Ted Cruz is going to run for President...how?!

[CheerfulYank]

I swear I'm going to blow a gasket.

This is US politics so you might not care :o But the staggering levels of hypocrisy are making me furious and I'm all alone in the house with no one to vent to.

Ted Cruz is not a naturally born US citizen. That is a fact. Where are all the birthers now?! I'm looking at you, Donald Trump, and everyone else who kicked up a stink about Obama being born in another country. (He wasn't.)

[Canyouforgiveher]

He is a natural born US citizen in that he was born in Canada to a US mother and so was a US citizen from moment of birth. Naturalized citizens (as in those who were born in a different citizenship and then applied for US citizenship) are not entitled to be president. It has never been litigated in front of the supreme court but most legal scholars agree with this interpretation of the constitution.

Plenty of reasons not to want President Cruz but his birthplace isn't one of them. Take a look at some of the twitter #tedcruzcampaignslogans if you want a bit of a laugh.

[claig]

"“As Congress has recognized since the Founding, a person born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent is generally a U.S. citizen from birth with no need for naturalization. And the phrase “natural born Citizen” in the Constitution encompasses all such citizens from birth,” they added. “Thus, an individual born to a U.S. citizen parent — whether in California or Canada or the Canal Zone — is a U.S. citizen from birth and is fully eligible to serve as President if the people so choose.”

news.yahoo.com/ted-cruz-serve-president-born-canada-111410935--politics.html

Apparently John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone.
But if the above is true, then Obama was also born to a US citizen parent so why the big deal about the passport? I am confused.

If a child is born to US forces serving in Afghanistan, is the child not a US citizen?

[Canyouforgiveher]

of course even if Obama had been born outside the US, the same would apply to him :) The hypocrisy is entertaining.

[claig]

Not passport, birth certificate. Shows how much attention I have given the matter, although I do love a good conspiracy theory.

[CheerfulYank]

That's what I'm saying CanYou :) I don't give a fiddler's fart about "Ted" Cruz's birthplace; he's an American as far as I'm concerned. But Obama has the same claim (his mother was born in the US...so was he, but even if he weren't, I mean) so why the hell is it different for Cruz?

[CheerfulYank]

I guess I should amend my OP to say "Ted Cruz was not born in the US."

[prh47bridge]

I understand the argument regarding Obama is that the applicable law at the time of his birth required his mother to have been in the US at least 5 years after the age of 14 for him to be natural born US citizen if he was born outside the US. She was 3 months shy of her 19th birthday at the time of birth so clearly did not meet this requirement. The father was not a US citizen. So on this interpretation Obama would not meet the requirements for election as president if he had been born in Kenya. However, it is not clear if this interpretation of the law is correct.

[Moanranger]

PRH This thread is getting somewhat hijacked, but Obama was born in the US, so your whole argument is academic! Any child born in US gets US citizenship. The " Birthers" had some weird theory that he was born in Kenya.
Cruz actually not born in US. Parents have to go to embassy to register his birth. (I had to do this with my two London born kids.) Presumably Cruz's parents did this.
He is a complete weirdo & makes Nigel Farage look like Ghandi!

[prh47bridge]

It is not my argument.

The OP asked how Cruz was acceptable to the "birthers" but not Obama. I explained their argument. You will note that I said IF he had been born in Kenya.

[ohmymimi]

Cruz in the Whitehouse, in the Koch's pocket - stuff of nightmares.

[CheerfulYank]

I doubt he'll win the nomination. It'll be Christie, maybe.

[itsveryyou]

I don't care if he's the son of Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty, with red, white and blue blood running through his veins, this atrocious excuse for a man (I political, and I dare say, personal terms) can never, ever, be President of this extraordinary wonderful country! I'm a Brit so not really qualified to comment, but I do live in TX, so perhaps I am?!

[ragged]

When I was growing up we all thought it was a rule you had to be born in an actual state. Eg, being born in the Arizona territory wouldn't be good enough (but Barry Goldwater was allowed, so the precedent was already there to allow Cruz or McCain).

Cruz story is infuriating considering Trump's huge campaign to see Obama's birth certificate.

[rootypig]

I'm with you, Yank, I'm in LA and my jaw dropped when Ted Cruz announced his nomination......and there was NO discussion whatsoever of his birthplace outside NPR and even they didn't wonder how on earth the birthers can square this one (let alone any discussion with prh's* excellent detail which let's face it, 99% of birthers have nooooo grasp of whatsoever).

Got into a tetchy discussion-argument with a friend who was sure I was wrong about his birthplace (er, no) and the US law (certainly not).

WHAT IS MORE Cruz has some ghastly forrin first name and his father was born in bloody CUBA and fought for sodding CASTRO*! I mean.... what's sauce for the gander is never sauce for the goose but the sheer brass neck of the lunatic far right is quite something.

• to be clear I don't give an arse about any of these things.

[rootypig]

ragged as I understand it, the question of the meaning of 'natural born citizen' has actually never been tested legally. It remains to be seen. Cynically, I think neither side has the appetite for an answer one way or another, just a grey area that lends itself nicely to mud slinging