The Gateway Pundit: HERE
Here we go again as this “controversy” is coming to the surface with the Nikki Haley candidacy. It all goes to a debate over “natural born citizen” vs. “birthright citizenship” … and it has impacted both Republican & Democrat presidential candidates like John McCain (R), Barack Obama (D), Ted Cruz (R), Kamala Harris (D) … and now Nikki Haley (R).
The real problem is you can find scholarly articles and experts on both sides of the argument … so who knows what is right or wrong … who is “biased” and who is offering a legitimate legal opinion.
Some say let the American people decide at the polls … and some really wish the US Supreme Court would simply take up the issue and make a decision so we can all have some certainty and end the debate.
We are not opining on either side … today we just want to give you a starter on where the debate begins (the US Constitution) and you can do some “google research” and decide.
Our advise … try to think objectively … ask yourself what were our Founding Fathers trying to protect against … not whether you think the candidate in question is good or bad … or your personal biases as we all have them.
Article I, Section II, Clause 5
US Constitution, Art II, S1, C5 Qualifications for the Presidency:
“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”
So … we have three big requirements to be President:
(1.) Natural Born Citizen.(2.) 35 years old.(3.) 14 year resident of the US.
Here is what the US Congress “website” says (HERE) … seeming to indicate that so long as you were born on US soil you are good to go with the Natural Born Citizenship requirement. But do we believe Congress or what a government bureaucrat puts on the web?
While others like in the Gateway Pundit article above (HERE) say both your parents must be US Citizens at the time of your birth on US soil for you to be a Natural Born Citizen.
Which is it? What did the Founding Fathers intend? What were our Founding Fathers trying to prevent and protect against??? Were they trying to protect us from a type of Manchurian Candidate like from the 1962 film (HERE) … or a foreign infiltrator with an ulterior motive?
There is no definitive answer … yet … and it is not clear if we will ever get an answer anytime soon given the current court system. This is not an issue any judge wants to touch.
Nikki’s Situation
NEITHER PARENT WAS A CITIZEN AT HALEY’S BIRTH: Nikki Haley however has probably the worst possible case as a Natural Born Citizen in this great debate.
She was born in 1972 in Bamberg, South Carolina … so she is most certainly a US Citizen by birthright citizenship … no debate on that … since she was born on US soil.
[NOTE: There is another debate as to whether children born in America to non-citizens should be entitled to US Citizenship at all. There is a whole industry of foreigner mothers flying from Russia, China & Muslim countries to give birth in the United States and then returning to their home country immediately afterwards. We will save that for a later date.]
But what is unique about Nikki Haley’s situation (and apparently Kamala Harris’ too) … and different from all the other controversies … is that NEITHER of Nikki’s parents were US Citizens when she was born in 1972.
Haley’s father Ajit Randhawa became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1978 and her mother Raj Randhawa became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2003.
Is someone born in the United States, to non-citizens, entitled to be a Natural Born Citizen??? Should they be???
What Do YOU Think?
Send us your opinion on this great debate … and how you would like to see it solved … by hitting REPLY or emailing us at team@mySCGOP.com.
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