Romney's Birther Issue

**Oblong** · 05-30-2012, 02:22 PM

George Romney, that is....

Romney's birth certificate evokes his father's controversy | Reuters

He was born in Mexico and some tried to make an issue of that at the time he was running for President.

**ballmich** · 05-30-2012, 02:28 PM

To be fair, I'd like to see Romney's birth certificate verified.

**TheCouga** · 05-30-2012, 02:28 PM

Nonsense!

It's painfully obvious that this man was born on the planet Kolob and flew here on a spaceship. He's totally un-American.

**pyrotigers** · 05-30-2012, 02:32 PM

It's OK, once we pass the DREAM act George Romney can finally fulfill his dream of being President

**JayVee** · 05-30-2012, 02:36 PM

I thought we learned in the other thread that Kolob is not a planet, it's a star...

**JayVee** · 05-30-2012, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by pyrotigers

It's OK, once we pass the DREAM act George Romney can finally fulfill his dream of being President

Dude, George Romney is dead...

**ballmich** · 05-30-2012, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by pyrotigers

It's OK, once we pass the DREAM act George Romney can finally fulfill his dream of being President

He's already eligible for in-state tuition rates here in California, as well as the Cal grants. And in the mean time, he can run for student body president of any of the CSU schools, because we already have illegal immigrants holding those positions.

**pyrotigers** · 05-30-2012, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by JayVee7777

Dude, George Romney is dead...

Didn't stop Bob Dole from running

**JayVee** · 05-30-2012, 03:02 PM

What does one have to do to "verify" a Birth Certificate, anyway?

**CMRivdog** · 05-30-2012, 03:28 PM

Forget the birth certificate. I want verification he really has only has one wife

**pfife** · 05-30-2012, 03:51 PM

I always wondered this about George Romney. Was he eligible?

**Oblong** · 05-30-2012, 03:53 PM

I thought the rule was you had to be born in this country but I've read stuff the last few days that say as long as a parent was a citizen... so even if Obaam were born in Kenya he'd still be eligible? I'm so confused.

What I got from the articles I read is that it's not defined in the Constitution.

**pfife** · 05-30-2012, 04:02 PM

What I remeber learning is that you have to be a natural born citizen, which means *you* have to be born in the US. Where your parents were born makes no difference.

However, now that I read more, its.... defintely more vague.

Constitutional Topic: Citizenship - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net

**Gehringer_2** · 05-30-2012, 05:01 PM

If you are born in the US, then things are pretty clear. Also pretty clear if you are born to parents who are US citizens temporarily residing outside the US whose intention is to maintain their US citizenship (such as military or diplomatic postees, temporary corporate assignments, etc, you are still natural born as per the std in use since 1792.

Beyond that good question. Personally have never heard that anything like this has ever gotten to the point of generating a court decision - but could easily be wrong about that.....

**apabruce** · 05-30-2012, 06:19 PM

McCain was born in the Canal Zone, wasn't he? It didn't seem to bother anyone at the time. There are so many citizens born outside the US to US citizens. Military families, diplomats, missionaries, etc.

My wife was born in South Africa to missionary parents. She has a "Report of Birth: Child Born Abroad of American Parent or Parents." Seems like that's the essential document for determining citizenship.

**CMRivdog** · 05-30-2012, 06:23 PM

I think there was a brief flurry on the McCain Canal Zone birth. It went nowhere. Wasn't there a Senate resolution declaring him eligible to run for President?

**Oblong** · 05-30-2012, 06:38 PM

So what's the Obama birther nonsense then? Until last week I thought to be President you had to be born in this country, with exceptions for those like McCain where your parents are citizens and serving the gov't in some capacity.

Even if Obama were born in Kenya because his mom was a citizen he'd be eligible? How come I never heard that offered as a defense to those idiots to shut them up.

**pyrotigers** · 05-30-2012, 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by Oblong

So what's the Obama birther nonsense then? Until last week I thought to be President you had to be born in this country, with exceptions for those like McCain where your parents are citizens and serving the gov't in some capacity.

Even if Obama were born in Kenya because his mom was a citizen he'd be eligible? How come I never heard that offered as a defense to those idiots to shut them up.

Is it really in the best interests of the Democrats to shut up a vocally insane wing of their opponents?

**pfife** · 05-30-2012, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by pyrotigers

Is it really in the best interests of the Democrats to shut up a vocally insane wing of their opponents?

yeah I agree. I was shocked when Obama released his birth certificate in response to Trump. Sometimes its really strange the things Obama responds to and the things he ignores. Honestly he should just ignore all of these stupid things. And by ignore I mean just not address them.

