Who Can Be President Of The United States Of America?

[tinybear]

Practically anyone born in the USA. But if you're not born in the USA, you can't. Now does that accord with the principle of equality (or for the principle of merit for that matter)? Does it even accord with common sense?

So do you think that the Constitution ought to be amended so that US citizens who were not born here can make a bid for President?

[Morgan_Freeman]

Good question. Do any of our constitutional scholars here know why this requirement exists in the first place, and if that reasoning is still relevant in the modern world?

[tinybear]

I'm not sure about the origin of this rule. But I can't see the relevance now, can you? So why hasn't it been abolished?

[Morgan_Freeman]

I can't see any obvious reason. I'm all for open immigration and equal protection, as you know. So unless someone brings up a good point, something better than "we can't trust foreigners", I would support an amendment.

[tinybear]

Me too. So why hasn't there been any campaigns for the amendment? Odd, ain't it?

[ericsp23]

I don't consider myself a constitutional scholar, but I can think of a good reason for the requirement. The people who drafted the constitution must have feared that a foreign country that wanted to influence policies of the American government to their favor might send people over to gain citizenship and then run for president. The only way to ensure that it could never happen was to forbid anyone who was born as a citizen of another country from ever running for president.

[Morgan_Freeman]

That's kind of ridiculous, though. There are now large groups of people *inside* the US whos goals are so foreign to my own that I don't trust them at all. Special interests are now a large part of American Politics. Keeping someone out just because they were born in another country seems naive and quant.

[The Dunedan]

Eric's got it.
The Founders were justifiably concerned about foreign powers trying to influence our laws and policies by inserting agents into our government, and so they instituted the "native-born rule" for the Presidency.

[tinybear]

Is it still relevant though?

[The Dunedan]

Could be, it'd depend on the candidate. Do we want Vladimir Putin or Jacques Chirac running for President?

[tinybear]

Did we want George W. Bush? Oh yeah, I forgot. We did. :p

[Morgan_Freeman]

But those guys would lose, hands down. I'm saying that someone simply being from another country doesn't make them more untrustworthy in a sea of corrupt politicians.

Not to mention that our native-born politicians are influenced by foreign interests anyway.

[tinybear]

Come on. Surely America can't be xenophobic. We should amend the Constitution now. Besides, Arnold isn't getting any younger, you know.

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: tinybear Did we want George W. Bush? Oh yeah, I forgot. We did. :p

Bush is a good example of what I think the founders were addressing. A lot of people voted for Bush because of his stance on things like a gay marriage amendment but now that he's elected he will not support it.
All too often we elect people who say one thing and do another once they have been elected. The possibility exists that the framers of the Constitution considered that and realized it is damn near impossible to guard against it with a document, but may have figured that eliminating a foreign-born president would at least reduce the chance an anti-american charmer wouldn't get that power.
The whole thing is about Schwarzenegger and how the conservatives would like to see him run, LONG BEFORE he even had the chance to even prove himself as governor!

Lets see,
Popular actor with ZERO political or leadership experience. Calls himself a conservative so the conservatives gush about how he should be allowed to run for president yet not knowing a THING about his ability or fitness for the office at the time.

Maybe I'm the only one with a problem with this but I can see that as a good reason to have the restriction right there!

[tinybear]

What's the difference between him and Reagan, except Ronnie is your homegrown all-American cowboy hero whilst Arnold's just an alien Terminator from Austria who has yet to learn how to pronounce "Kalifawneeia".

[gr8fuldaniel]

Quote by: tiny, Besides, Arnold isn't getting any younger, you know.

Arnold is exactly why there should be no amendment. He is an absolute failure as a governor, what makes you think he could succeed as prez? Arnold was famous, not smart. He is also immoral and hangs with Ken Lay. The gropen fuhrer has sold us californians out on many levels.

I agree with Scribbler;

The whole thing is about Schwarzenegger and how the conservatives would like to see him run, LONG BEFORE he even had the chance to even prove himself as governor!

As for ammending the Constitution; leave it alone.....

Unless you want to ammend it to keep us safe from this:

America doesnt demand someone better than Bush?
There are billions of more qualified men right here in the USA, why should we outsource the top job?
You dont have much faith in our gene pool if you think we need to look elsewhere.

And WTF, is with the popularity of Nazis again?

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: tinybear What's the difference between him and Reagan, except Ronnie is your homegrown all-American cowboy hero whilst Arnold's just an alien Terminator from Austria who has yet to learn how to pronounce "Kalifawneeia".

There may yet be a foreign-born American who would be a great president, someday. But not now, as far as I can tell. And if Schwarzenegger suddenly joined the Democratic party tomorrow you would see this whole amendment thing simply dry up and blow away anyhow.

You know, for a party that claims to love this country so much, the Republicans seem to want to change a whole LOT of the document that the country is based on.
Between now and the end of Bush's term while the GOP runs the show I figure we are going to see still MORE changes and new amendments to the Constitution being proposed, and I'm fearful some may just be adopted.

[tinybear]

gr8fuldaniel> Who's talking about outsourcing the top job? Any candidate for President will have to be an American. All I'm saying is he doesn't necessarily have to be born in America.

[gr8fuldaniel]

Its normal to feel loyalty to ones native land.
If it were not important they wouldnt have written Article 2, Section 5 in the Constitution.
Check out this exerpt:

LINK The Founders forged Clause 5 of Article 2 of the Constitution to protect America from a foreign-born President holding dual or treacherous alliances with other countries. Ironically, the Founding Fathers did this because, at the time of the ratification of the Constitution in 1789, a scandal was enveloping Europe concerning an Austrian government operation where Austrian agents would move to another European country as young men, become popular, and move into powerful elected positions, all the while serving their Austrian homeland. In more modern times, we have the phenomenon of Adolf Hitler of Austria, who Schwarzenegger has spoken of admiringly, taking over Germany. America is a wonderful place full of opportunities and is the most open to immigrants anywhere. If an American citizen went to Austria and told them that he wanted to be President he would be laughed at as an outlander. No country in the world would even consider having a foreigner as their President or their Prime Minister. On top of it all, Arnold Schwarzenegger has never given up his dual-citizenship with Austria, and he is continually involved in Austria's internal politics. The Arnold camp has talked about how, if he can't become US President he might move back to Austria and become President there. Good. Good riddance, we say. After all, Arnold has campaigned in Austria before -- for nazi war criminal Kurt Waldheim. At the height of an international scandal in 1986 Arnold said in front of a crowd of family, friends and news media that he didn't care about Waldheim's nazi past, he was going to support him. He was even on campaign posters.

I would recommend the rest of the page.
This is purely an ego/power trip, he has already shown himself willing to lie to advance himself.

[tinybear]

What is one's native land though? If say you're born in England, but cam to America when you were just 4 and have lived, worked, married and raised your kids in America ever since, who would you be loyal to? Hey, too bad Bob Hope's dead. Otherwise you could ask him.