Posted on 01/14/2007 1:40:19 PM PST by calcowgirl
THE GOVERNOR OF the nation's largest state was reelected in a landslide in November, even though his Republican Party is a minority in California. He works with Democrats in a way that offers the rest of the country a model of much-needed bipartisanship. To kick off his second term, he has proposed the most ambitious healthcare and environmental reforms in the country, and he is also committed to a massive reconstruction of the state's infrastructure.
Yet, oddly enough, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is not on the list of potential presidential candidates in 2008.
Why? Because the founders were worried in the 18th century that our fledgling nation might go the way of Poland and be overtaken by a foreign monarchy. Hence the constitutional qualifier that only "natural-born citizens" are eligible for the presidency of the United States.
In their wisdom, however, the Constitution's authors adopted a mechanism for the nation's founding document to be amended. Amendments should be undertaken sparingly, we agree, but it's a good thing that slavery was done away with and that suffrage has been expanded.
And now that we can all rest assured that no foreign monarch is going to move into the White House, it's long past due for this nation of immigrants to amend the Constitution to allow naturalized Americans to aspire to the presidency. This is precisely the type of defining issue — what it means to be American — that the amendment process was designed to address.
Supporting Schwarzenegger for governor (we did) does not necessarily lead to supporting him for president (we don't — yet). But why should Californians have their governor sidelined from the race? And why can't voters across the country be entrusted to decide for themselves whether the governor is sufficiently "American" to earn their vote? It's insulting, really.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-edw-arnold14jan14,0,2405373.htmlstory?coll=la-opinion-center
Roll call on the Arnold amendment
The editorial page asked each U.S. senator and representatives from California his or her thoughts on amending the Constitution to allow naturalized citizens to seek the presidency. Here's what they said.
Question: Would you support a constitutional amendment to allow naturalized citziens to seek the presidency?
Yes: 15. No: 9
Question: As a Californian, do you think it's fair that our governor can't run for president because he's a naturalized citizen?
Yes: 9. No: 15
[See link above for list of names and comments]
The Senators and Representatives from California that don't like our Constitution can always move to another country.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
If this passes, what we'll get is President Hernandez (PRI-Oaxaca).
One word -- Constitution! Guess the LA Times has no clue!
"He works with Democrats in a way that offers the rest of the country a model of much-needed bipartisanship."
He is a RINO anyway so what else is new.
I really want this law to be continued. This is the one right that natural born Americans actually have and one that I personally want to keep. If we keep giving away our birth rights, we will not have any left. This actually is about the only one left. Let's keep it.
Yeah, really. How long would the media or the 'Rats tolerate an elected Democrat acting as Ah-nold does towards the opposite party ? Take a look at what happened in my state of TN this past week when a courageous Democrat crossed the aisle to elect the first GOP Lieutenant Governor in 138 years (not a typo), the 'Rats wanted to lynch her on sight.
The Times recommends, for a change, amending the Constitution instead of having it "interpreted" by friendly judges.
Such uncharacteristic behavior should be encouraged.
The procedural hurdles put in place for an amendment are such that one can only pass if an overwhelming majority support it. I'm not worried.
For that matter, I see no real reason why immigrants of perhaps 20 years citizenship should not be eligible to be President. Not a real important issue for me, but not a problem either.
Guess you didn't read the article.
It is about a Constitutional Amendment, and there are quite a few CongressCritters, from both sides of the aisle, totally in favor of it.
Changing the constitution for one man, no matter who that man is, is pure foolishness.
.
NEVER FORGET
A Freedom-loving Gov. ARNOLD's excellent adventure in Little Saigon CA:
http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/photos/3165/
(Photo Essay)
NEVER FORGET
.
I suspect that they're really more interested in Jenny Granholm than in Arnold. They're using him as RINO bait.
Granholm on the other hand is a woman, she's a democrat and all the times we republicans have forced her hand can be used as evidence of her bipartisanship.
Arnold doesn't seem very "red"--in the term's 21st century connotation (e. g. "red state").
Arnold can always get elected in Austria if he wants.
Naturalized citizens shouldn't be able to be President.Nothing will ever change my attitude on that issue.
"And now that we can all rest assured that no foreign monarch is going to move into the White House,"
Can we?
Not too silly, they're putting it up for consideration by the left wing to consider changing it, don't you think? They have the most to gain by illegals, they're children are naturalized and it's a great democratic block of voters for them.
'forty acres and a mule...and you're going to vote like your friends' still a working plan.
I'm with you!
NO! The United States of America's Constitution SHOULD never be CHANGED to allow a naturalized citizen to run for or be the President of the United States of America.
Mexiforniastan IS another country. And, it grows more each day as Commissar Arnold allows more illegals in.
Not one man - many, many, many men and women.
There are tens of thousand of naturalized Americans serving in the Armed Forces right now. Why shouldn't one of them be able to aspire to the Presidency some day?
To put it another way: why should Cindy Sheehan be eligible to be President, but not some Second Lieutenant originally from the Ukraine who wins the Silver Star for gallantry under fire?
