President Arnold?
miller8966
Posts: 1,450
By Bill Schneider
CNN Senior Political Analyst
Adjust font size:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Schwarzenegger -- how does that sound?
Some people think it sounds pretty good. But don't we have enough people running for president next year?
According to CNN's tabulation, four Democrats are already running. One is exploring. Seven others are thinking about it. The Republican list is even longer. Eight Republicans are exploring. Six are thinking. That makes 26 potential candidates.
The editors of The Los Angeles Times think there's room for one more.
"Why should Californians have their governor sidelined from the race?'' the L.A. Times asked in a January 14 editorial. "And why can't voters across the country be entrusted to decide for themselves whether the governor of California is sufficiently 'American' to earn their vote? It's insulting really.''
The reason is Article II of the United States Constitution which reads, "No person except a natural-born citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President.''
It's in there because John Jay, the presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention, wrote a letter to George Washington in 1787 arguing that the commander-in-chief of the United States Army should not be anyone but a natural-born American. The Founders were worried about ambitious foreigners taking over the country; as in Poland, which -- at the time -- had just been partitioned between Austria, Prussia and Russia.
That's not exactly a problem for the United States today. Yet the provision remains in the Constitution, barring naturalized citizens like Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright from ever becoming President.
And Austrian-born Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Amending the Constitution to drop the provision has been proposed before.
In the 1993 movie, "Demolition Man,'' about a police officer who was cryogenically frozen and thawed out in 2032, it was a joke.
"Stop! He was president?" asked the incredulous officer, played by Sylvester Stallone, was when his lieutentant, played by Sandra Bullock, told him to go to the Schwarezenegger Library to gather evidence.
"Yes," the leutenient replied. "Even though he was not born in this country, his popularity at the time caused the 61st amendment, which states that even . . . ''
"I don't want to know,'' the officer interrupted. "President?''
But the L.A. Times canvassed California's congressional delegation to find out how many would support a Constitutional amendment allowing naturalized citizens to become President. Six out of eight Republicans who responded said "yes." Democrats were more closely split -- 9 yes, 7 no.
Though politics is always partisan, this year, Gov. Schwarzenegger is reaching across party lines. In his January 9 State of the State address, Schwarzenegger promised to work with the Democratic speaker of the assembly, Fabian Nuñez, and laid out a bold, ambitious agenda to deal with problems that tie the federal government in knots.
The governor also said California would take the lead on issues like the environment and health care where he said the federal government has failed to act. Schwarzenegger already signed an anti-global warming pact with the United Kingdom whiched committed California and the UK to jointly study emissions trading practices and "clean energy" technologies.
And earlier this month Schwarzenegger announced a plan to provide universal health care for Californians.
Anything for his fellow Republicans? You bet. Schwarzenegger said he will do it all without raising taxes.
This move to the center has paid off for Schwarzenegger politically, putting him in a much better position than the former governor who now occupies the White House. Fifty-seven percent of Californians approve of the way Governor Schwarzenegger is handling his job. Only 26 percent of Californians approve of the way President Bush is doing his job.
President Bush's job rating among California Democrats and Independents is in single digits.
Most California Republicans disapprove of Mr. Bush, but everybody likes Arnold. Even Democrats approve of his job as governor.
It's easy to see why there is such a disparity. On Schwarzenegger's desk: global warming, stem cell research, health insurance. On Bush's desk: Iraq burning.
If the Constitution says Schwarzenegger can't be president of the United States, he'll just have to be be president of California.
Monday night, Gov. Schwarzenegger presented the Golden Globe award for best dramatic picture to "Babel". Now if he could just get somebody to rewrite his own script . . . the part about where he was born.
CNN Senior Political Analyst
Adjust font size:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Schwarzenegger -- how does that sound?
Some people think it sounds pretty good. But don't we have enough people running for president next year?
According to CNN's tabulation, four Democrats are already running. One is exploring. Seven others are thinking about it. The Republican list is even longer. Eight Republicans are exploring. Six are thinking. That makes 26 potential candidates.
The editors of The Los Angeles Times think there's room for one more.
"Why should Californians have their governor sidelined from the race?'' the L.A. Times asked in a January 14 editorial. "And why can't voters across the country be entrusted to decide for themselves whether the governor of California is sufficiently 'American' to earn their vote? It's insulting really.''
The reason is Article II of the United States Constitution which reads, "No person except a natural-born citizen . . . shall be eligible to the Office of President.''
It's in there because John Jay, the presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention, wrote a letter to George Washington in 1787 arguing that the commander-in-chief of the United States Army should not be anyone but a natural-born American. The Founders were worried about ambitious foreigners taking over the country; as in Poland, which -- at the time -- had just been partitioned between Austria, Prussia and Russia.
That's not exactly a problem for the United States today. Yet the provision remains in the Constitution, barring naturalized citizens like Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright from ever becoming President.
And Austrian-born Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Amending the Constitution to drop the provision has been proposed before.
In the 1993 movie, "Demolition Man,'' about a police officer who was cryogenically frozen and thawed out in 2032, it was a joke.
