Constitutional Amendment to Allow Foreign-Born Citizens to be President

[w4rma]

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ALLOW FOREIGN-BORN CITIZENS TO BE PRESIDENT
…
Mr. MCDONALD. All right. I could give what I consider the definitive argument against the proposed amendment in two words: Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I have been allotted 5 minutes, so I will take the 5. I will explain the reference, if it does not follow.
…
Mr. FRANK. Thank you.

First, I would ask, Professor McDonald, I assume the reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger was to hold out the terrible prospect that he might get elected President.
…
http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/judiciary/hju67306.000/hju67306_0.HTM

S.J.RES.15
Title: A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to make eligible for the Office of President a person who has been a United States citizen for 20 years.
Sponsor: Sen Hatch, Orrin G. (introduced 7/10/2003)
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:s.j.res.00015:

Hatch latest to back presidency amendment
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/07-03/07-12-03/a01lo010.htm

[w13rd0]

1. Has Hatch lost his god damned mind?

Wait, don't answer that...

This proposal is stupid from the word go...

[aquart]

2. Never.

Never.

[pansypoo53219]

3. say hello to madam president ALBRIGHT

before schwartzi.

[tsipple]

4. Helps Some Notable Democrats

Jennifer Granholm (Canadian-born Governor of Michigan) and Madeline Albright (Czech-born former Secretary of State) come to mind.

[aquart]

25. Helps NO AMERICAN.

Leaves us open to foreign takeover of the government.

Considering that this regime has no loyalty to the American people, values, or constitution (which forbids this), it makes perfect sense that they would institute such an amendment.

It finishes the job.

And the nation.

[ButterflyBlood]

that sounds like

the crap that JFK was loyal to the Pope and not the country. This stuff about how immigrants are part of a foreign takeover sounds straight from Pat Buchanan.

[IndianaGreen]

39. All of the major spies we caught

were born in this country.

Most countries in the world permit all citizens to become head of state. I could become PM of Canada or Israel, despite not having been born in those countries.

This is a remnant from the Revolutionary War when there was so much bad blood between the English colonials wanting independence and the ones wanting to remain under the Crown.

The only thing that I find odd is that it is people like Hatch, who were among the strongest advocates of English as the official language, that are now pushing for this.

Is there someone that the GOP wants to nominate in 2008? The Antichrist (he is supposed to be from Rome).?

[Dookus]

40. That's it!

It's Guido Sarducci!!

[ButterflyBlood]

41. yes, I heard the reason for it was that

they didn't want an Englishman becoming president and establishing a monarchy.

[DavidNY]

42. That's right, and I'd trade Granholm's eligibility for Schwarzenegger's...

any day. She's from a swing state, is much more in line with the mainstream of her party than Schwarzenegger is with the mainstream of his, and has generally stronger prospects. I'd love to see her on the 2008 Presidential or VP shortlist.

[Democat]

5. If the Republicans pass it, they will exclude Russians and Chinese

You know, the evil communists! :)

[tsipple]

8. Saddam Would Be Eligible

Now that would be interesting.

[aquart]

24. President Rupert Murdoch.

President Reverend Moon.

[ButterflyBlood]

28. two idiots with no chances of winning anyway

please. be worried about the right wing whackos born here.

[Pastiche423]

34. Henry Kissinger

[Dookus]

35. Charles Manson

what's your point?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

6. Moon wants to be pres really bad..it's his intention to conquer the US

[ButterflyBlood]

23. and there are plenty of nutcases born in the US who also would like to

and have no chance. Moon is like 83 anyway.

[ThoughtCriminal]

7. Remind Hatch...

that Idi Amin is dead, so forget it.

[Gman]

9. Is Idi Amin still dead?

Haven't heard one way or the other in the last 24 hours or so.

[Trek234]

10. Wow can't believe the anti-immigrant feeling

against this amendment.

Is this a democratic board or a klan board?

[Eloriel]

11. Um, mostly a pro-Constitution board

I don't see anything wrong in preserving this qualification for ONE single elected office, the highest in the land. When that's the only discrimination that the foreign-born face here in the U.S., come back and talk to me.

Alternatively, when an amendment like this isn't put forth by a Republican, come back and talk to me.

Eloriel

[Dookus]

13. but...

I'm all for giving people the greatest choice possible.

We should overturn this limitation - there's no evidence whatsoever that long-term foreign-born citizens are incapable of being president.

We should also abolish the term-limit in the Presidency.

I believed it when Reagan was finishing his 2nd term and I believed it when Clinton was finishing HIS 2nd term. The right thing is the right thing regardless of which individual stands to benefit from it first.

And trust me, if this passes, we still won't be seeing a President Schwarzenegger.

[ButterflyBlood]

17. exactly

there's no way in hell the far right would ever support him for the nomination.

[maggrwaggr]

26. why the hell else would Hatch be trying to get this passed

if not for Schwarzenegger's benefit (damn that takes some typing)

[Dookus]

29. again...

the right thing is the right thing regardless of who proposes it.

I find it very disturbing that people would SUPPORT this amendment if Ted Kennedy proposed it, but oppose it because Hatch proposed it.

I don't decide on what's right and what's wrong that way. I'm surprised others do.

[ButterflyBlood]

30. who cares?

I'd rather him than the cokehead in office now, and just about every other Republican out there.

[ButterflyBlood]

14. It's been sponsored by Barney Frank many many times in the past

There's no reason someone who moved to the US when they were 2 months old should be prohibited from any office.

