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© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Trump momentum grows ahead of Super Tuesday next week
By STEVEN R. HURST WASHINGTON©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
60 Comments
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TorafusuTorasan
This show gets crazier by the day. Trump is calling Mitt Romney a fool and a wannabe tough guy for suggesting Trump release his tax returns before Super Tuesday. Melania said the thing that attracts her most to Trump is his mind! That was a diplomatic answer. All these punchlines would be great if only it were fictional.
TorafusuTorasan
@Serrano, you think Hillary is going to be indicted and tried over some email BS? And sent to Joe Arpaio's tent city to try on the pink underwear he said that he is saving for her? Joe is starting to get stupidly juvenile in his advanced age.
Gov. Scott Walker had a secret custom built server in his office to assist his campaign, and he didn't get indicted or tried. Then he had the gall to claim he didn't know anything like that even existed in his office.
Seems delusional to think that the courts are going to start trying government officials for issues with their email. You know that includes Condi Rice, Colin Powell, and who knows who else. That's really gonna happen?
SuperLib
So will Trump be the GOP nominee?
CrazyJoe
The problem is that none of the other candidates is better than Trump. Cruz is worse than Trump. Rubio is such a lightweight that he makes George W. Bush look like a scholar. Who else is there? The Republican Party has driven itself so far to the right (the extreme right) that it can no longer field an acceptable candidate.
SuperLib
Translation: Trump is Obama's fault. Like everything else.
zones2surf
@Wakayama Mama,
I don't meant to be rude, but really? I see that sort of nonsense from Trump supporters and I just shake my head.
For the record, my son was born outside of the U.S. My wife is Japanese. He received his U.S. citizenship (and his Japanese citizenship) as a matter of course. He was never NOT a U.S. citizen. Yes, paperwork at the consulate. But he was never NOT a U.S. citizen. The very definition of "natural born". As opposed to "naturalized".
It is not that I support Cruz or Rubio. However, it is just downright offensive, not to mention intellectually incorrect, to suggest that they are somehow second class citizens. Because when you do, you are essentially saying the same of my son.
kcjapan
Wakayama Mama, get off Ted's Mom.
nath
If it was as cut and dry as that, there would be no dispute.
But it does appear he is American, so please show when he was granted citizenship, as that would be the proof that he wasn't a citizen before that point.
Laguna
You're 25% correct. Naturalized citizens are not eligible to become president. Those born abroad with at least one American parent may be, but the Supreme Court has not definitely ruled on this.
American citizenship in the modern era is based both on jus sanguinis (right through blood) and jus soli (right through being born on the soil - America is rather unusual in this case). The latter is undisputed; the former is still up in the air. Ironically (and we've discussed this before), the framers of the Constitution probably did not subscribe to jus sanguinis, particularly when the American parent was a mother. Thus, if Cruz were faithful to his Constitutional Originalism beliefs, he would remove himself from consideration. (Scalia might well have ruled against him as well, but that is not a problem for Cruz now. Ironic how his future might possibly lie in the hands of Obama and his choice of Supreme Court justice, but really, Cruz has about as great a chance of being elected as Obama does of having his nominee considered by the Senate.)
zones2surf
@Wakayama Mama,
Yeah, um, no. His mother most certainly was American. I've seen all of the stuff suggesting she renounced her citizenship. I have seen all of the things on birther sites and on Trump fan sites.
However, not even Trump is questioning the citizenship of Cruz' mother at the time he was born or that he wasn't an American citizen by virtue of his mother being an American. Only that by his being born in Canada he was not "natural born".
It's amazing to me that no one who pushes this narrative has produced any actual evidence to show that the U.S. government questioned his eligibility for citizenship at the time the paperwork would have been submitted to the Embassy/consulate. Or that it has been questioned at any point along the way. He/his parents would have had to provide the necessary documentation to the Social Security Administration proving eligibility for a social security number.
And, if he wasn't an American citizen by virtue of being born to an American citizen, he would have had to go through a naturalisation process and become a naturalised citizen.
No legal scholar, no expert, no legitimate authority is questioning that he was an American citizen at birth by virtue of being born to an American mother.
You are asking @Strangerland to prove that he wasn't an American at birth. Which is like trying to prove a negative. As @Strangerland said, since he is an American now, if he wasn't an American at birth by virtue of being born to an American mother, then he would have become an American via a naturalisation process after birth, which clearly the U.S. government would have a record of. For example, his father became a naturalised citizen more recently. So, the obligation is on you to prove he is not what he represents himself to be and what the U.S. government recognises him to be, a U.S. citizen at birth by bloodline (as opposed to being born on U.S. soil).
