Former United States of America (USA) President Barack Obama demitted office just over four years ago after completing eight years in the office. It is reasonable to think that if he was on the ballot four years ago, instead of Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump wouldn't have become the 45th President. However, the US Constitution, in its present form, doesn't allow more than two terms for the leader of the country.
But Obama is still relatively young and continues to possess some of those traits which made him a popular leader. He is charismatic, charming, eloquent, and could sway the masses with his oratory. After his speech at the Democratic National Convention, some people regretted the fact that he couldn't run for a third term in the White House.
Repealing 22nd amendment?
But one prominent reporter in the USA believes that could change in the future. The Washington Post's national political reporter Robert Costa claimed in a television intervention that lawmakers in the USA are seriously considering repealing the amendment to the country's constitution which doesn't allow more than two terms to the President.
"They (lawmakers) see what happened tonight in the Democratic convention and they see that Obama coalition reassembling... But talking to Republicans and Democrats in recent times, it's clear that they're not only talking about the 19th Amendment these days or tonight," Costa told MSNBC.
"They're talking about the 22nd Amendment that bans a president from going beyond two terms," Costa continued. "Democrats are looking at that Obama speech tonight and saying maybe one day he could come back? Maybe the 22nd Amendment could be repealed?"
Why just two terms?
The American preference for giving Presidents just two terms in the office goes all the way back to the nation's founding President George Washington. At that time, there were no restrictions on the number of terms the country's chief executive can have. Still, the first President decided to step down after two terms, setting a precedent that was followed strictly till Franklin D Roosevelt deviated from it in the early 20th century.
In 1947, the 22nd amendment to the US Constitution was approved and after ratification in 1951, turned the precedent into a legal necessity. Whether the amendment will get repealed in the future is very hard to predict. As of now, it's the Democrats who would be keener on changing the status quo as they seem to have a popular ex-President in Obama. But making such a big change in the country's constitution would require bipartisan support. That looks hard to achieve these days.
