New cause: eliminate birthright citizenship

28 January 2011 |permalink | email article

Two ultra-conservative senators – David Vitter (R-LA) and freshman Rand Paul – (R-KY.) – have teamed up to propose a constitutional amendment to get rid of birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. Talking Points Memo inquired whether it would be a full-fledged amendment to the Constitution, or a lesser legislative route. Predictably it is the former.

Neither Vitter nor Paul believes that the 14th Amendment confers birthright citizenship to the children of illegal aliens, either by its language or intent. Their resolution makes clear that under the 14th Amendment a person born in the United States to illegal aliens does not automatically gain citizenship. Question for Vitter and Paul: What do you tell the son of illegal Latino parents fighting for America in Afghanistan?

Amending the Constitution is not a walk in the park. Both Houses of Congress must pass a proposed amendment by two-thirds majorities, and then the amendment must be ratified by three quarters of the states (38 out of 50). The president plays no direct role in the amendment process, but can advocate for or against proposals, and use his political capital – something President Obama alluded to in his State of the Union address.     

Odds and Ends

Two-thirds of Californians in a new poll support Jerry Brown’s plan for a special election in June on taxes and a majority like his budget proposal. But it will be a rough slog. The poll found 70% oppose raising personal income taxes....The identity of who wrote O. A Presidential Novel, about the 2012 election, has been revealed. Time has reported it was John McCain’s former speechwriter Mark Salter. He worked for the senator for 19 years and co-wrote all of McCain’s five books and many of the senator’s speeches. The L.A. Times’ Tim Rutten savaged it….The Tea Party is scheduled to hold its first official meeting today. But Politico reports that so far, the entire group consists of just three outspoken conservative senators: Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

What They Said

“I just don’t need to be the media’s bitch anymore.” – Billionaire Sam Zell, chairman of the Tribune Co., now mired in bankruptcy and lawsuits, in an interview with Forbes, is focusing again on mega-real estate deals, the basis of his wealth.

Rahm Emanuel, whose first campaign ad showed him with a tear in his eye, is off and running on the ballot. He may not “live” in Chicago, but he cries there. – Crib Sheet, Henry Alford, New York Times.

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