this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2025
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I think having a pipeline of official service would be good. Here is a concept for that:
After your first term is completed, you can elect to either run for a second term, or to be promoted to the higher level. If you get promoted, you can't have a second term on a lower level, so your career gets shorter if you move up the ladder quickly. However, if you fail to be elected to the higher post, you are barred from taking a 2nd term of your prior offices. This is a "are you sure people like you?" mechanism that theoretically would cull bad politicians from holding onto political power forever.
Mayor -> State legislature -> national congress -> president, something like that. Assuming one term for each posting, that would be 12 years of service before getting a chance at being president. 24 years of political presence if you took two full terms for each post. A politician can opt to have a glorious but short career, or to take a longer and more surer route that yields better odds of getting into the highest office.
End result: Actually good politician loses to a demagogue on the higher election, loses prior post
Theory is nice and all, but reality is that humans suck.