Whenever I write something about term limits, some of my Texas Panhandle friends almost always bring up U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry’s name and accuse of him of hypocrisy on the subject.

Here’s what I wrote recently on the subject of term limits:

http://www.johnkanelis.com/2013/03/term-limits-move-stirring-to-life.html

Now, let me try to set straight what I understand to be the record about Thornberry’s position on term limits.

The Clarendon Republican won his seat in the House of Representatives in 1994 after campaigning under the Contract With America banner, which included a provision to limit the terms of House members and senators. Thornberry supported all the terms of the Contract With America.

What his critics keep saying is that he has gone back on his word to limit the amount of time he would serve.

I will stipulate that I was not working in Amarillo during the 1994 congressional campaign; I took up my newspaper post in the Panhandle in January 1995, the very week that Thornberry began his congressional career. But I am fully aware of what he said during that tumultuous campaign.

He did not say he would impose term limits on himself, but would support – with his vote – any proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to limit congressional terms whenever they came up. He has done so every time the issue has gone before the House. The proposed amendment, however, always has failed to garner the two-thirds majority it needs to refer it to the states for ratification.

Perhaps the now-veteran congressman was too cute with his promises back in 1994. Still, he never promised to serve, say, three terms and then walk away. He has decided to run for re-election many times since winning his seat nearly two decades ago. Thus, I’ll give him credit at least for refusing to box himself into a corner and then try to wiggle his way out of it by reneging on a promise he refused to keep – such as what happened with former Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash., who did promise to serve for three terms after defeating Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley, only to take it all back, infuriating term-limits advocates in the process.

Term limits eventually may become the law of the land. I remain dubious of mandating such limits, given that voters deserve to make that decision without the law forcing it upon them. As for Mac Thornberry, he’s done a decent job representing most of his constituents’ views on many relevant matters, such as taxation, government spending and on some key social issues.

I suppose if the term limits idea comes to a vote in the House, Thornberry will say “yes” to it while maybe secretly hoping it fails yet again.