Maxine Waters suffers embarrassing mental lapse during MSNBC appearance

California Rep. Maxine Waters (D) suffered a momentary brain malfunction while she was in the middle of trashing President Donald Trump on MSNBC last week.

Perhaps it’s time to demand term limits for aging legislators like Waters.

At a loss for words

The 80-year-old congresswoman was just beginning her appearance on Hardball with host Chris Matthews when she forgot her words. “Let me just say that this president is more than arrogant,” Waters began before a long and awkward pause.

“This, this president,” she stuttered. “This president, um, has defied everybody and everything,” Waters declared. Watch below:

After she recovered her senses, “Auntie Maxine” called for Trump’s impeachment and asked Matthews to hold a televised town hall debate on the subject. Later in the broadcast, the congresswoman adjusted her microphone earpiece, so perhaps this explains the on-air confusion.

Repeat offender

Or perhaps not. This wasn’t the first time that Waters struggled to form words during a live broadcast.

Speaking with MSNBC’s Katy Tur in 2017, Waters suffered from another brain lapse in the middle of questioning the patriotism of Trump supporters. I just don’t understand why they don’t call it like it is and recognize that evidence is pouring in and it’s growing, or what — is matt — what, what is wrong with them,” she struggled to articulate. “I just don’t quite understand.”

Watch below:

Nor is Ms. Waters the only California congresswoman to struggle to speak in her advanced age. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s speeches are often a confusing mash of false-starts, trailing sentences, and long, uncomfortable pauses.

Term limits for Congress?

While the lifetime tenure of Supreme Court justices promises to become a hot-button issue during the 2020 presidential campaign, maybe U.S. lawmakers should take a look at term limitations for members of Congress.

After all, legislators like Pelosi and Waters have been serving in the House for longer than most of the high court’s justices have been on the bench.

However, it may be wishful thinking to expect the hyperpartisan members of the House majority to limit their own power.