Term limits

Working their magic in New York City:

Democrats complain that fund-raising caps and term limits have deprived the Democratic challenger, Fernando Ferrer, of a political machine to confront the vast resources of the Bloomberg campaign. And he has not been able to spread his message in even traditional hotbeds of party loyalty - a sign, some Democrats say, of wealthy candidates' triumphing over party-bred politicians who once defined power in New York.

:

...New Yorkers adopted term limits in 1993, but only in recent years has the law begun removing longtime Democratic fixtures of city government, forcing the Council speaker, for instance, out after two terms. As a result, there are fewer party power bases with personnel and money for Mr. Ferrer to tap, and fewer powerful incumbents who can rope in Bloomberg Democrats. Mr. Ferrer's best-organized backer, 1199/S.E.I.U., a union of health care workers, is contributing hundreds of volunteers and thousands of glossy pamphlets to his effort, but some Democrats question whether the aid will make a significant difference.

Term limits: just think of it as anti-trust legislation for politicians.