Do you really think he’d be foolish enough to accept? Dubya’s a sinking ship. But a new Republican administration would be an entirely different matter. Besides, could he retain his governorship?
All this discussion neglects one key point. If you are a representative, you have 434 others to deal with, as a senator it’s 99 others, and a justice of SCOTUS has 8 others - all to keep radical ideas from actually hurting the country. With the executive branch only one person is in charge. Here’s the thinking: a foreign-born person who has loyalty to another country will have very little impact in the legislative or judicial branch or even as a cabinet member - but as President, our countries foreign policy will have a huge shift towards what’s best for their home country first and America second. Hell, someone from the UK may become President, repudiate the Treaty of Paris (1787), and make us into 50 colonies all singing “God Save The Queen”. :eek:
You may disagree with this slippery slope, but I’m sure enough people agree with this logic and think the most powerful person in the US should be American-bred so that a Constitutional amendment will never pass.
Oh BTW (before I get flamed), I’m not saying that I agree or disagree with myself. I just bring this up to add to the discussion.
Is there a reason Jerry Springer can’t run for the office?
He wasn’t born in the U.S.
Well, you learn something new every day. If you’re born a child of US citizens abroad, and enjoy automatic citizenship, are you a native-born citizen? I’m thinking of people like Madeline Albright.
The real answer to the question of the OP lies in the answer to the question:
Can you name 17 states whose legislatures will vote against ratification?
Albright’s parents weren’t U.S. citizens. They were Czech.
If you were born an American citizen, though not specifically on U.S. soil, I can’t imagine anyone trying to block your presidential run. John McCain is considered a serious contender and was born in the Panama Canal Zone.
I agree, the Governator’s very unlikely to give up being CEO of the biggest state to join the ranks of the Bush Cabinet. And no, he couldn’t be a Cabinet secretary and remain governor (although I can’t lay my hands on the particular constitutional provision about that at the moment).
Wiki says that Jerry Springer was born in London, England, and emigrated with his family to the U.S. when he was five years old.
The Constitution NEVER said you have to be born in the US! It says in Article II, Section 1
There are two ways to be a natural born citizen. One is to be born to American citizens anywhere in the world and the other is to be born to foreign nationals while on US territory (except foreign dignitaries). The second option is questionable since under the discussion during the XIVth Amendment it was clear that children born to illegal immigrants did not satisfy the requirements of being a natural born citizen since they did not meet the “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” criterium of Section 1 (the peculiar phrasing come about from dealing with the issue of Indians on reservations but part of the sovereign tribe).
[hijack]
In United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) the doctrine that any person born in the US is an American citizen was established however it should be remembered that although Ark’s parents were Chinese citizens (Chinese emigrants could not become US citizens by law), they were domiciled residents and thus subject to US jurisdiction. IMHO, this case would not apply to someone who snuck across the border from Windsor or Mexicali and popped out a kid. Discussion of this came up during the recent immigration contraversy and though the law stayed the same, there were a few serious attempt to change the law so that children of illegal immigrant were not automatically granted citizenship.[/hijack]
Long story short (too late), if your parents were US citizens, you are eligible to be President no matter where you were born. If you were born in the US (under current law), you are also eligible to be President.
Hey, don’t lecture me, bub. I was answering Zsofia’s question.
No you didn’t. The answer to her question is a simple “yes”. Why even talk about whether someone would or would not try to block the presidential run of a US citizen born outside of the country? Also, your McCain example is a non sequiter - until Carter, the Canal Zone was part of the US. McCain was born in the United States just like Barry Goldwater was (Arizona Territory 1909).
As you wish.
Grandholm from Mich will be all for it.
That’s assuming that she wants the job and is planning to run for it, neither of which is really a warranted assumption. Most Governors and virtually all Senators never become President or even run.