Posted on 01/20/2016 10:15:17 AM PST by inpajamas
I was told today that Ted Cruz's conservatism was moot because he is not eligible to run for president. I have also been told by others that true conservatives cannot win a general election. If that is true, then there is no winning, for even if you prevail by sacrificing values and principles to enlarge your "tent", you have won nothing.
The truth is, regardless of Cruz's status, Cruz's conservatism is not moot anymore than the Founders ideas were moot. For if values and principles are moot, you can follow the law precisely and you have nothing. The Founders parted company with the law they were under to embrace freedom. If it takes another revolution, so be it. And if we have to start over, I don't care where the values and principles and morals come from if they are good. I will stick with invisible virtues wherever they be found. If they are not embraced by Americans in power, I will support a foreigner who has them. I believe we are that point in history. This view, I was told, was a rejection of the Constitution. My response was not my one, but one of the Founders:
"The question you propose, whether circumstances do not sometimes occur, which make it a duty in officers of high trust, to assume authorities beyond the law, is easy of solution in principle, but sometimes embarrassing in practice. A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self -preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means.. . . " - Thomas Jefferson to John B. Colvin, 20 Sept. 1810 Works 11:146
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a2_3s8.html"
So they won?
Until the USSC rules on what constitutes NBC we have no way of knowing if Cruz is eligible. So elect Cruz, the conservative and let the court sort it out. BTW- there is no chance that the court would unseat an elected president, not Obama not Cruz.
The context was primarily dealing with property rights. A fundamental Constitutional Right.
Also in the letter are his comments on war time actions....”The officer who is called to act on this superior ground, does indeed risk himself on the justice of the controlling powers of the constitution, and his station makes it his duty to incur that risk. But those controlling powers, and his fellow citizens generally, are bound to judge according to the circumstances under which he acted.”
Evidently TJ believed in higher (lawful) acts not found in the Constitution.
It is not holding up the way the Constitution has been cleverly undermined and perverted, true. At some point it would be better to serve the noble and good intents of the Founders that a perversion of all that was good in their eyes. If restoration means doing that, I am in. Either you agree with Jefferson when he says there is a time to override a law, or you don’t.
Agree, and the sad thing is we have so few conservatives who will come forward to lead. Why do we have a field of what started out as 17 candidates, and among that field only one who does not have a question of citizenship eligibility, does not owe the lobbyists, speaks in plain English, and has any chance of winning?
I have said I can vote for Trump or Cruz, and I would hold my nose and vote for any other republican to beat any democrat, but it bothers me that with millions of American's sharing conservative values, only two stand up, and one of those is legally questionable.
So who decides doing what “is good and necessary” is ok regardless of what the laws say? Do you realize what a slippery slope this is? Your “good and necessary” is not going to be the same as everyone else. Isnt that what Obama is doing with his executive actions? He should be in jail. But, before you start bashing Obama, we have a do-nothing senate and house backing him up. I guess the must think its “good and necessary” too.
It is only desperate BECAUSE we have moved so far away from the Constitution. Course, the facade has been going on for over 150yrs.
Stating that...yeah, F* it.
Yes, I mentioned expediency. Is the election tomorrow, or do we have time to deliberate?
I don’t think we have an expediency excuse. The election is 9 months out, plenty of time to deliberate on a fairly simple point of law.
We either have a constitution or we don’t. Electing Cruz means we don’t.
It doesn’t matter any more after the Obama Precedent. Anyone on earth is eligible to run for President of the US.
ping inall his nasty friends.
I sure as Hell don’t, if he’s the best man for the job, who cares?
If he isn’t eligible, then he is willing to break the constitution to win. How can he even be considered conservative?
We need to know for this and future elections. Trump would do us a great favor if he sued both Cruz and Rubio and let a federal court determine if they are eligible or not.
If he isn’t eligible, then he is willing to break the constitution to win. How can he even be considered conservative?
We need to know for this and future elections. Trump would do us a great favor if he sued both Cruz and Rubio and let a federal court determine if they are eligible or not.
I agree completely.
Show me where Cruz has ever utter the words “I am a natural born citizen”.
or do we have time to deliberate?
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Plenty of time. Me personally? I believe the courts will treat Cruz just as they treated Obama. From Orly, Taitz, Keyes, and dozens of other lawsuits challenging Obama’s eligibility - NONE were ruled on.
Not one single court either ruled for or against Obama.
Natural Born = born of two citizen parents within the borders of the USA. That was the universal understanding until McCain ran for President and the Congress hastily declared him NB in order to get the pressure off of Hussein. Arthur was not a precedent because the disqualification was successfully hidden and denied for a long time after his tenure. We aăe no longer evading the requirement, it is being changed to benefit the preferred candidate of the moment. The Democrats will not push it if they think it will open up Hussein’s can of worms to inspection.
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