Oh, as an aside, as for Canada not allowing dual citizenship at the time of Cruz' birth in Canada, that is untrue. Because Canada allowed for Canadian citizenship for children born in Canada, this obviously meant that children born to foreign nationals residing in Canada would acquire dual citizenship because of being born in Canada as well as via their parents' bloodline. This was under the 1947 Act. I can get you the detailed law on this, but suggest you read the Wiki entry on this Act, which references this specific carveout for dual citizenship.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Citizenship_Act_1946
@toshiko,
Can you please point me to the article in the Constitution or the U.S. law/code that stipulates this definition of "natural born citizen"?
nath
It's not as simple as that. An example is in Japan, where dual citizenship is technically not allowed, and yet thousands of people (over the age of 22) have dual citizenship. Sometimes people do things that aren't necessarily in the rules of the country in which they are living.
The logic you have tried to use has too many potential holes in it to be the smoking gun that you would like it to be. The specifics need to be examined to figure out whether or not Cruz is eligible. Trying to determine it based on faulty logic like in the quote above is flawed.
TorafusuTorasan
The Trumps do add some spice to the stew. There has got to be some great archived material from when these lovey dovies were calling Stern's radio show to brag about their sex lives, including watching the sex tape made by family friend Paris Hilton (a future Trump cabinet member?) as the NY Post reported in 2004. Just wholesome folks these Trumps.
kcjapan
Who else is there? The Republican Party has driven itself so far to the right (the extreme right) that it can no longer field an acceptable candidate. - comments
It's more like pro-wrestling caricatures than a political discussion of where America is. Republicans, no stomache for the truth.
nath
I was just thinking much the same thing. The GOP is going to end up with Trump for the same reason that Japan ended up with Abe in the last election - no viable alternative.
Good for you. Now can you find some actual proof that this is true, beyond your own 'belief'? Actually, it doesn't really matter, the question is not whether his mom was Canadian, it was whether he was American. Can you find some proof that he wasn't?
nath
It was a joke. And I agree, it's not a mental health issue to support trump. Stupidity isn't a mental health issue.
Laguna
No, no - trust me: you do not want to see that. It would not be simple schadenfreude (which I enjoy as much as the next guy); it would be a disaster of historical proportions.
The most likely scenario is that Clinton and Trump will be nominated by their respective parties, and the former will not only crush the latter but also result in turning the Senate blue. Still, it's a bit like riding an airplane through sever turbulence: you know the greatest possibility is that things will work out okay, but that worst case scenario crouches obstinately in the back of your mind.
nath
Hehe I like those!
Madverts
Romney's attack on Trump's tax returns and the "bombshell" Mitt claims they contain is bizarre, ironic and just well....WTF?
I have no doubt that Trump will now not only NOT release his tax returns, (a precedent let us not forget set by big 9/11 and recession money-maker Mitt) but that Trump will ride another massive wave of popularity with his blinker toting followers for refusing to do so.
This couldn't get any weirder.
lostrune2
Besides, only the Supreme Court could decide ultimately what is a natural-born citizen. Not Trump; not nobody.
People could challenge the citizenship, but until and unless the Supreme Court decides, it's status quo - meaning one who is eligible to run for Presidency remains eligible until and unless the Supreme Court says otherwise. Not until then.
(But since the US Supreme Court is down to 8 Justices, a possible 4-4 draw would just push the issue further into the future.)
nath
Yeah, she and they are in the same pockets of the rich. But I'm still gunning for Bernie! I love an underdog story, especially when the underdog is the better option, like in this case.
yakyak
Rock on Teflon Don!
FightingViking
The way I see it (unfortunately) Trump is literally holding all the cards and they're ALL TRUMPS...
TorafusuTorasan
Gotta get in some "Cruz's mom" jokes now before he pulls the plug and rides into the Texas sunset.
@Wolfpack, "some Democrats think Cruz's mom was born in Kenya"
Say what? Were those the same Democrats holding up the tasteful #u@& the Canuck signs at a Trump rally a few weeks ago? Those Democrats sure seem to love Trump, but the important question is if they will be laughing/voting with him or at him later this year.
Just enjoy the sight of a NYC socialite playing puppet master with the parade of shameless hucksters like the Falwells and Robertsons while it lasts, and thank heavens for all the unintentional humor falling into our laps this year.
TorafusuTorasan
@Tony, in reality, Trump is about as conservative as Andy Warhol or any other NYC social butterfly who you can name.
Taking a break from practicing your waterboarding technique? Your approach to torture was ever so popular on JT.
nath
Fair enough.
GalapagosnoGairaishu
I guess soon enough, I'll be saying "My country, right or wrong, wrong, wrong."
PTownsend
I wonder if Trump will release his tax returns.
