U.S. Presidents & The Natural-born-citizen Clause

[AFTT47]

You're being stupid. You can't stay in office forever if you're not reelected. THAT is reality.

[Minimalist]

The problem is that the constitution uses the phrase "natural born citizen" and never defines it.

I think it means no IVF babies or clones.

What about C-sections? 

Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb
Untimely ripp'd.

Macbeth Act 5, 8

[Cato]

Anyone can be driven out by the people not voting for him/her. See how simple that was?

In theory, but when the only qualification to vote is 18 years of existence the ability to make any substantive change in governance through the ballot is damn near impossible.

[God of Mr. Hanky]

If your time on this planet isn't too short that you would have the qualifying understanding by which your two cents should be taken seriously, then you must have spent it all sleeping. There's nothing simple about the political process at all, which is why hated incumbents are in practice hard to unseat. Dictators can and do hang onto their power while holding sham elections regularly. Oh, and i bet you believe the heavily gerrymandered American electoral process is unsullied.

Come back when you've grown up.

[AFTT47]

Anyone can be driven out by the people not voting for him/her. See how simple that was?

In theory, but when the only qualification to vote is 18 years of existence the ability to make any substantive change in governance through the ballot is damn near impossible.

Well going by that, why have elections at all?

[AFTT47]

If your time on this planet isn't too short that you would have the qualifying understanding by which your two cents should be taken seriously, then you must have spent it all sleeping. There's nothing simple about the political process at all, which is why hated incumbents are in practice hard to unseat. Dictators can and do hang onto their power while holding sham elections regularly. Oh, and i bet you believe the heavily gerrymandered American electoral process is unsullied.

Come back when you've grown up.

Shove your insults up your ass!

I know the electoral process is imperfect. The solution is to fix it rather then band-aid solutions like term limits which do at least as much harm as good. Just look at recent history. Bill Clinton would have gotten a third or even forth term and we would be much the better for it. GWB on the other hand would have been bounced had he been allowed to run for a third term because the people finally wised up and realized he was a terrible President.

[Pat Mustard]

The purpose of it was to make sure the president has an allegiance with the US and not another country. I agree with the intent of the this.

What if Putin came over here and got elected? That wouldn't be good at all now would it?

I understand that, but blanket banning seems a little harsh. After all, there are plenty of U.S. Citizens who have worked for foreign governments, have spied against the U.S., etc. These people would have all be eligible for the presidency.

Precisely the point.  Being 'natural born' doesn't automatically confer allegiance of any kind.  Here's a more likely scenario than Putin running for the US presidency:

Walter and Ilsa, citizens of Sweden, come to the US on work visas.  They stay for an extended period, during which their son Karl is born in the US.  Since Walter and Ilsa have both maintained their Swedish citizenship, baby Karl is a Swede, not a USian.  But he is steeped in American culture, mores and values.  He speaks fluent, unaccented English.  After school, he joins the US army and serves with distinction.  Upon his discharge, he enrolls first at university, then goes to law school.  Karl works hard and builds a modestly successful legal practice.  At the urging of friends, he stands for the local council (or whatever the American equivalent is) and wins.  Over time, he attains higher and higher political office.  At the age of 50, he is understood by virtually everyone to be eminently suited to be President, a position from which he is forever barred.

Bit of a silly rule, if you ask me.

Boru

To the bolded part:

What, he sounds like Brenda?

[Cato]

In theory, but when the only qualification to vote is 18 years of existence the ability to make any substantive change in governance through the ballot is damn near impossible.

Well going by that, why have elections at all?

Am I to conclude from this that changing voter qualification requirements didn't register with you before jettisoning the institution altogether? Keep in mind that this is the precise aspect of voting I challenged, not voting in general. Absurd. And you have the temerity to flippantly call others stupid.

[KUSA]

I think that the British Kingship should be open to foreigners. I would run for that position. I would make all of you Brits get your teeth fixed. That's why y'all talk so funny. It's those damned crooked teeth.

[God of Mr. Hanky]

If your time on this planet isn't too short that you would have the qualifying understanding by which your two cents should be taken seriously, then you must have spent it all sleeping. There's nothing simple about the political process at all, which is why hated incumbents are in practice hard to unseat. Dictators can and do hang onto their power while holding sham elections regularly. Oh, and i bet you believe the heavily gerrymandered American electoral process is unsullied.

Come back when you've grown up.

Shove your insults up your ass!

I know the electoral process is imperfect. The solution is to fix it rather then band-aid solutions like term limits which do at least as much harm as good. Just look at recent history. Bill Clinton would have gotten a third or even forth term and we would be much the better for it. GWB on the other hand would have been bounced had he been allowed to run for a third term because the people finally wised up and realized he was a terrible President.

and I did suggest raising the ceiling for term limits! Agreed that allowing only two terms is wasteful, but I would not want to see a Bush get 5 or more. You really can't be thinking this through if you don't understand this is a a blade which cuts both ways!