Powerful ruling families have taken hold of empires and nations of the past with dynasties and monarchies ruled by pharaohs and kings. More regional societies have organized around clans and tribes. Familial orders have occurred throughout history. Outside politics there are mafias and cartels. America has had its share of families in power like the Rockefellers, Roosevelts, Kennedys & Bushes. Along with this is the public's fascination over particular families like today's royals or celebrity families like the Kardashians.

Our turn of the century election pattern gave us Bush-Clinton-Bush presidencies and had Obama and Trump not raided their particular game, there was possibility of a second Clinton presidency. We have had some related presidents before but not with such close ping-ponging prospects between two families. What if there is a call for Michelle Obama to run or other Trumps to pursue the office? With all this in mind the following proposals will put some limit on any possible further dynastic occurrences.

For the purpose of these limits we here demark the proximity relations for officeholders under these applications. The boundaries encapsulate from the nuclear family in question out to cousins laterally and grandparents or grandchildren vertically including radial orbits of aunts-uncles, nieces-nephews. We include the nuclear spouses as well within 10 years of a divorce perhaps. Those related to an officeholder within such bloodline boundaries are referred to as 'proximity related'. For those related beyond such limits the slate is clean for this proposal.

Before stating the actual protocols for such dynastic officeholders, we consider to what extent we establish these limits. First we obviously have not chosen to eliminate all familial relations within government. This is acceptable with our republic being based more so on limited powers through our constitutional framework which better checks the ability of any of those who would seek unencumbered rule on behalf of unwarranted interests. We are aware that more powerful or influential families may rise to prominence in our prosperous nation and we believe the national fabric should consider the views and interests of this demographic along with others. Nonetheless we have witnessed in the past and up to more recent times the adulation of such families by the people along with the manipulative nature of our increasingly less constitutional, deep state. This calls for a formal check to prevent undue familial powers riding on or encouraging greater departure from the roots of the republic. In our response, we set out to limit the succession of office held by closely related members of families. We wish however to do so in a fashion that will not deny participation of other family members too strictly where such a family does happen to provide a significant pool of talent towards governing the nation and voicing representation on behalf of family estates.

Towards these ends should the verifications of kin provide for unbeknownst relationships, the rigors of the restrictions may be waived in such cases. No requirement to inform parties of the relation unless security or national interests are involved or perhaps the life and limb of the related parties. Public disclosure not necessary - privacy of families should be kept as permitting.

We here ponder the enforcement of waiting periods when familial relations are due to remarriages, in-laws, etc. Any possible enactments should depend on the relations having been in place for substantial time (5 years?) and/or whether the individuals in question were in dependency or residence to the arrangement for significant period before going out on their own or starting their own families. Counting towards the maximum limit a particular bloodline may have in holding a particular office though will not likewise apply to the more legal relations except for spouses. Any vague or on-the-fence situations may be allowed or suffered until such appropriate body takes up the issue and applies their revision to a future electoral cycle. Nepotism statutes may be a guide as to which legal relations are subject. Congress or whatever legislative body can make the final rules toward such issues.

We start with proposing a choice for limits on the number of nuclear family members that can serve in the presidency:

If familial presidents get out of hand we could also consider after three proximity-related presidents (two at most nuclear) to bar anyone proximity-related to those particular presidents from holding office. A less stringent protocol would be putting forth a significant waiting time before any other proximity-related president along that bloodline.

For the purposes herein we apply the term 'dynastic' to pertain to any officeholder current, former or upcoming who is proximity related to another officeholder of the same office.

'Mutually dynastic' pertains to those officeholders in question who are proximity related to each other.

This will be a bit wordy but it is necessary to state it.

Concerning full terms:

So by (A) & (2) we allow no mutually dynastic presidents closer together than 3 interim non-dynastic terms no matter whether either of those mutual dynastics are carrying out non-consecutive 2nd terms.

Two (at most) adjacent dynastic terms are allowed to occur when:

After any such two adjacent dynastic terms here described there must occur 3 non-dynastic presidential terms.

Note that we do not allow any adjacent, non-consecutive 2nd terms between mutually dynastic presidents.

Notice the dynastic and non-dynastic terms here ratio 2:3 respectively just as the case for a single sandwiched dynastic initial term looking forward to the dynastic non-consecutive 2nd term (non-mutual) posited within the required three non-dynastic terms as described in condition (C) of the earlier section.

Just to make clear - an individual is not considered to be mutually dynastic to themself and there is no spacing rule applicable to themself in that regard over where their own non-consecutive 2nd term may occur.