"Stop! He was president?" asked the incredulous officer, played by Sylvester Stallone, was when his lieutentant, played by Sandra Bullock, told him to go to the Schwarezenegger Library to gather evidence.
"Yes," the leutenient replied. "Even though he was not born in this country, his popularity at the time caused the 61st amendment, which states that even . . . ''
"I don't want to know,'' the officer interrupted. "President?''
But the L.A. Times canvassed California's congressional delegation to find out how many would support a Constitutional amendment allowing naturalized citizens to become President. Six out of eight Republicans who responded said "yes." Democrats were more closely split -- 9 yes, 7 no.
Though politics is always partisan, this year, Gov. Schwarzenegger is reaching across party lines. In his January 9 State of the State address, Schwarzenegger promised to work with the Democratic speaker of the assembly, Fabian Nuñez, and laid out a bold, ambitious agenda to deal with problems that tie the federal government in knots.
The governor also said California would take the lead on issues like the environment and health care where he said the federal government has failed to act. Schwarzenegger already signed an anti-global warming pact with the United Kingdom whiched committed California and the UK to jointly study emissions trading practices and "clean energy" technologies.
And earlier this month Schwarzenegger announced a plan to provide universal health care for Californians.
Anything for his fellow Republicans? You bet. Schwarzenegger said he will do it all without raising taxes.
This move to the center has paid off for Schwarzenegger politically, putting him in a much better position than the former governor who now occupies the White House. Fifty-seven percent of Californians approve of the way Governor Schwarzenegger is handling his job. Only 26 percent of Californians approve of the way President Bush is doing his job.
President Bush's job rating among California Democrats and Independents is in single digits.
Most California Republicans disapprove of Mr. Bush, but everybody likes Arnold. Even Democrats approve of his job as governor.
It's easy to see why there is such a disparity. On Schwarzenegger's desk: global warming, stem cell research, health insurance. On Bush's desk: Iraq burning.
If the Constitution says Schwarzenegger can't be president of the United States, he'll just have to be be president of California.
Monday night, Gov. Schwarzenegger presented the Golden Globe award for best dramatic picture to "Babel". Now if he could just get somebody to rewrite his own script . . . the part about where he was born.
America...the greatest Country in the world.
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
Arnold can saug mir!
"When I work-out, it's like I'm cumming" - Arnold
What a fucking dork.
This guys Nazish acting style got him into a lot of movies, now his Nazish politics is getting him places too.
Wtf is wrong with people?
Are you kidding? Covering illegal alien's healthcare is Nazish? Wtf is wrong with people?!
His assertion that 90% of the world needs to be told how to behave is Nazish.
I want to hear what they have to say when a Mexican born individual decides to run and garners the latino voting block a couple of decades from now.
My guess... they will not be so happy.
Hail, Hail!!!
Also... I live in Califonia... do you know how sick we are of the sayings, "I'll be back"... "Hasta la vista, baby"... and "You've been terminated"? The fucking guy says one of them in every goddamn speech. Enough already, Arnold... quit with the bullshit little soundbites and fix the goddamn levees already.
Hail, Hail!!!
"It's not a tumor."
High Traffic ART EZI FTJ JSR KPA PCD SYN ULX VLB YHF
Low Traffic CIO MIW
Non Traffic ABC BAY FDU GBZ HNC NDP OEM ROV TMS ZWL
I, too, live in so cal. I have no problem with an actor in politics because in the end acting is just a job like being an attorney is a job. But come on Arnie enough with the bullshit hackneyed phrases from your movies.
"My relationship to power and authority is that I'm all for it." -- Arnold Schwarzenegger at 44 to US News and World Report in 1990.
"People need somebody to watch over them... Ninety-five percent of the people in the world need to be told what to do and how to behave." -- Arnold Schwarzenegger at 44 to US News and World Report in 1990.
"My friends don't want me to mention Kurt's name, because of all the recent Nazi stuff and the U.N. controversy, but I love him and Maria does too, and so thank you, Kurt."
Arnold Schwarzenegger on his friend and fellow Austrian Kurt Waldheim, a Nazi war criminal
"I was born to be a leader. I love the fact that millions of people look up to me."
I was always dreaming about very powerful people, dictators and things like that. I was just always impressed by people who could be remembered for hundreds of years, or even, like Jesus, be for thousands of years remembered."
Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1977 film Pumping Iron
"I saw this toilet bowl. How many times do you get away with this, to take a woman, grab her upside down, and bury her face in a toilet bowl? I wanted to have something floating there ... The thing is, you can do it, because in the end, I didn't do it to a woman, she's a machine! We could get away with it without being crucified by who-knows-what group."
Arnold Schwarzenegger describing a scene in Terminator 3
sounds like he'd make a fiiiiiine president
Yea hows Canada's government doing?
I don't understand French so I can't tell you.
As part of the Kennedy clan, he may want to rethink that whole "Presidential" thing.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Check post 17.
what do you mean we laugh at the mexicans? How so?
George Lopez?