Canada was once called by comedian Will Durst “Our gay neighbor to the North.”
Ted Cruz doesn’t fit that bill so let’s just wait for the next Canadian worth electing.
His Harvard law professor Larry Tribe says Ted’s constitutional standing for the presidency needs a sleep over:
“He hasn’t really put it to bed. If he did put it to bed, he is certainly sleeping alone.”
We now have video embedding. Simply post the video url …
HOUSEKEEPING: Due to an influx of spam bots I am going to have to require registration and login for commenting very soon. We are on a brand new server and your old login, registration no longer works. Sorry for the trouble, but these things are necessary to keep our home a safe place.
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Hi Craig Crawford. Chef Sheila checking in. {Hand salute!} Nice to be able to open my mouth without someone on my Facebook page freaking out. Senator Cruz is crusing down the wrong lane, I believe. His shyster lawyer interpretation of Natural Born Citizen is not going to work. We were raised up in school understanding what it takes to be elected President. Born within an American territory or border…period. The facts are, his father and mother made their home of choice Canada and Senator Cruz’ mother was voting in Canadian elections, meaning…..Canadian Citizenship, when Cruz was born. I honestly think enough Americans out there understand this and my opinion is that SELECT Dems are just waiting for Cruz to get the Nomination so they can file a law suit headed for the Supreme Court. Bogging down the Nominee’s Campaign. What a game of chess, this horse race is. Congrats on… Read more »
Hopefully you see this picture of a Thick Cut Bologna Sandwhich!! From J N R Tavern in Ohio. Thinking of you the other day.
Of course, this baby should have been fried a bit more and I would like some velveeta and fried onions. Simplicity please ?
I am puzzled by the challenge to the candidacy of Ted Cruz to be President of the United States.
I am certainly not an admirer of Ted Cruz, but am confident that he fits the definition of Natural Born Citizen.
There are two standards of citizenship…natural and naturalized. There is no in-between.
If I remember correctly , the very first Naturalization Act by Congress defined Natural Born as being a citizen from birth including being born outside the United States if at least one parent was an American citizen.
Sheila…that Bologna sandwich looks good!
dexter, let me pass forward some help renee and jack gave me when I was also “a bit confused as to how to get an avatar up”
1st make sure you have saved your chosen avatar in your computer picture file — like when one makes a fried bologna sandwich one must first kill a bologna– (this was the Voilà! moment)
then scroll down to “avatar” in the “edit my profile” list (which is found thru clicking your name on the upper right of this blog) and plug into the “browse” blank your picture cite.
and miracle of techie miracles, you have been transformed from zorro to the handsome dog you are.
od, this refutation of cruz’ eligibility is from an “originalist” pov
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ted-cruz-is-not-eligible-to-be-president/2016/01/12/1484a7d0-b7af-11e5-99f3-184bc379b12d_story.html
and here’s what was said last night
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/14/ted-cruz-donald-trump-birther-republican-debate
Jamie posted this last night on her blog: “I was totally entranced by Rachel Maddow interview of Hillary Clinton. It was great. If you didn’t see it an get a chance once on line. Make the effort. Two brilliant women actually discussing issues. What a concept.”
here’s what she was praising. what a difference compared to the debate going on at the same time.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/clinton-draws-distinction-from-sanders-602153027820
more from the maddow show with hillary
http://on.msnbc.com/1Q1Jfhl
Oregon Democrat
There is actually an in between: American Citizen Born Abroad. In order to qualify, a form must be filed with the State Dept by the parent before the child is 18. Apparently, this was not done for Mr. Cruz because of separated parents, drunk dad in TX mom in Canada, parent reconciliation, move to US etc. His mother was a citizen so didn’t need a passport to return to the US and Cruz was a minor … This is the area all those darn “Constitutional Scholars” are sweating over. He was definitely a citizen of Canada, but was he also a dual citizen of the US without that form?
From what I understand…. because Cruz’s mother was a natural born American, that act of Congress that OD mentioned made Ted a naturalized American citizen at birth. Naturalized citizens are not eligible to become president.