Summing all that up graphically will give us basic pattern templates for constructing allowable strings of dynastic and non-dynastic presidential terms according to the conditions. To denote the terms within those templates we use 'dP' for a dynastic president and 'P' for a non-dynastic president. To denote particular families for the dynastic presidents we use 'dPf1' and 'dPf2' for dynastic presidents occurring from family 1 and 2 respectively. For their non-consecutive 2nd terms we affix '{2nd}'. To be more specific in indicating particular presidents from a family we would use 'dPf1A', 'dPf1B' and 'dPf1A{2nd}', 'dPf1B{2nd}' for presidents A & B here of the same family.

Keep in mind that when we generally mention 'family' it's not just nuclear family but it is the proximity relations which includes cousins, grandchildren, nieces and nephews as well.

We run into a problem however as the root presidents of a dynastic chain won't be known as dynastics before their successive proximity relations hold office and it is possible that they may have terms near other root presidents apparently violating the spacings and adjacent limits later prescribed after their proximity relations hold office. So to denote the roots as an exception we will reserve to them the general family nomenclature such as 'dPf1' & 'dPf2' and require the first proximity relations to them afterwards to have the convention of the more specific labels 'dPf1A' & 'dPf2A' respectively.

So we might see listed on a string of terms:

P · dPf1 · P · dPf2 · dPf3 · dPf4 · P · P · dPf5

Which would seem to violate the spacing and adjacent conditions set forth earlier above if we did not know these were mere roots of future dynastics re-labeled in retrospect.

Condition (A)

dPf1A · P · P · P · dPf1B

Condition (B)

dPf1A · P · P · P · dPf2A

Condition (C) either:

dPf1A · P · P · P · dPf2A{2nd}   or   dPf1A · P · P · dPf2A{2nd} · P   or   dPf1A · P · dPf2A{2nd} · P · P

Condition (D) either:

dPf1A · P · P · P · dPf1A{2nd}   or   dPf1A · P · P · dPf1A{2nd} · P   or   dPf1A · P · dPf1A{2nd} · P · P

Though it's a given that the starting term of each string is a sandwiched dynastic term, we don't start or display the strings at the requisite preceding 'P's.

Condition (A) could also have been presented here as:   dPf1 · P · P · P · dPf1A

(1) dPf1A{2nd} · P · P · dPf2A   or   dPf1A{2nd} · P · dPf2A

(2) dPf1A{2nd} · P · P · P · dPf1B

(i) dPf1A · dPf1A · P · P · P

(ii) dPf1A · dPf2A{2nd} · P · P · P   or   dPf1A{2nd} · dPf2A · P · P · P

(iii) dPf1A{2nd} · dPf2A{2nd} · P · P · P

So a long family-packed string could theoretically look something like:

dPf1 · dPf2      |   P · P · dPf1A · P · P · P · dPf1A{2nd} · P · dPf2A · dPf2A · P · P · P

dPf1 · dPf2      |   P · P · P · dPf2A · dPf1{2nd} · P · P · P · dPf1A · dPf2A{2nd} · P · P · P

dPf1 · P · dPf2   |   P · dPf1A · dPf1A · P · P · P · dPf2A · P · P · P · dPf1B · P · dPf2A{2nd} · P · P

dPf1 · P · dPf2   |   P · dPf1A · P · P · P · dPf2A · P · dPf1A{2nd} · P · P · dPf2A{2nd}

dPf1 · P · dPf2   |   P · dPf1A · P · dPf1A{2nd} · P · P · dPf2A · dPf2A · P · P · P

Where the dPf1 & dPf2 roots in the beginnings are first considered as 'P's and not noticeably dynastic while you are going through them.

On application to the latest dynastic presidencies, we consider a scenario where if H. Clinton had won in 2008:

H.W. Bush · Clinton · Clinton · Bush · Bush · H. Clinton

These presidencies would have instead at their closest under the dynastic limits have been (neglecting age concerns):

H.W. Bush · Clinton · Clinton · P · Bush · Bush · P · P · P · H. Clinton

From a perspective based strictly about presidents, Bill Clinton's terms would have felt like non-dynastic 'P's until a Hillary victory looking back in retrospect. There is still some repetition but more spread-out while having non-dynastic presidents preceding the latter Bush (one of them effectively at the time) and preceding H. Clinton.

As far as the required spacings in the above protocols -- a term where a dynastic president has served two or more years within is treated as a dynastic term and non-dynastic if under two years.

The eligibility of any prospective vice president which is regulated by Amendment XII, will be made based on them potentially serving a dynastic term via two or more years should they become president.

