And yet that is exactly what we are debating, and why the Founders put requirements in place for the job.
“And yet that is exactly what we are debating, and why the Founders put requirements in place for the job.”
Not exactly. I was saying that not being able to be president hardly makes a difference in the life of a child not born a citizen, considering how hard it is to be elected president. To understand why it’s a fair trade-off to favor the interests of the nation over the interest of non-natural born citizens, you have to realize the distinction I’m using between naturalized citizens as a class and naturalized citizens as individuals. The chances that one person among the entire population of naturalized citizens is significant, whereas the chances that one particular natuaralized citizen could do the same is nill.
The qualification exists in the first place because the Founders didn’t think it was worth risking an enemy in the presidency, even if it wasn’t that likely. Of course, back then it was a lot more likely that foreigners could be elected, since the monarchies of Europe had so much money, and, given the state of mass media, starting out with a famous name would be a huge advantage.