What's keeping Ted Cruz from finally renouncing his Canadian citizenship? An expert investigates

[DonViejo]

Ted Cruz’s origins continue to haunt him

What's really keeping Ted Cruz from finally renouncing his Canadian citizenship? An expert investigates

BY STEVEN LUBET

Believe it or not, it looks like Sen. Ted Cruz is still a Canadian citizen. Although it has now been over a month since he promised to renounce his Canadian citizenship – which he obtained by virtue of his birth in Calgary, Alberta – there has been no indication (whether press release, statement or otherwise) announcing that he has followed through on the commitment.

Cruz’s website is silent on the subject, his official biography doesn’t even mention the word “Canada,” and I received no response to repeated email requests for additional information. My telephone inquiry to Cruz’s press office produced only an email that repeated his statement of future intention, as first issued on Aug. 19: “I will renounce any Canadian citizenship. Nothing against Canada, but I’m an American citizen by birth and as a U.S. senator, I believe I should be only an American.”

While Cruz’s sentiment was surely sincere at the time, it does appear that he is still holding on to both his Canadian citizenship and his Senate seat. I can’t really fault him for any ambivalence. I am a dual U.S./Canadian citizen myself, and I intend to stay that way, but, then again, I am not planning to run for president. Cruz, on the other hand, has already started courting conservatives in Iowa. So the question must be asked: What is keeping Ted Cruz from finally renouncing his Canadian citizenship?

Perhaps Cruz simply hasn’t gotten around to it. In fairness, the Canadian government requires more than a simple shout-out before canceling somebody’s citizenship. The aspiring ex-Canadian has to pay a fee of $100 and submit an official “Application to Renounce Canadian Citizenship,” which could be a bother for someone with a busy schedule of Tea Party meetings and lectures for the Heritage Foundation. On the other hand, the renunciation form is pretty simple. There are only 12 questions on the application, and most of them request basic information such as name, address and date of birth, all of which could be handled by a staffer.

full article
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/20/ted_cruzs_origins_continue_to_haunt_him/

[Turbineguy]

1. Cruz probably

wants to stay or become eligible for the Canadian health plan. Repubs love social benefits for themselves, they just hate it when others get them.

[Agnosticsherbet]

2. Well that will make it dificult for him to be elected President. n/t

[BillyRibs]

4. He will never be

Natural Born!

[Stargazer09]

3. Why do I get the feeling

That he is not actually a citizen of the United States?

[blkmusclmachine]

5. Yeah. What's up with that?!?!

[davidpdx]

6. What he should simply do is drop his presidential ambitions

then the dual citizenship is not that big of a deal. There is no way he'd get elected president given he's further right then both of the last two Republican nominees and the last two Republican presidents (I think it would be hard to compare him to Reagan). Most likely he'll have a very short career anyway as someone more moderate will beat him in 2016 (whether he runs for president or not).

[Sunlei]

7. probably canadian investment benefits for citizens, similar to cheneys Dubai citizen status.

doubt they'd want to lose any tax?, bank? real estate? benefits of those citizenships.

[mac56]

8. Key quote

"Ted Cruz... is adamant about defunding Obamacare, which he has pursued with a manic fury. The result could be the loss of medical insurance for over 10 million Americans, but I guess that won’t bother Ted. After all, he is entitled to free medical care as long as he remains a Canadian citizen."