As far as counting partial terms towards family maximums -- they won't count towards a particular family's total when duration is under two years.

These are the maximum numbers of members of each body that can be proximity-related to people in the other bodies. Notice they are not necessarily based on one-on-one relations so the overall totals between particular bodies may change even though the limits for each body remain the same. For example -- during one congressional incarnation the Senate's four maximum members are each related to one member of the House, leaving the House room for six other proximity-related members to those in the other bodies. In another incarnation, the Senate's four maximum members are each related to two different House members, leaving room for only two more proximity-related House members to those in the other bodies.

For these interbody limits, let's cap the presence of proximity relations along a particular bloodline to at most two of the bodies at a time. This should not be taken to mean however a case like where some particular officeholder or appointee has cousin(s) from their father's side in one body and cousin(s) from their mother's side in another. Such a case would actually involve two different bloodlines though with a common anchor.

Once one is sworn in as President, any proximity relations who are in the House or Senate must resign and not be able to return until a term beginning where a president not proximity related to them shall hold office.

Similar restrictions apply beforehand to choice of Cabinet and other presidential appointments by nepotism statute.

Four years must pass since a former president in office before any proximity relation to that president may be in the House, Senate, Supreme Court, Cabinet, White House staff and other high department head offices.

No justice on the Supreme Court may be proximity related to another justice currently within.

One cannot be appointed as a justice in violation of the limits of proximity relations cited for the Court as well as the reciprocating House, Senate, White House staff and Cabinet limits as they are populated at the time of swearing in. The president may not appoint proximity relations to the Court.

Nominees for justice on the Supreme Court may not be proximity related to the justice they are replacing.

Three successful appointments to the Supreme Court must intervene before a proximity-related justice to a particular former justice of the Court may be appointed.

At most three justices on the court may be proximity related to former justices.

Any Supreme Court justice proximity related to an incoming president will step down temporarily and pick their own replacement from a state supreme court. A possible check could be the Senate denying a replacement by 2/3 vote under limited circumstances. The justice is to return after the proximity-related president leaves office. Should the replacement die, resign, face expulsion for bad behavior or become incapacitated; the original justice will pick another successor likewise. If the absent justice dies, resigns, faces expulsion for bad behavior or becomes incapacitated; the proximity-related president will be able to choose a new justice or make the replacement permanent via usual procedure.

No one in the Senate shall be proximity related to another senator within.

No proximity relation of a departing senator may attain that seat until two full terms have passed after departure unless the accrued duration(s) of the departing senator is less than two years in which case only one term need intervene.

Neither may such a proximity relation attain the adjacent seat of the same state any sooner.

Four years must pass since the departure of a senator so that any proximity relation to them can hold a Senate seat in another state unless the accrued duration(s) of the departing senator is less than two years in which case only 2 years need intervene.

At most three seats in the Senate can be held by proximity relations to former senators of the past 12 years who served two or more years aggregate in the Senate during that time.

Only two districts in the delegation to the House for a state may be held by representatives within who are proximity-related to each other.

No more than three representatives at a time can be proximity related along a particular bloodline.

Only twelve districts nationwide to the House on behalf of representatives proximity-related to other representatives.

If two consecutive state delegations to the House contain proximity-related representatives within then there must be a term following containing none within.

Whenever two consecutive incarnations of the House contain 8 or more proximity-related representatives within on average then the following incarnation must have no proximity-related representatives.

Whenever two consecutive incarnations of the House contain 10 or more proximity-related representatives within on average then the following two incarnations must have no proximity-related representatives.

Should we include?: There shall be no proximity relations between an incarnation of the House and the previous incarnation.

A particular House seat may not be held by a proximity-related successor until two full terms have passed interim unless the duration held in the original term is less than one year in which case just one term must pass interim.

There should be limit to the number of representatives who are proximity related to former representatives.

Only one pair of the Cabinet members may be proximity related to one another. The rest of the members must not be proximity related to any other members of the Cabinet.

Under the same president - no proximity relation of a former Cabinet member may take the former's position.

A president may only appoint one proximity relation of one of their current or former cabinet members to the Cabinet as any other limits may allow.

A president's cabinet may not have cabinet members from the previous two administrations nor their proximity relations.

A maximum of two cabinet positions on the cabinet may be from previous administrations farther back than the previous two.

A maximum of two cabinet positions on the cabinet may be proximity relations of cabinet members farther back than the previous two administrations.

A president's cabinet and White House staff must abide by the maximum allowed to have proximity relations to the House, Senate plus the Court along with the numbers within those bodies exerted back.