And, of course, for any foreign-born person to be elected as President, they'd have to be a super-patriot anyways, in order to overcome suspicions about them.
For that matter why should I (foreign born, not yet naturalized, but someday hope to be) be prevented from runnng in, oh 2040 or so?
Although I generally don't recommend it, I support restricting freedom of the press and the stupid editorials of the LATimes. Just them, and occasionally the NYSlimes and WACompost. And a few others...The constitution should be amended to put a muzzle on them.
Why the heck shouldn't Granholm be allowed to run, for that matter?
I mean, she came to the United States when she was, what, two or something?
Why should, to pick one obvious example, Henry Kissinger been left out of the line of Presidential succession as a result?
The solution is to put together a "Citizenship Amendment." Something like:
Article XX
1. Only those children born to a parent who is either a citizen of the United States or otherwise legally residing therein shall be entitled to citizenship on account of birth.
2. All citizens of the United States shall be eligible for any office under this constitution.
There are two things that drive the democrats nuts about the Constitution.
The Electoral College
And this "born in USA for President"
Well rather than grumble about it. Ammend it!
Course they won't do that because the founders in thier wisdom made that very hard to do.
The founding fathers were smarter than the whole modern Democratic party combined!
Our Fore-fathers wrote the provision against non-natural-born Americans becoming President for a very good reason.
I stand by the Constitution on this matter, for it is an issue of Prudence.
I certainly don't want charismatic demagogues like Hugo Chavez to move here, get themselves a moonbat NY Senate seat, and run for President with the media fawning over them once they've been here long enough.
If it was up to the "Anyone should be able to become the President Of The United States" crowd, Hitler could have moved here when he was young and held that office, Imagine what our country would be like today.
The Constitution has already been amended twenty-eight times.
It's an archaic provision, designed for the purpose that the Times outlined. I mean, hell, it was written at that very time in such a way as not to exclude Alexander Hamilton from the Presidency.
Duh - a Hitler who lived for decades in America either would have been:
a) Unelectable.
Or:
b) An entirely different person.
Grandstand can be President (PM) in Canada and you can run for office in your natural born country.
Since when is California "the nation's largest state"?
I do not believe even the Dem'crats could move swiftly enough to change the Constitution so that Arnold could run for the Presidency in 2008.
Of course, a brief could be filed with the Ninth Circus, to have the entire Constitution declared unconstitutional. A little clause like requiring the President must be a natural-boorn citizen, shouldn't have much effect on their reasoning.
My natural born country is Canada too, as it happens.
Using Mapquest, I was born, oh, ten miles from the border. On a straight line, I'd guess, oh, five or so.
Can anyone think of any rational reason why Jesus Suraez, born to illegal parents five miles across the border, should have a more valid claim than someone born five miles on the other side, who spent their entire life immursed in American culture, spent a good chunk of their school years defending the United States, and then, eventually, left their home and family behind in another country to come to the United States, largely for ideological reasons?
Grin, yeah... Given the ah "speed" at which our elected so-called leaders operate, I'd guess Arnold will be dead and buried before they could get the amendment through - with the obligatory 237 spending riders etc.
Sad to saybut if he could run, most Republicans WOULD vote for the Socialist Moron, only because he is a Republican.
Translation: Gives Democrats everything they want.
Since the 1960s.
California is the largest state in America in terms of population....36 million, and that's NOT counting all of the illegals.
California has the largest economy of any state.
In area, California is the third largest state,
after Alaska and Texas. Montana is 4th.
Hitler would have just used the Blacks as an excuse instead of the Jews.Not only would he have been President, we would probably be living in a facist country right now.
Which once again proves beyond a doubt that our fore-fathers knew what they were doing. But I would not expect someone who wasn't born and raised in America to understand that.
I do notice that it's always the people not born and raised in this country, who want to amend everything out of our Constitution.
Our constitution is why we are not Canada, Mexico, Russia or just about any other country.
Now, if only we would pass a Constitutional provision prohibiting a person who is not a natural born citizen from owning Senators or Congressmen . . . like George Soros.
Not major points, but you've got your time periods off.
The Klan reached its maximum power in 1926, with 6,000,000 members. By 1930 it was down to about 30,000, due to corruption scandals and a spectacular rape-murder trial of a leader. In the 40s membership declined further because of obvious similarities between Nazi and Klan doctrine.
It bounced back to some extent in the 50s and early 60s, with anti-integrationist violence. But its influence as an organization was always exagerated during this period, as it remained low. Influence came rather from the fact that many fellow-traveling white southerners who despised the Klan nevertheless agreed with many of its goals.
Never happen... if it does, get your burka ready.
As far as unelectable people becoming president are concerned, let's not forget Jimmy Carter. Also Al Gore and John Kerry came damned close. Granted, none of them are on a par with Hitler but today's brand of liberals are insane with hatred. I shudder to think of how many votes Hugo Chavez could pick up in this country.
Oddly enough I had a conversation with a Canadian about American citizenship last night. He really struggled with the concept of how important my American citizenship really is. I would literally give up my life before I would give up my citizenship. I could no more be Canadian than I could be a horse.
You're welcome.
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