Posted on 07/31/2003 9:00:22 AM PDT by jgrubbs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 29, 2003 Source: Constitution Party National Committee
Constitution Party: Foreign Born Should Not Serve As President
LANCASTER, PA: Condemning the recent move by Senator Orrin Hatch to permit foreigners who have been naturalized to serve as President of the United States, the nation's third largest political party urged the United States Congress to reject the proposal.
"Sen. Hatch's proposal may be well intentioned but it also a betrayal of the very principles and ideals that our Founding Fathers had when they created this nation," said James N. Clymer, chairman of the Constitution Party National Committee. "Such a move clearly opens this nation up to foreign intrigues to a degree that even the Clinton Administration could not imagine." Hatch recently proposed amending the Constitution to permit foreign-born citizens, such as actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, to serve as President. It is a companion bill to legislation introduced in the House by Raimundo Delgado (D-MA).
In announcing his proposal, Hatch cited the Constitutional language as "antiquated."
"For Sen. Hatch to call the prohibition against naturalized citizens from serving as President 'antiquated' is nothing less than pompous and arrogant, "Clymer said. "Who is Hatch to say what in the Constitution is antiquated and what isn't? Is he suggesting that he knows better than our Founding Fathers who should be eligible to serve as President?"
Clymer said that while some foreign born citizens have put forth the idea of changing the Constitution, those elected officials who have promoted the change have been liberal and left-leaning Democrats.
"This is the first self-described 'conservative' of whom I am aware who has embraced the idea," he said.
"So, one must wonder, is the GOP so hard up for decent candidates for public office that they have to begin importing them?"
Clymer went on to say that such a proposal would be disastrous for American security.
"The reason the Founders included the natural born citizen clause into the Constitution was to help preserve the nation's powerful office against foreign interests," Clymer said. "They had seen various European powers trying to meddle in the affairs of other countries and understood the chaos that could result - from economic insecurity to civil war - and they did not want that to happen here."
"At a time when we are concerned about terrorist 'sleeper cells,' does Mr. Hatch expect us to believe that any foreigner power - whether a nation-state or terrorist group - would not try to take advantage of such a loop hole?"
Clymer noted that it was such political intrigues that contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. "The Romans collapsed from within because their leadership had become so ineffective because they choose to ignore their own history," Clymer said.
"Our Founder's did not want to see this nation collapse from within. Why then is Sen. Hatch willing to set us up for such a tragic fall?"
More information about the Constitution Party can be found by visiting its website at http://www.constitutionparty.com or by calling the National Office at 717-390-1993.
Since when has the GOP had an imported candidate running for president? Seems to me, with the ACLU, NAALCP, NOW, etc., the dims are the party more likely to have an imported candidate for president.
Yes, but it has been proven that they can buy Bill Clinton as a proxy.
I agree. Prehaps you missed my point. Orin Hatch is unqualified to sit in the same room as the originators of our nation.
John Walker Lindh could be President.
William Jefferson Blythe Clinton SHOULDN'T have been president!
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