Laguna
Ha ha! All Americans are well within Six Degrees of Canada.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Yeah, and they will not be hearing this if someone tries to make an issue of it.
Another ridiculous attempt by the Trumpettes. Funny how no one questioned Cruz's eligibility until he started to poll well. Hell, Trump is on record as saying praising Cruz and calling him a good candidate for president. Now, who is the P&#y?
Laguna
Trump is licensing his name to a tower being built in Toronto. Be careful when buying property with this guy's name on it; many have gotten burned. Here is just one story, but there are others. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mo-donald-trump-settles-baja-mexico-condo-resort-lawsuit-20131127-story.html
toshiko
zone: you can find by yourself ..... Wikipedia and naturalization tests. Also American Embassy in Japan. People I could refer are either too old or dead in Japan. When my son was born in US while I was student and wife, Mr Eisaku Stoh;s office asked if he would be registered in my family or in USA, I chose USA,
kcjapan
Trump is obviously the Pied Piper of the bigot and mathematically impaired.
The U.S. border with Mexico is roughly 2,000 miles long and underlines four states from California to Texas. It is a massive stretch of land — the Berlin Wall spanned just 96 miles comparatively . . . Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a January 2015 statement to right-leaning publication Daily Caller (founded by Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson and former Dick Cheney advisor Neil Patel) that "In our conversations with outside groups, experts and stakeholders, we learned that it would be an inefficient use of taxpayer money to complete the fence. … We are using that money to utilize other technology to create a secure border."
Trump is a Fraud. His fans? Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
zones2surf
@SuperLib,
Well, if you are betting person, the odds are increasingly in his favour. Next Tuesday ( March 1st - Super Tuesday) will provide a much clearer view. And certainly once the March 15th primaries finish.
Of course, on the Dem side of things, Sanders has an uphill battle regardless of the actual outcomes of the primaries, because of Clinton's lock on the insider Super Delegates.
toshiko
@zones: if your child was born in US base, it is sane as born on US soil --- Natural born. But if some one was born out of US and ewf]glistered as a citizen od such country, the child was not considered natural born. We have to wait the result of Trump's lawsuit if Cruz was ewgistered as Canadian. There was Obama case. Some Republican produced a SE Aian country's birth certificate but the oddicial said he xN NOT READ English AS HIS COUNTRY HAS OWN LANGUAGE. fINALLY, Hawaii PRODUCED Obama/S BIRTH CERTIFICATE and over. They say Rubio was born in USA. Anyone born in USA is natural citizen. I an assuming you were GI when your child was born.
CrazyJoe
This whole political cycle has been caused by the tea baggers and conservatives telling people over and over and over again that Washington is broken and Government doesn't work. They then proved it by obstructing everything. They created the anger and now they wonder why their boy can't make headway. It's like a nuclear reaction. Controlled it can be useful. Uncontrolled and you get Chernobyl.
Moderator: Tea baggers is not an acceptable term. Please repost.
ghoneim mohamed
Up till now Trump is competing himself,i cant see other competitors.If there would no trump,no one will feel there is a party called republic party.The true competition will start if he will be republican nominee,but up till now he is competing himself.
nath
Yes, but the question is when he became American. If he was born with citizenship, he is eligible. If he wasn't born with citizenship, he's probably not. You are claiming he became a citizen after birth, so when did this happen? Because that's the determining factor, and paperwork will exist if it happened after birth.
Canadian citizenship is irrelevant, as he's not trying to be the leader of Canada.
nath
I'm suggesting that if he was not American at birth, there would be records of him obtaining citizenship sometime after birth. Since no one has ever produced any evidence that he became American after birth, it would mean he was an American since birth.
How his parents may or may not have gone about that is not something I'm speculating on. And I'm saying the Canadian laws don't matter, because they don't decide who is or isn't American, the Americans decide that.
So again, if you are so sure he wasn't American at birth, then please provide something to show when he acquired his American citizenship.
nath
He's America now. If there is no evidence of him taking citizenship after birth, it means he was a citizen since birth.
In other words, the only way to prove he wasn't American at birth, is to prove that he became American after birth.
So where is your evidence he became an American after birth?
SuperLib
Cruz doesn't need to be American, he just needs to be sued. From there he can be tied up in the courts and we can come here and talk as if he's a convicted felon. It would be especially fun to misrepresent what's going on, then years later someone will tell us that the case was closed years before but we'll just keep saying the same things as if we just didn't want to accept reality.
zones2surf
@yakyak,
What a ridiculous comment. And ironic that you are posting it on JAPAN Today (as opposed to USA Today).
Seriously, it is ridiculous. I was born in Japan to American parents (and, no, not on base to military parents). I have been a U.S. citizen since the day I was born. By your logic, that disqualifies me. Which is absurd.
