‘Don’t forget only 47% believe Cruz is eligible. Another 26% don’t know.’
That’s republican opinion during the primary.
Just the way Majority Traitor McCon-man wants it.
We must never forget that he declared war on the Tea Party. He would love nothing better than to see us all squabble over murky legalese and original intent and Vattel and name-calling, hair-pulling etc.
Then Phase 2 — bipartizan opposition to Cruz AFTER the primary.
— Slytherin wins.
SOLUTION — Cruz needs to clear this up.
For example: he could could challenge Professor Tribe to a debate and say, “Obama’s eligible, right? Because his mother was a citizen. Why am I different than him?”
That corners Tribe. After that, the dust clears.
I’ll say this for your suggestion. A public debate with Tribe would be high profile. Even those who didn’t watch would hear about it. The challenge would project confidence and fearlessness on Cruz’ part. If he then mopped the floor with a liberal icon, he would surge. Nothing legally would have been resolved and the Dems would still litigate, but in the meantime, Cruz would SURGE.
Tribe isn't the one likely to be cornered. The difference with Obama is that he was born in the U.S., and that's the key distinction as regards Cruz. Our Supreme Court has articulated that persons born in the U.S. are natural born citizens needing no naturalization. Whereas any person born outside the U.S. is made a citizen only by way of naturalization:
"Every person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, becomes at once a citizen of the United States, and needs no naturalization. A person born out of the jurisdiction of the United States can only become a citizen by being naturalized, either by treaty, as in the case of the annexation of foreign territory, or by authority of Congress, exercised either by declaring certain classes of persons to be citizens, as in the enactments conferring citizenship upon foreign-born children of citizens, or by enabling foreigners individually to become citizens by proceedings in the judicial tribunals, as in the ordinary provisions of the naturalization acts." U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 696, 702, 703 (1898).
And, further, Tribe could hold up the case of Mario Bellei, who, like Cruz was born abroad to a citizen mother and alien father. When Bellei did not subsequently meet the residency requirements under the stature giving him citizenship at birth, the U.S. revoked his citizenship. In upholding that decision, the SCOTUS found that Bellei's citizenship did not meet the "Constitutional definition" of citizen, and thus was subject to revocation without affirmative relonquishment by Bellei.
So Tribe could ask the question "if Mario Bellei was ruled to have a mere statutory citizenship that didn't meet the Constitutional definition of citizenship, how can you claim you meet the Article I standard for citizenship?"
I don't see how Cruz answers that one other than to toss up babbling avoidance.