Birth Rights

MEMO TO BIRTHERS -- The Constitution says nothing about location as a condition of citizenship and eligibility to be President of the United States. It requires that the President be a "natural born citizen." If only one parent is a U.S. citizen, the child is a "natural born citizen," no matter where born. But the birthers, currently led by Donald Trump, apparently have not read the Constitution, and insist that Barack Obama was not born in the United States, refusing to even look at the long form birth certificate with raised seal issued by the State of Hawaii and released by the White House. Now they are demanding to seen his college transcripts, and seem to be on the verge of claiming a vast conspiracy to perpetrate a fraud on the American people.
   Millions of Americans were born in other countries, including John McCain (born in Panama), and are "natural born citizens" of the United States because a parent was a citizen. And this is certainly true of Barack Obama's mother.
  

Incumbents

PREZ QUIZ -- Dick Polman, columnist for the Philly Inquirer, devoted a piece to this question: "How many Democratic presidents have been defeated for a second term in the last 120 years? A grand total of  one." Eventually, he got around to supplying the answer. It was Jimmy Carter in 1980. Polman's point was that the odds favor incumbents. True enough, but it would have nice if he had also noted the number of Republican presidents who have been defeated for a second term in the last 120 years. Five minutes in an Almanac provides the answer: Four. Benjamin Harrison in 1892, William Howard Taft in 1912, Herbert Hoover in 1932, and George H.W. Bush in 1992.

Trumped

MEMO to the Donald -- Where's your birth certificate? Instead of demanding proof of citizenship from incumbents, those who aspire to public office, or are even considering a bid for one, should volunteer evidence of their qualification to hold any office of public trust. How do we know the Donald even has the right to vote? Did he show his birth certificate when he registered to vote? Is he, in fact, a registered voter? Has he ever voted, and if so, when and where? The Donald often puts his mouth where his money is, but that's not enough. A big mouth is not a good qualification for political leadership.

BIRTH PLACES -- John McCain was born in Panama and Barry Goldwater was born in Arizona before it became a state. No fuss was ever made about their right to run for President. Sen. McCain was born on a military base in the Canal Zone, a strip of land leased from the nation of Panama. The Canal Zone was not, technically, part of the United States, but for the purpose of establishing citizenship, U.S. military bases are considered sovereign territory, albeit temporary.