as any country would, and it's probably the only law of politics, [that] under stress, countries tend to re-elect the leader, tend to go focus on the leader."

Then in 1946, the Republican Party took control of Capitol Hill and passed a constitutional amendment¹⁰ that limits presidents to two full terms. Georgetown University's Mark Rom explains Congress' motivation to take action. "The Republicans were concerned that a four-term liberal president was not to their liking¹¹, and to keep a long parade of liberal presidents from coming into office, [they passed an amendment that would set up the rule] 'two terms and you're out.' "

The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified¹² by the states by 1951. Presidents can win two full four-year terms, and can also serve for less than half of another term if the previous president dies or otherwise leaves office.  While some have called for its repeal¹³, others say this amendment is what the Founders intended to ensure a vibrant¹⁴ democracy.

1 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

2 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

3 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

4 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

5 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

6 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

7 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

8 savagely   

adv. 野蛮地，残酷地

参考例句：

• The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。
• He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。

9 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

10 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

11 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

12 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

13 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

14 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。