Long-time readers may recall back in July when I mentioned a congressional effort to change the Constitution to alter the “natural born citizen” rule for presidential candidates (Article 2, Sec. 1, of the Constitution says you have to be a “natural born citizen” to be eligible to seek the presidency).
In the Senate, Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is sponsoring S. J. Res. 15, a proposed constitutional amendment to allow naturalized citizens to run for the White House. A similar effort is underway in the House, where seven lawmakers — 4 Dems and 3 Republicans — are supporting H. J. Res. 59.
As I’ve said before, I’m generally opposed to tinkering with the Constitution, but this change has merit. We are a nation of immigrants. Men and women who may been born elsewhere come to the United States, become citizens, and are just as much a part of this country as those of us who were born on American soil. They pay taxes, vote, serve in the military, and hold elected office at nearly every level, just like citizens who were born here. Why should they be prohibited from being president?
I’m writing to update readers on the progress of this initiative. In short, there isn’t any.
Hatch’s Senate proposal hasn’t garnered a single co-sponsor since he unveiled his amendment in July. The House proposal has picked up one new supporter — Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) — since mid-June. (Rumor has it Conyers likes the idea so Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) can run for President, despite being born in Canada.)
Moreover, a Newsweek poll included a question on this proposed amendment last week. Respondents were told, “The Constitution now prevents any foreign-born person from being elected president. Would you favor or oppose a constitutional amendment that would allow a U.S. citizen born in another country to be elected president?” The results were pretty one-sided: 29% favored the change, while 64% were opposed.
Nevertheless, the media appears to be picking up on this as an interesting story and several newspapers are endorsing the amendment.
Last week, for example, the Washington Post ran an editorial recommending a change to the Constitution on this issue.
“The nation has profited from the service of naturalized citizens in sensitive posts such as secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and American public life is rife with people whose commitment to this country is one of choice, rather than birth,” the Post said. “In every other sphere, American law welcomes such citizens and acknowledges parity between them and the native-born. The peculiar anachronism that the presidency alone is different should not persist.”
Of course, with almost no meaningful base of political support, this amendment is going nowhere fast. A lot of Dems don’t like it because they’re afraid Schwarzenegger might take advantage of it, and Republicans may be concerned that their political base is often anti-immigrant (see Tom Tancredo, et al).