Please quote the article and/or U.S. code that specifies what you have stated. Or is that just your personal preference.
sf2k
Idiocracy manifest
PTownsend
Trump is building a tower in Vancouver.
zones2surf
@toshiko,
It is just my opinion but I really don't think you understand the difference between a natural-born citizen and a naturalised citizen. And the situation for a child born in the U.S. to foreign parents vs. a child born to American parents outside of Japan.
I have already looked everything up. I know the Constitution. I know the U.S. Code that governs this. I fully understand this matter, having been born overseas to U.S. parents. I actually educated myself about this very topic many years ago because it applies to me, in terms of whether I am a natural born citizen or not.
What you are writing makes absolutely no sense. I was trying to ask you to explain to me how you know what you are telling me is, in fact, the law governing this. Because I can tell you why Cruz, me and people like us are natural born citizens. Despite the fact that SCOTUS has never actually reviewed a case, which some people seem to be hung up on.
toshiko
@zpme I don't jnow your case, Unlike you, I was never American GI. I wrote my experoemce how Japanese Eisaku Saro's office distinguished American babies/ You have ti gind GI with Japanese brifr. Don't asd me. I son;t hace such experience, O am a waman never been man,
bass4funk
Cruz is an American citizen, his mother is an American, father Canadian, as long as one parent is American, he is officially an American citizen.
Wolfpack
It is really astounding that the general election will feature Trump vs Clinton. A lose-lose situation if there has ever been one. I doubt either will be any worse than the racist/authoritarian that is currently leading America (from behind) now but the historic polarization that marked the Obama years will not likely be getting better anytime soon.
I think Obama has polarized America so badly that Trump will probably beat Clinton - especially after she is found guilty of mishandling national secrets by the FBI. The billionaire reality tv star against the corrupt establishment politician. Crazy.
Even Reagan and Clinton didn't have non-stick surface that Trump has. It's an amazing sight to behold.
I hear that some Democrats think Cruz's Mom was born in Kenya.
PeaceWarrior
The only thing I can think of when I look at and listen to these candidates is: It's got lectrolites!". Fiction becoming reality in front of my unbelieving eyes.
yakyak
Anyone that has anything to do with Canada should never be allowed to run for any office in The United States of America. That includes you Mr Cruz.
bass4funk
Sure! The proof is, his mother is American, a natural born US citizen. That's the proof.
pointofview
@CrazyJoe, kcjapan,
Spoken like true Democrats. Hate Trump? Have all the answers? Run for president.
Serrano
"Polls show the former first lady with a huge advantage among African-Americans, which bodes well for her prospects in the Southern states that vote next week."
Trump said he would beat Hillary unless she gets indicted.
Wc626
Wow. Nice comeback. I'll take that lump. Guess its better than supporting an old "socialist" like bsanders. Sanders is so old, he remembers when the Dead Sea was sick.
Sanders is so old, his solcial security # is two.
As long as he keeps out islamic refugees and illegal immigrants and doesn't suck-ass to countries like Iran, NK and China, The Vatican, lots of people will be happy.
Wakayama Mama
@zones2surf
Shake your head head all you want, but at the time that Cruz was born, Canada did not allow dual citizenship and his mother was Canadian. Ted Cruz was Canadian.
Regarding your example, if you had renounced your US citizenship to get the Japanese one before your son was born, he would only have Japanese citizenship.
Wakayama Mama
I believe that when Ted Cruz was born, his mother was Canadian, she had renounced her US citizenship, at a time when Canada did not allow dual citizenship, so at that time Ted Cruz was Canadian. At the time Ted Cruz was born, neither of his parents were American.
Wakayama Mama
Citizenship is not enough. He has to be "natural born", and from what I have seen in documents from around the time the constitution was written, showing the intent of the requirement, I don't think he qualifies.
But coming back to his citizenship. When he was born, he was Canadian, and Canada did not allow dual citizenship. Are you suggesting that he was secretly also American, and that his mom never formally renounced her American citizenship with the US government. I realize that some have used this sneaky method of getting another citizenship, but it's hard to see how he would qualify as "natural born" to become POTUS.
Wakayama Mama
Why are they pushing this Canadian guy? He's not even qualified to run, same with Rubio.
Wakayama Mama
He was born in Canada and neither of his parents were American at the time of his birth. He was no more American than he was a New Zealander.
Wakayama Mama
Has anyone produced evidence he was American at birth?
Wakayama Mama
Yeah, he's American now, but that is not enough to be POTUS.
When he was born, Canada did not allow dual citizenship, and he later renounced his Canadian citizenship, therefore...