CATO institute has veered a lot into the far reaches of libertarian kookdom from what I’ve read (very sporadically) over the last few years.
IMHO if Cruz takes the bait that he’s a NBC, and being a Constitutional scholar or something, he ought to know better, then the Dems/leftist will, at the very last minute, pull out info proving that one must be born on US soil to be a NBC - jus solis, IIRC. Of course the researchers here know that to be a verity.
I am 100% sure of this. They will pull it out. And claim that Steaming is a NBC since his faux birth cert says “HI”. And now so many are running with this - Levin, for example, and a lot on FR will now focus their ire on anyone saying “Hey, he ain’t a NBC - foreign birth, foreign national father - two strikes!” We’re trolls, we’re dupes, we’re leftist traitors.
Anyone who thinks he’s a NBC is duped. And pretty soon there’ll be a long thread zotting anyone who says he isn’t, mark my words.
And then at the very last minute, after he’s gotten the nomination, a judge somewhere will make the decision that jus solis determines NBC status.
Bonus, they take him out of the Senate. That’s the plan. Just like the plan was to have Newt folding to Romney folding to Obama. Newt suckered in lots of folks in the primaries. But, he was essential in keeping conservatives just divided enough.
Cruz is most likely playing to see who takes the bait and then turn them on their heads. He knows he’s not eligible. We’ll see.
So ‘jus solis’ makes the two sons of deposed Muslim President of Egypt Morsi who were born in the USA eligible for POTUSA? I think not and want not because there are millions of Muslims in the USA along with 50% of the population just waiting to get that bandwagon rolling. I believe the Founders were well aware of the consequences such possibilities and set eligibility for POTUSA adverse to such.
You are 100% correct.
I truly hope that doesn't turn out to be the case. In 2008, JR said he would let FReepers work it out amongst themselves. We fought tooth and nail (at times it was brutal), read and cited multiple interpretations of multiple SCOTUS decisions, researched the FF's intentions, etc. I hope JR lets this discussion about Cruz happen. IMHO, the only way the zot thread happens is if we start calling good, conservative, FRiends "trolls" or make it personal. If the discussion is civil, I think Jim will stick to his rule of letting us work it out amongst ourselves. I hope so anyway.
Cruz is a statutory citizen at birth. His citizenship was granted at birth by federal statutue through the principle of jus sanguinis (via bloodline) as opposed to being granted at birth by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution through the principle of jus soli (via place of birth).
The Foreign Affairs manual states:
7 FAM 1131.6-2 Eligibility for PresidencyIn short, the courts have not yet ruled on whether or not a statutory citizen at birth is eligible to the presidency.
(TL:CON-68; 04-01-1998)a. It has never been determined definitively by a court whether a person who acquired U.S. citizenship by birth abroad to U.S. citizens is a natural born citizen within the meaning of Article II of the Constitution and, therefore, eligible for the Presidency.
(...)
d. (snip) In any event, the fact that someone is a natural born citizen pursuant to a statute does not necessarily imply that he or she is such a citizen for Constitutional purposes.
I believe they would rule in favor of Cruz's eligibility, but as of right now, the State Department says that there isn't a definitive legal answer.
I was recently referred to the SCOTUS decision in Rogers v. Bellei, which seems to clearly indicate that citizens at birth are naturalized and that such naturalization is a Congressional generosity to which they have no contitutional right.
There is a legitimate discussion to be had. I hope we can have it.