As another non-natural-born participant in American life, I’m curious whether anyone on the list has reasons for favoring this provision. Its symbolic and practical significance in the immediate wake of independence from Britain seems to have wholly receded. Americans strike me as more secure in their sense of national identity than most other peoples on the planet, and our leaders are hardly at risk of being "corrupted from abroad," as Hamilton feared.
Laurence Claus
University of San Diego School of Law
At 11:19 AM 10/9/2003 -0400, you wrote:
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
