I predict a movement for a Constitutional amendment to allow non-native born to be president, jointly pushed by fans of both Governor Schwartzenegger and Governor Granholm.

The man can speak.

Can you imagine a primary contest between Rudi & Ahhnold?

If his numbers hold up in California, the term limits may be altered also.

Jennifer Granholm is non-native? Wow...that's news to me. But then, I had no intention of voting for her, else I might have bothered to find out.

(From "Demolition Man")

Stallone: "Hold it! The Schwarzenegger Library?"
Bullock: "Yes, the Schwarzenegger Presidential Library. Wasn't he an actor?"
Stallone: "Stop! He was President?"
Bullock: "Yes. Even though he was not born in this country, his popularity at the time caused the 61st Amendment…"

Sometimes when nobody is around -- I dress up my checkbook like an economic girlie man just to experience alternative fiscal responsibilities.

No. As much as I like Arnold, no single man is worth changing the Constitution for.

I would be avery bad thing to do.

Actually, as a nation of immigrants, I have no real problem ammending the constitution to allow a non-native president, provided they live in the United States for a period of years and are citizens. Don't want to have to run the risk of US President Chirac, anytime soon!

And Jennifer Granholm is Canadian-born. If the constitution is ammended and she were to receive the Dem nomination, President Ahnuld would simply have to run ads showing her performance at the Pistons Championship parade and the race would be over.

Bob

Are we really that hard-up as a nation for competent leaders that we have to screw with the constitution to increase the size of the candidate pool? Oh. Damn. Perhaps we should just outsource the whole government to India.

Perhaps we should just outsource the whole government to India.

Amidst drilling anchors in my house for to hold the plywood, I sense an Onion-like article coming on...

By the way, Andrew, I may get knocked off the air for a while by this thing (and I was actually planning to fly to Denver on Saturday for a little western vacation next week, anyway, if the house survives and they don't shut down the Fort Launderdale Airport), so you may have to pick up the slack.

Make sure you keep up the Kerry-bashing quota--my paymasters will insist (just kidding...)

The movement has already started.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0%2C1249%2C510039949%2C00.html

Would a movement like this actually get past all the US-born politicians who want to be president? I think they know what this would do to their chances.

I seriously doubt an effort to enable the Governator to run for president could succeed. There are too many democrat-dominated states to pass what would be seen as a partisan constitutional amendment. Indeed, I doubt it would even get out of congress.

That's why I mentioned Granholm. The Dems have their own reason for such an amendment. It could be bipartisan. ;-)

Like Rand said, it COULD be bi-partisan. I can see it now...

Democrats start by whining that the GOP is behind the bill and only trying to get Arnold eligible for presidency. It's all a vast Right-Wing Conspiracy!

And then, when the bill fails (because they killed it), they would whine that the GOP RWC quenched the flames just to spite them and leave Granholm ineligible.

We could have such a great time with it!

In the end, I think that the idea has merit, but there are a lot of unfortunate timing barriers to it right now, mostly related to the conspiracy theorism above.

If this were to get off the ground as a Constitutional Amendment, does anyone think that the Dems would seriously oppose it (at least actively and publicy)? Can they afford to be cast as the ani-immigrant party (which is the tactic that I would employ if I were in the GOP and pushing this issue)?

Why not take the idea to its logical conclusion, abandon the written constitution, and elect an absolute Emperor? I mean, since it obviously makes sense to reconsider the limitations in a stodgy constitution written by 18th century white male slave owners when someone who clearly rises about it comes along, why keep the damn thing at all? If Arnold or Jennifer is sufficiently wonderful that it's worthwhile ignoring a general written prohibition against non-native-born being elected President, then think about what might happen if he or she was elected! He or she would probably propose some act of supremely wonderful leadership only to find it forbidden by that same pesky uncompromising dead document, and then where would we be? Clearly the right thing to do is have a Leader with unlimited power, and then pick the one true good and right Leader. It's all so simple, really, when you think about it.

Steve, the Democrats can and will oppose anything that the Republicans favor, for the one and only reason that the Republicans favor it. Logical consistency be damned. Remember how the feminists closed ranks to defend Bill Clinton against a charge of sexual harassment?

That was the moment. That was the Official Drinking of the Kool-Aid™ that has led to the current state of affairs.

There's a teensy bit of difference between respecting a naturalized citizen who's the living embodiment of "The American Dream" for the 40+ years he's lived here and declaring a man Emperor-for-life.

When the Constitution was written, it would have been quite rare for someone to spend _that_ much time in America -after- being naturalized.

Perhaps, but I like the idea that the head of the government must be born here. More to the point, I really hate having the constitution changed unless it is EXTREMELY important. I don't think this qualifies.

I would loudly oppose this measure... Arnie running for president is not worth the risk of Governor Barbie doing the same thing. I gave the Loudest sigh of relief when I heard that this Bill Clinton with Breasts was Canadian born and therefore not elegible for the Presidency. That's the only thing that saved us from Granholm in '08 or, God forbid, a Kerry Granholm ticket coasting to victory right now.

But consider that Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison were born on UK soil, too. They retroactively became US citizens after the soil shifted owners.

So if British Columbia were to switch countries, Granholm should be able to run in that case.

I remember someone once wrote a column in favor of lifting the restriction so that great talent like Henry Kissinger and Madeline Albright could run for Prez. As if that were an endorsement. Among Central Europeans, I'd rather have Vaclav Havel.

According to the Foresight Exchange, a reputation based betting market, Schwarzenegger has a 8-9% of becoming president of the US by Ground Hog's Day, 2022. The funny thing is that this particular market on the governor started as an April Fool's joke back in 1998. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the Stallone movie had something to do with it. :)

Not true, David. The requirement is:

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

So unless you were born before the Constitution was adopted and a citizen then, you must have been born in the U.S.