Indeed. Donofrio (and his supporters) have latched on to the idea that there is a "two-tiered" approach to defining native born Americans --a "first-class" and "second-class" category of citizens, if you will. According to Donofrio's argument, we have "first-class" citizens who are Americans born in America to American citizens. Only these individuals are eligible to be President. Then we have "second-class" citizens who are Americans born in America to one or both parents not having citizenship. These "second-class" Americans are full American citizens in all aspects of the law with the one exception that they cannot serve as President.
Following Donofrio's argument, Obama is a "second-class" native-born American by virtue of the fact that his father was not an American citizen at the time of his birth. Where Donofrio finds this in the Constitution, I'm not quite sure. But I'm hoping that the USSC clears this matter up in one of two ways, either by codifying Dread Scott II and systematically disqualifying millions of native-born American citizens from Presidential eligibility or by telling Donofrio and his followers that in 2008 we do not have "first-class" and "second-class" American citizens.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
ARGHH!!! Why doesn't Jim put an "edit" feature on this board?!?!?
BINGO!
The Founders demanded 100% allegiance, at birth, of U S citizens for eligibility to be the President.
YOU, can call those unqualified per the Constitution, 'second class citizens,' until you are blue in the face, yet unqualified they remain.
I'll say it in plain English: yes, the Founders discriminated against those citizens that had allegiances to foreign nations. Today, millions upon millions of U S citizens cannot be President, because of this specific clause.
An amendment to the Constitution can change this clause.