Rafael "Ted" Cruz GOP's Next Presidential Star?

[IDGAF]

. Ted Cruz’s Presidential Eligibility Already an Issue

Just days after he was sworn in as a new U.S. senator, Texas Republican Ted Cruz already is making waves in Washington — and creating another “birther” controversy.

The mainstream media initially gave little or no coverage to presidential candidate Barack Obama’s failure to produce a birth certificate, then lambasted those who questioned his eligibility for the White House.

But the press is already bringing up the question of Cruz’s eligibility for president — which suggests that Democratic sympathizers are worried about his possible run for the White House in 2016.

Obama was born in Hawaii to an American mother and a Kenyan father, although some questioned his Hawaiian birth. Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father who were working in the petroleum industry, and he lived in Canada for four years before his family moved to Texas.

The Constitution’s Article II states:“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.”

The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to anyone born in the United States, but a 1937 law passed by Congress also granted citizenship to children born to American citizens outside the country.

That would seem to clearly qualify Cruz for the presidency, but it hasn’t quieted the controversy. Politico on Monday ran a story headlined “Ted Cruz draws presidential buzz, but is he eligible?” adding that he has “the aura” of a future contender.

“The problem is, no one knows what a natural born citizen is,” said University of California, Davis law professor Gabriel Chin, who argued in 2008 that John McCain was not eligible to be president because he was born in the Panama Canal Zone.

“There’s nothing definitive legally.”

Harvard Law School law professor Laurence Tribe, an adviser to Obama, said Cruz should prepare a thorough explanation of his eligibility to put the issue at rest:“I’d need to know more, but it certainly doesn’t sound like a sufficient explanation.”

And University of Pennsylvania law professor Kermit Roosevelt told Politico that Cruz’s “birthright citizenship derives from his parents, and the question is, does that fit with the definition of natural born citizen?”

Cruz’s primary opponent in the Senate race last year, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, brought up Cruz’s Canadian birthplace in a campaign ad, and his Democratic opponent Paul Sadler said in an interview:“Rafael Cruz —‘Ted,’ that’s what he goes by, his real name is Rafael — was born in Canada.”

Cruz spokesman Sean Rushton stated that Cruz is “a U.S. citizen by birth,” but declined to elaborate on the issue, saying the new senator is concentrating on his work ahead in Congress.

And Cruz has already made a splash as senator, trumpeting his opposition to gun control and Obama’s choice of Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary, charging that Obama is “high on re-election.”

Rush Limbaugh is among those pointing to a bright future for Cruz, calling him “terrific” and asking “why aren’t there more” conservatives like him.

[IDGAF]

My take is that these politicians are taking too much liberty with the phrase "natural born citizen". I am a US Citizen born abroad and have always been aware that the one thing I can never do is be US President. My US Citizenship is "Derived" from my father, but technically speaking, I was not naturally born in the USA. I was born elsewhere, as have been McCain (Panama), Cruz (Canada) and Obbama (Kenya maybe).

It's funny how the rules can be bent and shifted to fit the political landscape. In my mind. Cruz is ineligible and so am I. It's very clear.

[Kosher Frank]

Who cares, maybe the media because he has a (R) next to his name. Personally there is no more reason to vote. Think about it. Does your vote even matter? I voted this last time around and something seemed off. I went up gave them my name and address they printed my ballet with a bar code indicating who I was. I filled out my ballet than placed it into a machine that scanned my votes and the bar code. So right now there is a file of everyone in the US who voted and who they voted for.The most ridiculous part of the whole thing is that some punk with a laptop could hack the system from starbucks and change the number to affect the election. Rubbish!

[idgaf]

I've personally always felt that the USA system is fixed betweem Republicats and Democrans. It's like in Mexico where they try to make the people believe that their word counts. There is one political party in the USA called the RICH, not an acronym. It is composed of republicats and democrans. Their ultimate goal is to continue with the interests of the founding fathers,m which were also all very wealthy people. The interests of the 1-2 percent are really all that matter. That being said, Cruz is still inelligible as was McCain.