Re: SF Gate: Outsiders agog at pick of voters/Utah senator wants amendment to let foreign-born be president

[Lynne]

Title: Fw: SF Gate: Outsiders agog at pick of voters/Utah senator wants amendment to let foreign-born be president

Surely Sen. Hatch had someone/something  in mind when he introduced the bill--these things do not spring out of nowhere, any more than the boomlets on the 22d Amendment do.          But I  am glad Eugene is interested in the topic!  what justifications would there be, and why is it a good idea ?  I am speaking  from total ignorance  on the arguments for and against in constitutional thinking.   Is it Simply to "fix"  presidential succession, or because we are no longer mistrustful of immigrants (*that* hardly seems to be true--Immigrants from Muslim contries these days, Schwarzeneggger may revive Prop 187 ) or what?  Is it demoralizing to be an immigrant and grow up knowing you cannot be president of the US? That sounds like a reason not to discriminate, but ar ethere other considerations/constitutional arguments in support of abandoning the requirement?                         Sincerely                                    Lynne Prof. Lynne Henderson Boyd School of Law--UNLV 4505 Maryland Pkwy Box 451003 Las Vegas, NV  89154 702-895-2625 ----- Original Message ----- From: Eugene Volokh To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 8:19 AM Subject: Re: SF Gate: Outsiders agog at pick of voters/Utah senator wants amendment to let foreign-born be president     Actually, as a non-natural-born-citizen (albeit one who has zero interest in the job!), I'm quite pleased that people are talking about it.  Sen. Hatch apparently introduced his bill in July, before Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy; also, I believe Rep. Barney Frank also supports the bill, and I take it not because of Schwarzenegger.  If the Schwarzenegger governorship is a news hook that would help get this enacted, hey, I'd be all for it.       I agree, though, that it's unlikely that this will get enacted, and I won't lose much sleep over that.  But it seems to me that Sen. Hatch deserves praise for this.       Eugene   -----Original Message----- From: Lynne [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 10:59 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Fw: SF Gate: Outsiders agog at pick of voters/Utah senator wants amendment to let foreign-born be president People laughed at me when I opined that if Scwarzenegger won, there'd be a movement to amend the Constitution;s requirement that the President be a "natural born citizen" .  Today's paper reported Sen. Hatch "plans hearings."   Shouldn't Sen. Hatch pragmatically wait to see how Ahnold does, first? ("Frist 100 days" is a ridiculous measure, but go with that at least. . .) Is this just Republican crowing over the results?  Would such an amendment really have any chance of adoption? Lynne Prof. Lynne Henderson Boyd School of Law--UNLV ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/10/09/MN255674.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, October 9, 2003 (SF Chronicle) Outsiders agog at pick of voters/Utah senator wants amendment to let foreign-born be president Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau    Washington -- <snip>   National and international reaction to his election victory was perhaps best captured by the governor-elect himself. "Can you believe it?" Schwarzenegger said. "Only in America." <snip>    Only in California, some Washington cynics added, although Republican Party operatives are already plotting the movie star's potential on the national political stage.    Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, plans hearings on a constitutional amendment to make it possible for a foreigner who has been a citizen at least 20 years to be elected president. Schwarzenegger became a citizen in 1984. <snip>     E-mail Carolyn Lochhead at [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 SF Chronicle