How ironic that the birther question has now come back to bite the Republicans in the butt…
and later on jimmy fallon
http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/mock-job-interview-for-president-with-hillary-clinton/2968918
I did watch most of the debate last night. The first half hour was the candidates answering questions from the moderators. However if they didn’t like the question, they just spewed talking points. And the moderators (who sucked, IMO) didn’t make any attempt to get them to answer the question asked. Then the fireworks started with the question to Cruz about his birth eligibility. From there it became somewhat a brawl. I laughed at first. Then I realized that one of those clowns was going to be the GOP nominee for president. The negativity about this country and fear they so loudly proclaimed was shameful. Heaven help us.
tpm’s story on canadian election records of cruz’ mother and tpm’s conclusion as to eligibility (which I disagree with)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/ted-cruz-mother-canadian-voter-list
Even if it were proven that Eleanor Cruz had become a Canadian citizen, she might well have remained an American citizen. In other words, she could have remained a dual citizen. If that were the case, a reasonable interpretation of the constitutional requirement would still find Cruz eligible to serve as President.
Ted Cruz, who was a dual citizen, formally renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014.
Colbert gets in to the birther blather
Watched Hillary on Maddow last night and then listened to her on Morning Joe this AM. There is simply no question that she can’t answer with total comprehension & intelligence right off the top of her head. No dodging, just answering with both facts and authority. Loved Bill, but Hill is ever better.
Happy 87th birthday to Martin Luther King
Trump is a vile human being, but he is correct. The exact meaning of “natural born” citizen is murky and it has never been considered by the Supreme Court. An argument can be made that Cruz does not meet the criteria.
Nash
I agree if Bernie wins NH and Iowa it will change.. How ironic that Mrs. Clinton’s husband lost both and still was the nominee..
Pat,
Thanks for the posting of the Hillary Rachael interview, excellent.. Def Hillary is hitting at the heart of the problem i have with Bernie, how’s he going to make his agenda happen? It’s “Hope and Change” 2.0…..
Hello OD and Sheila
Nice to see you both!
Hillary’s interviews with Rachel and Mika/Joe were great.
Senstor Sanders, in the next debate, will not be able to avoid explaining his funding mechanism for Single Payer. I was disappointed that his campaign will not be releasing this information prior to Iowa
I have enjoyed the Democratic debates, although I wish O’Malley would disappear. The GOP debates are revolting!
Hello, everyone. Hello especially to Craig. Glad to see the trail boss is back on the trail.
cj
Sheila, I’m hungry now.
Avatars looking snazzy.
Don’t know why that Gravatar link is on our edit profile pages, it was supposed to be disabled.
Hi Craig! Me too. Need greasy Bologna. ?
Hi Tony! Oregon Dem!
I was absolutely repulsed by Cruz’ pompous proclamation as to how disgraceful it was seeing our sailors on their knees and how that would never happen when he…
At that point I switched off the teevee and retired to bed.
I don’t well suffer fools pontificating about military subjects about which they have no knowledge or experience. May our deities help us all.
Those early immigration acts (1790 & 1795) said that if someone is born outside the US to an american citizen, they are considered natural born (well, the repealed one did). According to Wiki (and who doesn’t trust Wiki?) “The Naturalization Act of 1790 stated that “the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born citizens: Provided, That the right of citizenship shall not descend to persons whose fathers have never been resident in the United States.”[25] This act was repealed by the Naturalization Act of 1795, which removed the characterization of such children as “natural born,” stating that “the children of citizens of the United States, born out of the limits and jurisdiction of the United States, shall be considered as citizens of the United States” while retaining the same residency restrictions as the… Read more »
Flatus,
Apparently Cruz thinks Iranian (or any other country’s) soldiers and sailors would be so scared of the US under a Cruz administration they wouldn’t dare do such a thing as arrest and detain US soldiers or sailors that violate their territory. I think he’d find he’s wrong and he would be left to respond rather than preempt.
The ‘pugn debate was painful (the few minutes I watched) and Cruz was among the worst of the candidates. He has a true talent for saying stupid stuff in a very polished way. In short, he’s dangerous.
I did not watch the “debate”, in fact I avoid watching them for the same reason we always served popcorn for SotU by Bush II. Anything harder would cause broken things around the house. Last night was better spent with my volunteer work. I am an American Red Cross Disaster Services volunteer. Last night meeting was primarily focused on our roles for Saturday’s fire detector handout and installation. We will be giving (free) smoke detectors in Annapolis and New London Town. It’s a great deal, free and installed.
Break over, back to work.
