Natural born = born a citizen. Naturalized = became a citizen through the immigration process. Obama, Cruz, Jindal, and Rubio are eligible. Arnold Schwarzenegger (sp?) is not eligible.
“Natural born = born a citizen. Naturalized = became a citizen through the immigration process. Obama, Cruz, Jindal, and Rubio are eligible. Arnold Schwarzenegger (sp?) is not eligible.”
You are correct.
incorrect.
another situation the founders wanted to avoid was a foreign king becoming president. if being a citizen was enough, like BJindahl, MRubio and BH0bama, then william and kate could have a kid in NYC and that kid would be eligible to be king of england as well as POTUS.
this is clearly against the founders intent... and why they used the term, natural born citizen.
BOTH parents AND born on the soil is required... as a child born this way could only be a US citizen.
remember:
a natural born citizen is a citizen naturally... AS THERE ARE NO ALTERNATIVES
So let’s say Mama sneaks across the border and has little Pedro. Pedro is a citizen. Couple of years later she takes him back to Mexico. 30 years later he returns and runs for President.
He’s a natural born citizen?
I am becoming increasingly convinced that this can be the only way to interpret the phrase "natural born citizen". All the other interpretations are convoluted and quite frankly advocate a form of nobility that is anti-American. Indeed, if the only thing that could disqualify a man from being President is that he wasn't born to two citizen parents at the time of his birth, we make citizenship out to be some kind of noble class. At least "natural born citizenship" is under such thinking which is even more anti-American at its core. The notion that there are different kinds of citizens, different classes?
The only interpretstion that is consistent with the idea of "all men created equal" is that as you stated. The "natural born" destinction is merely meant to ensure the man in question didn't become a citizen just last year, or at some point past birth, and thus may have foreign allegences. Anyone who is objective about the situation can see the spirit of this intent is kept adequitely by merely ensuring the man in question was made a citizen by his birth. Either by who he was born to, or where he was born, in either event raised by parents who themselves lived in country most of their adult life thus ensuring children they raise have at least a fundamental allegence to this country. Any more requirement is superfluous and therefore aristocrat in nature.