When he ran for his first congressional term in 1994, Mark Souder made a big deal about people going to Washington and staying too long. In fact, he made a self-imposed 12-year limit on his service the cornerstone of his campaign. So guess when that 12 years is up? If Souder really meant it back in 1994, he shouldn't even be running for re-election next year.
Of course, we all know he is. When Paul Helmke ran against Souder in the 2002 primary, he challenged Souder on this. Souder's response: The 2001 redistricting, in which he went from being 4th District representative to 3rd District representative, reset the countdown; conditions had changed sufficiently to nullify his original pledge.
I dunno. I think "12 years" means "12 years." Unless we start holding them accountable, politicians are going to keep making extreme pledges ("Read my lips: No new taxes") to get elected, then abandoning them when they're no longer convenient. Oh, wait a sec. Bush 41 was held accountable. Voters kicked him out.
I say this without regard to Souder's performance or stand on the issues, or any expectation that I would much like whoever replaced him. But a pledge is a pledge, and it at least ought to be at the top of the list of campaign issues.