HUFFPOLLSTER: Bernie Sanders Has A 72 Percent Chance Of Winning New Hampshire…Or A 43 Percent Chance
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/2016-primary-race-forcast-models_5698edbde4b0778f46f8f991
from http://www.mediaite.com/online/trevor-noah-takes-on-flint-water-crisis-if-the-waters-browner-than-me-i-dont-drink-it/
While most in the political world eyed the Republican debate on Fox Business, Trevor Noah — perhaps nursing a bit of hangover after his drinking escapades with Kentucky Senator Rand Paul — hit on the devastating water crisis in the city of Flint, Michigan. Many people have expressed national outrage after officials found toxic levels of lead in the drinking water there.
“I have a very simple rule in rule,” began Noah. “If the water’s browner than me, I don’t drink it.”
I’m not surprised at all that Bernie Sanders is narrowing the polls here in NH. He is a very popular Senator from a neighboring state. Remember that Bill Clinton lost the NH primary in 1992 to Paul Tsongas… another popular Senator from a neighboring state.
As to winning the Democratic nomination for 2016… I’m pretty sure that what kind of ground game one has in each state matters very much. From what I’ve read, Clinton has a big advantage over Sanders in this. Bernie seems to be putting most of his eggs into Iowa and NH. Hillary is preparing a 50 state strategy ala Howard Dean.
If Bernie wins both early states, of course his campaign will get a boost. But I’m still putting my money on Hillary actually winning the nomination.
Not that I would ever choose Ted Cruz as my president, but I hope the birther question can be thrown aside. IF the R’s nominate him AND the country elects him he should be inaugurated and serve.
We’re already an overly litigious society. I don’t believe ‘natural born citizen’ needs to be defined through litigation. (As an aside: Why waste time and money when we know what this Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision would be.)
EdVB
from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-york-daily-news-ted-cruz_56989bc4e4b0778f46f8f078?
And on Friday, “New York’s Hometown Newspaper” used an image of Lady Liberty giving the finger to Cruz on its front page, and urged him to “go back to Canada,” where he was born.
“DROP DEAD, TED,” the page reads.
I hope you will all continue to drop in from time to time. In the meantime, my swan song on the Trailmix substitute is a republished article: The Whale Sang Opera
I believe congress has already weighed in on this subject.
Nuf said . Ted is a natural born citizen as well as being a natural born (fill in the blank)
It is as it was with Obama. all about prejudice and racism.
Jack
Ed, I think the lawsuit has already been filed. Whether it will survive is a matter of speculation. Unless he wins the ‘pugn nomination I doubt the Court would find a case and controversy subject to consideration. But then again with the Roberts court one never knows.
The trouble for Cruze is that he is a super strict original intent guy regarding interpretation of the Constitution. The irony is that he has to abandon his long held views and rely on flexible interpretation, which he has always opposed, in order to be deemed legitimate. That is his old law professor Tribe’s point. Hypocrisy is a slippery slope.
Jack, the 1790 act was repealed by the 1795 act. Natural born was omitted in 1975. Does that mean much? Who knows? Makes for interesting argument about congressional intent.
Pogo
If we are going with original intent of the framers, legislation passed by the first congress should be close to the gold standard. Then given that there was no different definition approved and that definition is still in use today to determine citizenship. It looks like Cruz is on solid footing.
We all know Trump is using the issue to say Cruz “ain’t from around here and ain’t one of us” Much like Cruz is beating Trump over the head with “New York City” in rural Iowa and across the south.
Jack
HOUSEKEEPING: A suggestion, use the link button above your comment box for inserting a url.
Let’s see if my mug shows up now…picture is me sitting in Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Spring Game, many moons ago.
ZORRO! (Guy Williams)
maybe the sanders campaign can adapt this old parody of louie louie
nope, the link of the url (or is that the earl of link) didn’t work.
must be more to it than pulling down the link icon, inserting the url and then pressing post comment? where did I go wrong, mr. wizard?
https://youtu.be/IUnXxr9C5SI
somebody in September already did a Bernie Bernie louie louie parody
or how about the Bernie bongos….
Jack, I hear your argument and I think it’s got a lot of merit. I’m just laying out that there are two different statutes passed very shortly after the ratification of the Constitution that differ with respect to that term. Ill have to do a little research on the overlap of the framers and the Congresses that passed the respective versions of that Act, however I have about four things that I have to get out before the end of the day so I can’t do that until later. I’ll check back in when I had a chance to look at it. That said, I think you’re probably right.
It was my understanding that the Framers didn’t want some foreign born bloke claiming rights to the confederation they were on the verge of creating. A generation later, after diplomatic missions were established in other countries it became more practical to allow the spouses of mission members to bear young while having those young blessed with their full birthright as if they were born on our soil.