**TheCouga** · 05-30-2012, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by pfife

yeah I agree. I was shocked when Obama released his birth certificate in response to Trump. Sometimes its really strange the things Obama responds to and the things he ignores. Honestly he should just ignore all of these stupid things. And by ignore I mean just not address them.

Yet the released birth certificate has only started more conspiracy theories. Thanks to Sheriff Shitforbrains:

**chasfh** · 05-31-2012, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by pfife

yeah I agree. I was shocked when Obama released his birth certificate in response to Trump. Sometimes its really strange the things Obama responds to and the things he ignores. Honestly he should just ignore all of these stupid things. And by ignore I mean just not address them.

I think it was a pretty good jiu-jitsu move on Obama's part to release the birth certificate, because I thought it was pretty clear at the time that it would not shut up the loony right, so the more they hammer at an issue that every sane person considers closed, the more insane they look, and that reflects badly on the Republican candidate.

I think Romney's best move is to publicly declare that he believes unequivocally that Obama is a citizen and eligible, and in fact it's ridiculous to believe otherwise. That would go a long way toward making the middle comfortable with him, because if he coyly avoids it, then the middle may have its doubts about casting their vote for him. Because really, there's nothing that Trump can do for Romney that will make enough of a difference to turn the election in his favor. Is there?

**Oblong** · 05-31-2012, 10:23 AM

Romney has said that he believes Obama was born in Hawaii.

The only people I'd ever say were unequivocally born in teh US are my two kids as I was in the room whe it happened. Other than that.... who knows.

**shabba4detroit** · 05-31-2012, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by Oblong

So what's the Obama birther nonsense then? Until last week I thought to be President you had to be born in this country, with exceptions for those like McCain where your parents are citizens and serving the gov't in some capacity.

Even if Obama were born in Kenya because his mom was a citizen he'd be eligible? How come I never heard that offered as a defense to those idiots to shut them up.

Except that his father wasn't a citizen and his mother wasn't serving the government in some capacity, I suppose. I'm not advocating my position. I'm just spitballing.

It was my understanding that at the time of McCain's birth, the Canal Zone was considered a US Territory. I could be wrong though.

I recall being taught in grade school many years ago that one doesn't lose his presidential eligibility merely because his mother went into labor while having lunch in Windsor.

**Oblong** · 05-31-2012, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by shabba4detroit

Except that his father wasn't a citizen and his mother wasn't serving the government in some capacity, I suppose. I'm not advocating my position. I'm just spitballing.

It was my understanding that at the time of McCain's birth, the Canal Zone was considered a US Territory. I could be wrong though.

I recall being taught in grade school many years ago that one doesn't lose his presidential eligibility merely because his mother went into labor while having lunch in Windsor.

but reading the stuff I did last week it sounds like the "official capacity" thing that I thought wasn't a requirement either. As long as you are born to a US citizen who has lived here at some required length of time.

This is akin to the time about 20 years ago when I lost a bet because someone told me Peter Gabriel used to be in genesis.

**shabba4detroit** · 05-31-2012, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by Oblong

but reading the stuff I did last week it sounds like the "official capacity" thing that I thought wasn't a requirement either. As long as you are born to a US citizen who has lived here at some required length of time.

This is akin to the time about 20 years ago when I lost a bet because someone told me Peter Gabriel used to be in genesis.

Fair enough. Maybe there was no demonstrable intent to return at the time of birth. Again, I'm just spitballing. This whole natural-born thing has too big a gray area for me to care beyond the intellectual exercise.

**ballmich** · 05-31-2012, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Oblong

Romney has said that he believes Obama was born in Hawaii.

The only people I'd ever say were unequivocally born in teh US are my two kids as I was in the room whe it happened. Other than that.... who knows.

On this forum, that makes you a birther. Nothing you say can be trusted now. Congrats.

**Deleterious** · 05-31-2012, 01:30 PM

Is Marco Rubio Constitutionally eligible to be President? - IssueVet

**sinister porpoise** · 05-31-2012, 01:53 PM

The first write-up here [PDF] suggests that Congress recognized the Canal Zone for a period of time as a "no man's land," and hence passed in 1937 a law granting citizenship to all born in the canal zone after feb 26 1904 to at least one U.S.-citizen parent.

McCain, born in 1936, was then not a "natural born citizen" as there were not regulations at the time of his birth that made him a U.S. citizen, even though by the time he was 1 year old he was a citizen because of Congress passing that law.

**ballmich** · 05-31-2012, 02:14 PM

There are over 300 million US citizens. How is it that all these presidential candidates, out of 300+ million people, have questions about their presidential eligiblity? The odds of that are pretty slim, yet here we are.