[Pastiche423]

12. Article II Section 1

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President

The Constitution of the United States

Hasn't our Constitution been shredded enough since December 12, 2000?

[ButterflyBlood]

15. The Electoral College is also in the Constitution

and that too should go.

[Dookus]

16. How on earth...

does this shred a right? It EXPANDS rights. Which is what constitutional amendments traditionally have done.

On edit:

The constitution hasn't changed one bit recently. It's been 11 years since the last amendment was 'recognized' (a bit of a fluke, really - it'd been floating around for 200 years before somebody realized it'd could still be ratified.) Before that, it was 1971, when 18-year olds were given the right to vote.

No, constitutional amendments are NOT the cause of the problems we see today.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

19. So you are OK with President Sun Myung Moon?

[Dookus]

20. No, of course not.

But if the majority of Americans voted for him, then I'd have to live with it.

Picking out one bad example who would never have a chance in hell of winning is not a convincing argument for why we should continue this xenophobic prohibition.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

33. Never have a chance in hell of winning when he already

weilds so much power? Ever heard of unintended consequences? I have no issue with the person leading this nation having to have been born here even if it meant Daniel Inouye could not have held higher office.

[Dookus]

36. So...

you're willing to maintain an unjust, xenophobic prohibition just to avoid the .0000001% possibility that an ancient, nutcake Korean preacher doesn't become president?


And I think I overestimated his chances.

[ButterflyBlood]

37. your average person on the street thinks the Moonies are nuts

and fundies (I'm talking about run of the mill ones, not their leaders) would never support him eithe due to his blasphemous claims. An 83 year old cult leader doesn't have much chance, and as I pointed out before, this doesn't stop us from President Lyndon LaRouche, yet oddly enough that hasn't occured yet.

[ButterflyBlood]

22. Are you OK with President Lyndon LaRouche?

There are nutcases born everywhere, but luckily most of them don't have too much of a chance of getting elected. If Moon was born in the US he'd be just as loony, and would also still have no chance in hell of winning.

[Dookus]

27. it seems...

that some people are simply picking some bad examples of people who would become eligible to run and then using that as a reason for discounting the amendment. It's pretty fishy logic to me.

Now, of course, in 5 or 9 or 13 years when we get a Nelson Mandela-like candidate who was born elsewhere and moved here as a child, their positions will be different.

I think the right thing to do is the right thing to do at any time.

[ButterflyBlood]

38. exactly

there are people born here who would make good presidents and people born here would make bad presidents (like the squatter in the White Hosue currently)

there are people born elsewhere who'd make good presidents and people born elsewhere who'd make bad presidents.

pretty simple.

[WilliamPitt]

18. Ever see Judge Dredd?

Stallone goes into the future to discover that a Constitutional amendment was passed to allow Schwarzenegger to run for President. Arnold won.

[ButterflyBlood]

31. you're thinking of Demolition Man

[WilliamPitt]

32. Right right right right

Thanks for the corrections. I get my Sly flicks confused sometimes. :)

[w13rd0]

43. How the heck could that happen?

I mean, Sly plays such a diversity of characters, how could you get one bad sci-fi confused with one of the other bad sci-fi fliks he's been in. Gee, what's next, gonna start getting Sly and Arnie's films confused? Your recall is remarkably dissappointing...pardon the pun...

[proud patriot]

21. I can't imagine this going over very well

with your average Joe Conservative either ..

I think this will opposed by both sides

[ComerPerro]

44. Two Cents

Look, I am thinking they want to turn Arnold (I will spell his last name from memory when he can) into Ronald (Reagan).
Both are rich actors, soon both will have held the governorship of California, and neither has a damn clue about politics.
Many people here say that Arnold will not be supported by the far right. This is a fair assesment, because of his libertarian leanings (pro-gun-control, pro-gay, blah blah) and people are worried that he is a liberal. Well, he would be except for the fact that he loves his money. The primary reason that he is republican is due to his finances.
Therefore, whatever liberal notions he may hold will be gone. Arnold will sell out. The idea that someone with a lot of money and power does not want more money and power is just nonsense.
Bottom line: As soon as Arnold is told what to think and say, he will be the ideal hard right candidate.

[Sick of Bullshit]

45. There is absolutely no compelling reason for this amendment

The founding fathers may have been concerned with an Englishman starting a new monarchy, but they were also wary of th "musical monarchs" game that was played in Europe, in which royalty from one country might be invited to reign over another country (as was the case, for example, with King George I of England, who was previously George, Elector of Hanover). These regents often had more loyalty to other royalty than to the people they came to govern.

[Dookus]

46. well....

the house version of the amendment stipulates that the person be a naturalized citizen for 35 years. The senate version, 20 years.

I don't see how this allows "musical monarchs".

[librechik]

47. I predicted this, and everyone thought it was a joke

But oops, there it is--the move to put Arnold in power!

These people have no respect for the constitution; they just want their own way and nobody else allowed.

[Dookus]

48. ya know...

this is NOT a new idea. It's been around for years. And it's been supported by members of both parties.

Can we get past all the INDIVIDUALS people don't want elected and look past that to the bigger question:

is it RIGHT to deny the right to be President to somebody who has lived in this country and been a loyal citizen for over 20 years (or 35 years in one version of the amendment) simply because they were born elsewhere? Is RIGHT to deny US the right to vote for such a person?

Those are the only questions that matter.