The New Birthers: Republican Ted Cruz's Presidential Eligibility Questioned

[Peacetrain]

Some members of the Republican party who have spent years questioning whether President Obama was really born in the U.S. now find one of their own rising stars in a birther controversy: Ted Cruz, the Canadian-born Tea Party darling...

I am sure people have posted this before.. but I have to say.. Karma..

[Just Saying]

1. How can you not love the poetic justice of it?

The same people who want to prove President Obama was born outside the US will now have to fight the very notion of "native born" to elect Cruz.

Frankly, I believe Cruz is unelectable because he's a complete wacko, but I do enjoy that their bullshit is smacking them right back in the face.

[Peacetrain]

6. Their primary is going to be off the charts

entertaining this time..

[arely staircase]

14. oh yeah

the crazy train will go off the rails.

[Just Saying]

37. Entertaining and scary at the same time.

Sometimes I can't believe who some people think would make a good leader.

[kelliekat44]

35. What's the question? He is not eligible to be President. Period!! nt

[Just Saying]

38. Hey I'm with ya on that.

Can't remember where I saw it, but some talking heads on TV were saying that it's never been challenged and there was some question about whether a baby born on foreign soil would qualify.

Makes it all the more funny that they've tried so long to prove President Obama shouldn't be President because he was born outside the US to 1 American parent and then turn around and try to prove the law doesn't really mean "native born" for Cruz.

[brooklynite]

2. Ditto, I believe, Rubio and Jindal...

Course, you can TELL they're not "real" Americans; just look at their last names.

[Peacetrain]

7. +1

[LuvNewcastle]

3. Rand Paul is probably behind it. n/t

[Peacetrain]

4. ROFL

Wouldn't that just be about it..

[bravenak]

5. They started it.

[Peacetrain]

8. I know

There is no way in the world, we as Democrats could have orchestrated anything better.. I have been laughing all morning..

[bravenak]

9. I knew this would happen.

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon, they come and go, they come and go-o-o.
Are we paying them for this? We should be.

[malaise]

10. Obama was born in the USA though

Cruz is Canadian born. McGramps was born in Panama but that didn't matter to them

[arely staircase]

15. thing that always got me the most about the birthers was this

even if Obama had been born in Kenya, he would still be a citizen by birth bcause his mother was an American.

[malaise]

18. True but they will allow that for Cruz

Have no fear

[arely staircase]

21. The moment they do someone needs to ask them why that didn't apply to Obama

of course we know the answer.

[unblock]

30. exactly. the black parent trumps the white parent.

[rl6214]

24. This

What other argument could they put out there?

[Jim Lane]

34. Sorry, but you're wrong about this.

If Obama had been born in Kenya, he would not have been a citizen by birth and would not now be eligible to be President. Cruz, however, is eligible.

At the time these two men were born, the law applicable to the Cruz case and to the hypothetical Obama-born-in-Kenya case (birth abroad, one citizen parent, one noncitizen parent) was that the child was a citizen provided that the citizen parent met certain conditions. One of those conditions (residence in the United States for at least five years after turning 14) was NOT met by Obama's mother, because she was only 18 when he was born. Cruz's mother, however, was older and had met the residency requirement.

I believe that Cruz is a natural-born citizen based on the law at the time of his birth. If a child had been born in Kenya in August, 1961 to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham Obama, however, that child would not have been a U.S. citizen.

Thus, most of the birthers could uphold Cruz's eligibility even though they denied Obama's. Some of them, however, took a different tack about Obama. Realizing that there was no evidence of Kenyan birth, they argued that, even if Obama was born in Hawaii and was therefore a U.S. citizen, he was also entitled to British citizenship by virtue of his father's citizenship. (I think that much is true.) They then argue that no one with dual citizenship, and hence "divided loyalty", can be considered a natural-born citizen. That argument, unsupported by any provision of the Constitution, would also disqualify Cruz if, at birth, he was entitled to citizenship in Cuba (by virtue of his father's citizenship) or Canada.

[cali]

17. uh, McCain was born to two U.S. citizens. His father was serving in the U.S. military

so yeah, of course he was eligible and so is the President and so too is Cruz. There is no legal definition of what constitutes a "natural born citizen". There are simply those who are born U.S. citizens and those who are naturalized. Really, it's that simple.

[kestrel91316]

33. We know that. But there is some question about whether or not he was born in the Canal Zone

or Panamanian soil.

And being born on foreign soil apparently isn't an issue if you're white and Republican.

[RZM]

19. It shouldn't have mattered to anybody

It's not like McCain was born in some village to Panamanian parents. He was born on a naval station to two American citizens, one of which was serving in the military at the time. The argument that he was ineligible to be president is pretty weak.

The Obama birther shit is just pure CT nonsense.

Cruz's birth, OTOH, might turn out to be a problem for them. His father wasn't a US citizen at the time, though his mother was born in the US. It will be interesting to see what happens.

[cali]

32. there are only two types of citizens in this country:

you are either born one or you become one.

[sabbat hunter]

27. mccain was born in Panama

but in the canal zone, which is considered the same as if he was born in the US.

[COLGATE4]

39. Not really. His Dad wasn't in the Zone and at his post

there were no medical facilities. McCain was born in a Panamanian hospital.

[sabbat hunter]

40. wrong on both counts

his dad was stationed at Coco Solo, which was within the zone, and John mcCain was born at a naval hospital on the base.

[Jenoch]

11. Wow, are those people idiots.

Cruz's mother was born in Delaware.

[Bragi]

12. Delaware? That's kinda close to Canada. /nt

[Jenoch]

16. Well....there are 4 states between Delaware and Canada.

[Bragi]

22. Not enough, dammit

I say that as a Canadian.

[Jenoch]

25. VP Biden is from Delaware.

[Bragi]

26. But he was born on the right side of the border

Though it's possible he was conceived in Canada. Has anyone ever asked about this?

[Lochloosa]

29. If he was conceived in Canada then by freeper logic

He was a "person" at that moment, hence he is Canadian.

[Bragi]

31. Well argued! /nt

[LanternWaste]

36. Delaware sounds very...exotic.

Delaware sounds very...exotic.

[arely staircase]

13. Cruz is Constitutionally qualified to be president.

Mentally, not so much.

[nyquil_man]

20. I question his eligibility because he's incompetent. nt

[rl6214]

23. Better call Donald Trump on this one.

[LearningCurve]

28. Donald Trump stated that you had to be born in the US to be president

Of course, that's when the issue was Obama.

Then he got evasive when asked how that applied to Cruz.