Posted on 12/01/2008 12:52:16 PM PST by jeffo
Well, I had written to Senator Martinez ("R"-Florida) about the citizenship issue before the election. Today I got this mind-boggling response:
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Thank you for contacting me regarding President-Elect Obama's citizenship. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns.
Like you, I believe that our federal government has the responsibility to make certain that the Constitution of the United States is not compromised. We must fight to uphold our Constitution through our courts and political processes.
Article II of the Constitution provides that "no Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President." The Constitution, however, does not specify how that qualification for office is to be enforced. As you may know, a voter recently raised this issue before a federal court in Pennsylvania. On October 24, 2008, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania released an order in the case of Berg v.Obama.In that case, the plaintiff, Phillip Berg, raised the same issue that your letter raises regarding proof of the President-Elect's birthplace. Through his lawsuit, Mr. Berg sought to compel President-Elect Obama to produce a certified copy of his birth certificate.
The District Court dismissed Mr. Berg's suit and held that the question of Obama's citizenship is not a matter for a court to decide. The court further noted that voters, not courts, should decide whether a particular presidential candidate is qualified to hold office.
Presidential candidates are vetted by voters at least twice - first in the primary elections and again in the general election. President-Elect Obama won the Democratic Party's nomination after one of the most fiercely contested presidential primaries in American history. And, he has now been duly elected by the majority of voters in the United States. Throughout both the primary and general election, concerns about Mr. Obama's birthplace were raised. The voters have made clear their view that Mr. Obama meets the qualifications to hold the office of President.
After he is sworn into office, Mr. Obama will be our nation's President and I intend to bestow upon him the honor and respect due any man who holds that Office. Yet, I am certain that there will be times when I will disagree and oppose President Obama's policies. When that happens, you can be assured that I will pursue vigorously what I believe to be in the best interest of Florida and the nation.
I thank you for sharing your views with me and will keep your concerns in mind. If you have additional questions or comments, please contact me. For more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Mel Martinez United States Senator
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OK, so the fact that he won the election makes him qualified. Amazing
1. He is right. This BC stuff is all crap. Even if any of it is true it is just weird. His mama was American and that’s enough for me.
2. Martinez is only a rhino when it comes to immigration. And I am praying there will be someone running so I don’t have to vote for Mel again.
Cool. Then voters can also decide that Mark Steyn and Steve Yzerman are qualified to run for U.S. President. Steyn / Yzerman in 2012!
Hey, how do you breaks in between your italic statement and your response?
You have a good point. Martinez wouldn't be senator now if a bunch of freepers hadn't carried the water for this guy and proclaimed what a great conservative he was and how he was supposedly the only "electable" candidate against a third tier Democrat. There certainly wasn't anything in Martinez' bio that made him the most "qualified" Republican for U.S. Senator. He was a mediocre cabinet member who's main qualification was kissing Bush's butt all day.
Johnny Isaakson has always been like a half wit little brother to Saxby Chambliss. Chambliss is fighting for survival in a runoff tomorrow. He doesn't deserve re-election, but I'll be damned if I'll give Reid and Hussein another dim vote in the Senate!
Both Isaakson and Chambliss were pushing an amnesty bill, until they came back to Georgia and caught hell from the voters. They changed their tunes very quickly. I think we'll have to do the same thing with this issue.
“you can be assured that I will pursue vigorously what I believe to be in the best interest of Florida and the nation.”
Sounds like he has no intention of vigorously pursuing a defense of the Constitution of the United States
The decision outlined by Martinez is based on the principle of radical democracy and stands in direct opposition to the founders decision to make of this nation a republic. By this logic the Constitution a set of suggestions that can be changed at the whim of the electorate or the Congress.
Martinez doesn’t represent his constituents. Why do they keep voting for him? I guess a president from another continent is better than none at all? That seems to be Mel’s view.
Mel’s Cuban. Is he qualified to be a SENATOR? He doesn’t act qualified.
Article II of the Constitution provides that "no Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President." The Constitution, however, does not specify how that qualification for office is to be enforced... The District Court dismissed Mr. Berg's suit and held that the question of Obama's citizenship is not a matter for a court to decide. The court further noted that voters, not courts, should decide whether a particular presidential candidate is qualified to hold office. Presidential candidates are vetted by voters at least twice - first in the primary elections and again in the general election... Throughout both the primary and general election, concerns about Mr. Obama's birthplace were raised. The voters have made clear their view that Mr. Obama meets the qualifications to hold the office of President.IOW, we can run anyone (including a dead person) or anything, of any age and origin, and if they win, too bad. Thanks LucyT.
If that was the case, then any foreign huckster could come here, speak eloquently and make wonderful promises, and the voters would vote for him/her. The devil himself could get elected under that criteria (may have already happened).
“The decision outlined by Martinez is based on the principle of radical democracy and stands in direct opposition to the founders decision to make of this nation a republic”
...absolutely! And as I’m sure you are aware, dems and RINO’s believe the Constitution to be a “living, breathing” document to be changed, twisted and modified to suit one’s their at any time.
The symbol "<" followed by the letter "p", and then ">", will create a new paragraph.
Thank you!
OK, if that is his logic, then: I am not a court; I am a voter; as a voter, I have decided that he is unqualified to hold office; until he provides proof that he is qualified, he is a usurper and a criminal.
“The Founders assumed an educated electorate.”
True, but I think most people assumed that someone who was barred by law would not consider running. In other words, we have come to know some real scoundrels in American history but never any with this kind of brass balls temerity (excluding Aaron Burr & Benedict Arnold).
It’s something like Jimmy Swaggart tossing his name in the hat for new Pope: next thing you know, `Pope Jimmy’ is wearing a funny hat and hellzapoppin . . .
We had something similar happen when Kennedy was shot in `63. Details escape me but there was an issue of presidential succession, with guys like Huntley & Brinkley and Uncle Wally “The Gas-bag” Cronkite scratching their heads. Congress passed a new amendment to clarify the matter. Well, here we don’t need a new amendment. Obama is either a `natural born citizen’ or he isn’t.
Yes, his dear grandmother who raised him and who, when he apparently knew she was dying of cancer, took his wife and children for a week’s holiday in Hawaii—but never took them to see her.
Oh yeah, family values alright!
Goo job Free_SJersey,
I’ll definately look in to this party.
Sounds good from the outside looking in.
Thanks
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