A Constitutional Anachronism: Immigrants should be eligible for the Presidency

nytimes.com ^ | September 6, 2003 | nytimes.com

[Destro]

A Constitutional Anachronism

America is a nation of immigrants. Immigrants have shaped our politics and diplomacy, run our government and defended us in wartime — more than 700 recipients of the Medal of Honor have been immigrants. Yet no matter how great their contributions or sacrifices, immigrants remain ineligible for the nation's highest office because of a provision in the Constitution that bars naturalized American citizens from becoming president. The provision has long since outlived its usefulness, if it had any in the first place.

Orrin Hatch, a Senate Republican, and Vic Snyder, a House Democrat, are pushing amendments to rid the Constitution of the requirement that "No Person except a natural born Citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President." The stipulation does not appear to threaten the eligibility of citizens born abroad of American parents but is aimed at foreign-born people who became Americans after immigrating here. This encompasses an ever-expanding universe of more than 12 million Americans and includes two former secretaries of state, Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright; two cabinet members, Elaine Chao and Mel Martinez; and Michigan's governor, Jennifer Granholm. Mr. Hatch's amendment would make anyone who has been a citizen for 20 years, and a resident for 14, eligible for the presidency, while Mr. Snyder's would require a 35-year waiting period.

Some historians are puzzled about what the Founding Fathers had in mind. No similar restrictions were imposed on eligibility for other high offices. The common explanation is that as custodians of a young and fragile nation, the founders were determined to prevent a foreign power from insinuating someone into the country and contriving to have him elected chief executive. As Mr. Hatch observes, that threat has long since evaporated.

Congress often has trouble enough dealing with real threats, let alone remote ones. Thus the Hatch and Snyder amendments face that greatest of legislative enemies: inertia. Amending the Constitution is also a cumbersome process, requiring a two-thirds' vote in the House and Senate and the approval of three-fourths of the states. At issue here, however, is the fact that the Constitution creates, at least in regard to eligibility for the nation's highest office, a level of second-class citizenship wholly inconsistent with American values. This is a lingering wrong that needs to be set right.

[Destro]

God help us no!

As an immigrant from Europe I can tell you I am 100% loyal to the USA but I would not take up arms against the land of my birth. Ok, it is highly unlikely that the USA would go to war with my country and thus it is safe for me to say so but we have been at war against many lands and the concern of our founding fathers in dual loalties was well founded.

[Glenn]

This will go nowhere in a hurry.

[donmeaker]

The Japanese government was far more racist than the Germans. They would have treated any captured Japanese American as a traitor. (My friends tell me they still do!)

That is why the Nisei were shipped off to the European theatre. On the other hand, Americans of German extraction (notably Eisenhower) were given the opportunity to fight Germans. The Nisei got more medals per man than any other regiment.

Dreyfus, the famous Captain of France was accused of treason, not because of evidence, but because of his Jewish-German(Alsacien) roots. Still, he served with distinction after all the hoopla in the First World War.

German Americans, and Japanese Americans appreciated the opportunities they were given. Perhaps you think that you have not been treated well enough here, compared to your "home country"?

[fhayek]

Napoleon and Hitler were both immigrants when they became leaders of their countries. I'll think I'll pass on this idea.

[browardchad]

Orrin Hatch's birdbrain idea endorsed by the NY Times. How heartwarming.

Hatch is senile. The NYT is anti-American. Great combination.

[explodingspleen]

Some historians are puzzled about what the Founding Fathers had in mind.
Some historians are confused about the seemingly indecipherable hieroglyphs that appear between the First and the Third Ammendments. Many have postulated that it is just an ink smudge, while others speculate that is an unusual typographical error.

At issue here, however, is the fact that the Constitution creates, at least in regard to eligibility for the nation's highest office, a level of second-class citizenship wholly inconsistent with American values.
Because people who can't run for president are automatically relegated into a second class status?

Looks like I've been being oppressed and didn't even know it...

The president should not have a secondary national identity. This would lead to foreign entanglements and skew foreign and domestic policy. For example, do you think there might be some problems if we elected a president who identified with the Palestinians, or the French, or the Pakistanis?

