Just curious, what was the purpose of only allowing natural born US citizens to be president?
Any good reason why the soon-to-be Governator™ Schwarzenegger shouldn’t be allowed to become the Presinator™?
Yes - if we can amend the constitutionator that easily then it could also be changed so that Presinator Schwarzenator would be allowed a third terminator. Oops, too late.
When Governator™ Schwarzenegger leaves Sacremento for Washington, will he tell the state assembly, “I’ll be back” ?
The purpose behind only permitting natural-born US citizens into the Presidency was to forestall the kinds of problems that had been seen to plague some European countries, specifically the installation of foreign monarchs due to dynastic ties, outside interference, or even internal power-brokering. While, technically, the US president is not supposed to be a “monarch”, in actual fact, it was an extremely powerful position they were creating. They wanted to make sure that the “native” loyalty of a president was to the USA, not to foreign soil or foreign interests. Of course, they couldn’t foresee massive campaign donations from the People’s Republic of China…
I think the requirement is a little silly in the modern age, but for Arnie, I’ll make an exception and say it should stay in place for now.
I am passionately in favor of repealing this amendment. I don’t give a hoot about the Governator. My concern is more symbolic than anything. There is no earthly reason that an immigrant to the US shouldn’t be able to aspire to the highest office.
My high school valedictorian was a girl who arrived in the US on a boat from Vietnam when she was six. She was clearly the brightest and most dedicated person in our class. She could never become president.
If one feels the need, we could have a minimum length of citizenship necessary to become President. To tell immigrants that it is impossible is anachronistic and contrary to the values of our country.
I should think that Arnie represents an ideal example of why foreign born people should not be permitted accession to the oval office. I am utterly incapable of seeing what it is that qualifies him for political leadership. Celebrity has ceased to connote implicit expertise for some time now.
How about we just amend it to people from California? That way we wouldn’t’ve had to deal with Reagan.
“I’m nahda pahlatician, but I play one in da movies…oh, wait, no I don’t.”
I recall back in law school a Constitutional Law professor mentioning that the Article 2, Section 1 requirement that the President be:
“a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution”
is arguably superceded by the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, guaranteeing that:
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States”
So states pretty clearly couldn’t keep Ahnold off the ballot, but the question would remain whether the US Constitution would prohibit his taking office. No one has ever challenged the issue in the courts, but I foresee a Simpsons-esque battle for Ahnold:
“I vill crush the chustices, drive dem befoh me, and heah de lamentations of deah clerks.”
The whole point of the current system is that (theoretically) political office requires no special qualifications. All citizens are equally qualified.
Ahnold…the Governator. Yeah. Look at all his majesty!
Eh, this issue has already been hashed over a bit. Our current governor was born in Canada, but some folk think she could be a good future female candidate for the Dems.
Only if you throw in Texas as well, so we don’t have to deal with Bush. 
Irrational voice chirping in here: I like it the way it is. You gotta be born here to rule here. No good reason or argument, but thats the way I feel.
I’m seeing that as outdated. If foreign born US citizens can hold super super high security clearances & important positions in government I see no reason why they can’t lead the country as president.
In the case of the Governator™ I just can’t see him being as influenced by loyalties to Austria as the Bush oil family’s actions are obsessively governed by events in Middle Eastern oil rich countries. I realize oil is important to American big business, and fighting terrorism is certainly important. But I just don’t think the Bushes are able to see the forest from the oil wells, as it were.
The Governator is a self-made man who immigrated to this country & built himself up from pretty much nothing. I’d much rather have someone like that be president than someone whose family has been rich, spoiled, pampered & isolated from average American life for generations.
Florida as well, then?
Well of course not! She’s a girl! Everyone knows girls can’t become president.
Dogface’s approach is pretty accurate.
For the very reason you propose the question. The selection of a President should not be made lightly, recent idiotic decisions by the electorate notwithstanding.
Before your passion overwhelms, you might want to read the Constitution. The requirement that a President be a natural-born citizen is not an amendment, but contained within the Constitution itself.
See Article II., Section 1.
I don’t get the correlation between not being American born and the selection of a President not being made lightly. Assuming a person immigrates at a relatively young age, what’s the big deal? I mean, what happens between the age say, birth and your early twenties that disqualify you from the presidency?
When it comes to not taking the presidential election lightly there’s already solid precedence that youthful transgressions shouldn’t be held against you. Certainly being born somewhere else (a youthful transgression?) has less to do with presidential fitness than say, messing around with pot, cocaine, not showing up for military duty, DUI’s, etc?