Saturday, August 30, 2003
Naturalised U.S. politicians
I have often wondered about the anachronistic nature of the U.S. law that prevents naturalized citizens from becoming president, in a country that almost entirely consists of immigrants of one generation or the next. Clearly this 200-plus year old law dates beck to a time when the U.S. was a fledgling nation that wasn't sure of its ability to stand up to the great powers of the day. This law has meant that people like Madeline Albright or Henry Kissinger (or Arnold Schwarzenegger, for that matter) cannot run for president; this at a time when Sonia Gandhi is perfectly eligible to become P.M. of India.
There are a couple of moves afoot to change this law, to allow naturalized citizens to run for president (with some conditions). The New York Times has a report.
Both proposals would require amending the Constitution, which has been done only 27 times, most recently in 1992 with the ban on midterm raises for members of Congress. A constitutional amendment requires approval by two-thirds of both the House and the Senate. Then at least three-quarters of the state legislatures must ratify it. The movement to reverse the ban has created some odd alliances. Representative Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who presides over a suburban Boston district with a large population of Portuguese and Russian immigrants, is a co-sponsor of the House legislation. The conservative commentator George Will has also written in favor of abolishing the ban, arguing that it has an "unpleasantly nativist tang."
There are a couple of moves afoot to change this law, to allow naturalized citizens to run for president (with some conditions). The New York Times has a report.
Both proposals would require amending the Constitution, which has been done only 27 times, most recently in 1992 with the ban on midterm raises for members of Congress. A constitutional amendment requires approval by two-thirds of both the House and the Senate. Then at least three-quarters of the state legislatures must ratify it. The movement to reverse the ban has created some odd alliances. Representative Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who presides over a suburban Boston district with a large population of Portuguese and Russian immigrants, is a co-sponsor of the House legislation. The conservative commentator George Will has also written in favor of abolishing the ban, arguing that it has an "unpleasantly nativist tang."
