i gotta disagree. incumbency creates in practice all kinds of advantages, democracy is people choose their leaders in the context of institutional constraints that help those choices yield good outcomes. 1/

among the most important constraints is turn-taking: when “we” rule we are chastened by the sure knowledge we will be ruled by others. when they rule, vice versa. 2/

absent term limits, incumbency advantage can short circuit turn-taking, allowing entrenched incumbents to abuse power without fear of retaliation when it’s someone else’s turn. 3/

we need term limits for Congress too, as incumbency advantage renders many positions uncontestable in both primary and general elections. 4/

yes, i know the argument against that term limits shift power from electeds to unelected permanent staff. the answer to that is to reemphasize (which means use electoral reform to reconstruct) political parties. 5/

political parties, not individuals, are the repository of legislative experience. when electeds draw on party staff, that staff has influence in proportion to the degree the party has won elections. /fin