Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

[Anton Gramscescu]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

So, I've just learned that Romney's father was born in Mexico. Which leaves me deeply confused: George Romney was a moderately serious presidential candidate in 1968, wasn't he? Don't you have to be born in the US in order to be President?

(Also, if Clarence Thomas is an originalist, does he give back two-fifths of his vote on the Supreme Court?)

[Cal Alamein]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

His dad and one of his moms were American born, so that is ok.

And what is the significance of Mexico and the Mormon church?

I'm guessing that this is pretty much common knowledge, but here's an excerpt.

But there are other elements to the Romney story that may explain why he doesn’t tell the full tale on the campaign trail. The reason that George was born in Mexico is that his grandfather - Mitt’s great-grandfather - had taken refuge there in order to escape US laws against polygamy. It was this family patriarch, Miles Park Romney, who established the colony and lived there with four wives.

The press has let it go and one wonders if the fear of a Mormon president has withered away.

Thomas would give back 2/5 of his vote if Scalia said he should.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Cal Alamein wrote: His dad and one of his moms were American born, so that is ok.

So do both your parents need to be American for you to be a "natural-born American" regardless of where you were born, or will one suffice? if the latter, why in Christ is Obama's birth certificate even an issue? Surely it's his mother's birth certificate that should be at issue, no?

(Also, that rule might mean that my son could be President. I don't think I'll tell him that.)

[ursus arctos]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

This is amusing and horrifying in equal measure.

A New York City donor a few cars back, who also would not give her name, said Romney needed to do a better job connecting. "I don't think the common person is getting it," she said from the passenger seat of a Range Rover stamped with East Hampton beach permits. "Nobody understands why Obama is hurting them.

"We've got the message," she added. "But my college kid, the baby sitters, the nails ladies — everybody who's got the right to vote — they don't understand what's going on. I just think if you're lower income — one, you're not as educated, two, they don't understand how it works, they don't understand how the systems work, they don't understand the impact."

[Renart]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

She's a job creator!

[Flynnie]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

You need to be a natural-born American citizen, which is generally implied to be somebody who is a citizen at birth. Since you can be one while being born abroad to a US citizen parent who satisfies certain statues, it's possible for somebody born abroad to be eligible.

[ursus arctos]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

To follow up on our earlier discussion of the Latino Vote, this is a cool map from Slate.

[Renart]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Flynnie wrote: You need to be a natural-born American citizen, which is generally implied to be somebody who is a citizen at birth. Since you can be one while being born abroad to a US citizen parent who satisfies certain statues, it's possible for somebody born abroad to be eligible.

Yeah, I remember during the last election when the birthers were making hay about Obama's birth, somebody pointed out that McCain was born in Panama. (But at a naval base or something, so he still counted as natural born.)

[ursus arctos]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

There was actual discussion about McCain, with talk of a constitutional amendment to eliminate any doubt.

There has also been talk of getting rid of the qualification, which I first heard advocated by supporters of Henry Kissinger and then from supporters of Arnold Schwarzenegger. There are some bullets that we actually are able to dodge.

[Renart]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Cripes, do you think Kissinger would actually have wanted the job? (I know Schwarzenegger did.) The State of the Union speeches would have been unbearable! (Not to mention the murderous foreign policy.)

[ursus arctos]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

I really can't see Kissinger campaigning, but I'm quite sure that he thought he could do a better job than any of the alternatives.

[Renart]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Yes, I'm sure he always thought he was the smartest person in the room. I'm just trying to picture him going through standard campaign hoopla, kissing babies and eating corndogs, etc. It's like imagining Lurch from The Addams Family campaigning.

[Cal Alamein]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Lurch combined with Dr. Strangelove.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

So, my son. His mother was born in Boston.She has American citizenship (Canadian, too, but she's never formally renounced the American citizenship). Could he run?

[ursus arctos]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

No, because he was a Canadian citizen first.

[Uncle Ethan]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

He can't have been that intelligent if he created you. Right I feel silly - thanks DR!

[Renart]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Cal Alamein wrote: Lurch combined with Dr. Strangelove.

Haha, yes, perfect!

[Anton Gramscescu]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

ursus arctos wrote: No, because he was a Canadian citizen first.

But surely that was also true of Romney Snr (only in Mexico rather than the NPS), no? How can it not have been?

[ursus arctos]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

No, because Romney senior didn't acquire Mexican citizenship by virtue of having been born in Mexico.

Mexico wasn't a jus soli state at the time.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Bingo. That's the piece I've been missing.

[tee rex]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

The advance results are in from the constituency of Hawaii South West.

New Zealand votes Obama 66%, Romney 7%. That's in a country where the Tories are in power (second term), the PM is popular, and the left are struggling. The Prime Minister is also Obama's close personal friend, at least according to the Prime Minister (actually when he did visit the White House for about 3 minutes, Obama got his name wrong).

[Renart]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Well, as I always try to point out to disbelieving "moderate" Republicans here, on a worldwide political scale, Obama is a Tory. None of his policies (that I can think of) would be considered left-wing outside of the U.S.

[ursus arctos]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Unsurprisingly, Mitt appears to have bombed historically at the NAACP convention, leading Dave Zirin to tweet that Romney makes Bob Dole look like James Brown.

[Renart]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

Ha ha!

I know a candidate's religion is supposed to be off limits, but I would think Romney's Mormonism would be of special concern to black people, since the church banned them from "the priesthood" (full male membership in the church) until 1978, when Mitt was thirty-one.

[Incandenza]

Smoking poll - the 2012 election happy ending

ursus arctos wrote: Unsurprisingly, Mitt appears to have bombed historically at the NAACP convention, leading Dave Zirin to tweet that Romney makes Bob Dole look like James Brown.

Booed by the crowd when he pledged to repeal Obamacare.

The cynical side of me wonders if he wasn't hoping to be booed by a black audience when discussing health care reform...