[risk]

Thank you for taking a stand on this. We need more immigrants like you to raise new generations of Americans who believe in the American dream -- and support our Constitution.

[litany_of_lies]

Only because it's from the NYT do I assume this isn't a joke.

Allow immigrants to run for President and 20 years from now you'll have:
- Vicente Fox's successor, with dual citizenship...
- Runs for the Presidency on the La Rasa ticket
- Thanks to drivers license and other immigrant appeasing legislation...
- Millions of illegal aliens vote in CA, TX, FL, AZ, NJ, IL, and NY, which by that time have the majority of the population.....
- Giving him enough electoral votes to win.

"Some (dumbass) historians puzzle about what the Founding Fathers had in mind." Oh, gee, I don't know, there were still millions of people who had been British loyalists in the country, and maybe, just maybe, the Founders were trying to make sure that some charismatic chap born in Britain wouldn't move here and try to run.

[TomGuy]

A few weeks ago Hatch was advocating the blowing up of computers of those who downloaded music. Now, Hatch is advocating the blowing up of the Constitution.

If Hatch's idea passed, how long before it would be altered again so that illegals could run for office (and vote, of course). Then, some other idiot in the near future would advocate that a presidential candidate didn't even have to be from the US; heck, anyone in the world could run for the US presidency.

Idiocy abounds and plenty of idiots feed it.

[Shaking head in disbelief and wonderment at who elected Hatch to the Senate.]

[RightWhale]

Napoleon and Hitler were both immigrants

There's a long list and it goes back to the Ice Age. How about William the Conquerer? The primary thought now is that the mass migration of Mexicans will culminate in a Mexican president, which would put the candle on the cake.

[raybbr]

Why don't we just turn over everything we have to immigrants. Then, we can all go to where they came from, come here illegaly, then we can get our country back.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Obviously more communist drivel from the great Satan of leftist print media.

It would be instructive, however, to read the NYT archives and see just what the grey lady's views were during the immigrant crush of the late 19th and early 20th century. Somehow, I bet you'd find that they were very anxious to ensure that all new citizens from foriegn lands were thoroughly 'Americanized' and on the same cultural page as natural born citizens.

They lie, they twist, they endlessly distort. The recent revelations of their lies and corrupt internal policies do not betray an anomaly, they simply sacrificed a few of their number that were impolitic enough to be caught in their treachery.

[ambrose]

Other recent treasonous activities on the part of Orrin Hatch:


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/977004/posts


WASHINGTON--Speaking at a rally of young undocumented immigrants who are urging Congress to allow them to attend public colleges at in-state tuition prices, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the country will "benefit enormously" by opening college classes to the children of people who entered the U.S. illegaly.

[ambrose]

see above post

[Salvey]

This is absurd. Is this to say that at any given future time, there might not be one solitary, native-born American in this wide land of ours who is qualifed to become President and as a result we would then have to turn to an immigrant?

[Salvey]

Sounds like Hatch has the same disease that came over Goldwater in his dotage.

[TheAngryClam]

You mean John Kerry?

[michigander]

Some historians are puzzled about what the Founding Fathers had in mind.

Well then "[s]ome historians" are a bunch of frickin morons.

I also suggest that they go here and do, at least the least amount of, research that any frickin person with two brain cells to rub together could do in order to determine what the "Founding Fathers had in mind".

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

"Some historians are puzzled about what the Founding Fathers had in mind."

Yeah, so are a lot of writers at the NYTimes. Not to mention a lot of liberals in Congress and a few Supremes who are bringing global laws into our courts.
Figure it out or leave it alone. But, you had better not try and change it.

No doubt the notion of illegals and border protection are equally puzzling to them.

[SwinneySwitch]

Senator Hatch,

Please leave the Constitution alone! Concentrate more of your efforts towards getting confirmation of President Bush's judicial appointments before they give up or die of old age!

http://www.senate.gov/~hatch/index.cfm?FuseAction=Offices.Contact