So I'm sure that most of you have heard that Obama's eligibilty for the office of president has been in question. There have been accusations that he was not born in the United States and also that he has citizenship in other countries. If you don't know what I'm talking about check out these sites:
http://www.americasright.com/2008/08/obama-sued-in-philadelphia-federal.html
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
I've been pondering something....
What do you think would happen if Barack won on November 4th, 2008 but on November 10, 2009 we found out that he is in fact not a natural born citizen of the United States? I assume that would mean that Biden would automatically become president. But what if this information were revealed on November 10, 2008? Would Congress call for a revote since Obama would not yet have been sworn in?
What do you think WOULD happen? What do you think SHOULD happen? And WHY?
Disclaimer: These questions are merely inquiries based on the curiosity of a hypothetical event. I am in no way saying that I think Obama is not a citizen.
(You can change the names if it makes you feel better! Since Senator McCain was not born in the United States) :)
El Salvador Day 2
7 hours ago
2 comments:
This article is a little bit helpful in answering the question:
http://www.slate.com/id/2201173/
It talks about what would happen if a candidate died after the election but before both Inauguration Day and January 6, when Congress convenes to certify the votes of the Electoral College. Congress would likely have the option of either confirming the votes and establishing the vice president-elect as President, or, as per the 12th Amendment, allow the House to choose from the remaining candidates based on who has the most votes.
This doesn't exactly address the issue of Obama's citizenship, but it's pretty close -- I mean, whether dead or born in Kenya, you'd still be ineligible for the Presidency.
I think deciding what I would want to happen is completely dependent on my ideological beliefs. If it were Obama who was deemed ineligible, then I would obviously want Congress to affirm the votes and put Joe Biden in power. If it were McCain who was deemed ineligible, I would want the House to pick from the remaining candidates. I'm not going to lie -- it's totally based on how I feel about the VP candidates. To me, Joe Biden's 30+ years in the Senate, his voting record, and his expertise in foreign affairs and the court system in the U.S. make him a better candidate than Sarah Palin who, personal qualities and stories aside, has comparatively less experience in public policy, on the international stage, and with our Judiciary branch.
I honestly think that this question is impossible to answer without personal and political bias. For as objective a response as possible, I would probably look to an undecided voter such as yourself (you're still undecided, right?) and ask, what do you think should happen?
But this is a really interesting problem! I'm glad you linked to that factcheck.org article with the photos and the information that discredit the not-a-citizen rumors.
haha...thanks :P
uhm...i'm not sure what i think
i do think it should be handled differently than death, because it would mean the whole vote was essentially based on a lie
i think I would probably be okay with congress deciding as you said...but i sort of think that we should have the opportunity to vote again
i personally wouldn't want biden (who i think is a puppet) or palin (who i think is an idiot) to automatically become president
i think i'd want to hold a new election...i mean would it be too late for hilary? or any other republican-elizabeth dole maybe!? :P
i don't know what i'd want,that's why i thought i'd ask
just an interesting hypothetical
speaking of undecided...my dad called to make sure i was registered on monday (I'm sure you can guess why!) we then had a 2+ hour conversation on politics!
but i have to say last nights debate didn't help me at all...it just made me annoyed and discouraged...it was the worst moment so far in this process for me...but i won't go into all that
Post a Comment