01-25-2016, 08:04 AM
Ironically, Ted Cruz might be ineligible. The "birthers" have spent the last 8 years disputing that Obama is a "natural born American". In his case, they alleged that he wasn't born in Hawaii but in Kenya. Trump was a prominent birther, demanding that Obama release his full birth certificate and when Obama did so he alleged it was a forgery.
It now looks as though the right wing loonies may finally have found someone who wasn't born in America but he's one of the favourites of right wing loons.
Cruz was born in Canada. His mother was a US citizen at the time but his father was a Canadian citizen after arriving in the US as a refugee without taking US citizenship. Cruz remained a Canadian citizen until about 8 years ago when he renounced it. He had always been a US citizen because of his mother's citizenship.
Most had assumed that his US citizenship was enough to make him eligible. There's a strong argument, however, that it isn't. John. McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, then a US territory, where both his parents were serving in the US military. Constitutional scholars believe McCain was eligible because his parents were serving the US Government at the time and it didn't hurt that it was technically US territory. In Cruz's case, his mother wasn't serving the US in any capacity.
Some legal scholars also believe that the citizenship of the mother is irrelevant - only that of the father counts. Again, it's ironic that the right wing obsession that the Constitution should be interpreted only as the founding fathers intended and all social advancements since then should be ignored. For Cruz, the fact that women have obtained full rights might not matter as they were effectively property back then.
The legal scholars believe that "natural born citizen" doesn't mean simply a US citizen - it means that he was born there.
Cruz and Trump are both darlings of the far right wing Republican base. And Trump is already telling everyone that Cruz may be ineligible.
It now looks as though the right wing loonies may finally have found someone who wasn't born in America but he's one of the favourites of right wing loons.
Cruz was born in Canada. His mother was a US citizen at the time but his father was a Canadian citizen after arriving in the US as a refugee without taking US citizenship. Cruz remained a Canadian citizen until about 8 years ago when he renounced it. He had always been a US citizen because of his mother's citizenship.
Most had assumed that his US citizenship was enough to make him eligible. There's a strong argument, however, that it isn't. John. McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, then a US territory, where both his parents were serving in the US military. Constitutional scholars believe McCain was eligible because his parents were serving the US Government at the time and it didn't hurt that it was technically US territory. In Cruz's case, his mother wasn't serving the US in any capacity.
Some legal scholars also believe that the citizenship of the mother is irrelevant - only that of the father counts. Again, it's ironic that the right wing obsession that the Constitution should be interpreted only as the founding fathers intended and all social advancements since then should be ignored. For Cruz, the fact that women have obtained full rights might not matter as they were effectively property back then.
The legal scholars believe that "natural born citizen" doesn't mean simply a US citizen - it means that he was born there.
Cruz and Trump are both darlings of the far right wing Republican base. And Trump is already telling everyone that Cruz may be ineligible.