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Keller @ Large: Term Limits Would Reduce Politicians' Loyalty To Donors

BOSTON (CBS) - The leader in the clubhouse for quote of the week is GOP Congressman Chris Collins of New York, who told a reporter from The Hill newspaper: "My donors are basically saying, 'Get [tax reform] done or don't ever call me again.'"

Oh no! Not your donors!

I guess the thought of losing his campaign donation gravy is enough to override any concerns Rep. Collins might have about what an end to the deduction for state and local sales and income taxes in the GOP plan would do to his constituents.

Let's not kid ourselves, the clout wielded by big-money donors is a bipartisan phenomenon; remember when Hillary Clinton spent precious time hobnobbing with rich liberals out in the Hamptons last summer when she should have been shaking working-class hands in the Midwest?

The need for money to get elected and re-elected and the fear of losing if they don't get the dough has been warping politicians' priorities for a long time.

What is to be done about it?

Probably the best idea would be to remove the fear of defeat from the equation by imposing term limits on top politicians. If you know you don't have to grovel for bucks anymore, you are free to, say, prioritize the interests of your constituents over those of the one percent.

There was a big push for term limits back in the 1990s and it went nowhere.

So it looks like we are left with the likes of Rep. Collins, living in fear of the whims of some rich fool.

God bless America? Sure.

But maybe it's more appropriate to say - God help America.

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