Obama's Birth Certificate Released

[MysticCat]

Do I know what other Presidents provided? Nope, never looked into it. Do I think everyone handed in the long form, Nope, I don't.

I'd be surprised if any other presidents ever produced a birth certificate. It only became an issue in this case (well, if you put aside obsessive conspiracy theories) because of the fact that his father wasn't American, his mother had lived overseas before and after his birth, and the fact that some people apparently had trouble remembering exactly when Hawaii became a state.

What's interesting to me is that I remember more "conversation" before the election about whether McCain is a natural-born citizen than whether Obama is.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I'd be surprised if any other presidents ever produced a birth certificate. It only became an issue in this case (well, if you put aside obsessive conspiracy theories) because of the fact that his father wasn't American, his mother had lived overseas before and after his birth, and the fact that some people apparently had trouble remembering exactly when Hawaii became a state.

What's interesting to me is that I remember more "conversation" before the election about whether McCain is a natural-born citizen than whether Obama is.

When I voted, there was a man who probably shouldn't have been allowed to vote (he was rather drunk) who said something to the effect of "I don't know what I bothered cominig here - neither of them are technically American anyhow." His buffoonery amused the rest of us.

MC, was it Jackson who was questioned about his birthplace? One of earlier Presidents was thought to have been born on the ship heading towards America.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by honeychile

MC, was it Jackson who was questioned about his birthplace? One of earlier Presidents was thought to have been born on the ship heading towards America.

Hmmm. I know there's always been a dispute about whether Jackson was born in North or South Carolina. According to The Source (aka the Wiki), Chester Arthur seems to have been the only president about whom a question was ever raised, with some claiming that he was born in Canada.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Hmmm. I know there's always been a dispute about whether Jackson was born in North or South Carolina. According to The Source (aka the Wiki), Chester Arthur seems to have been the only president about whom a question was ever raised, with some claiming that he was born in Canada.

Believe it or not, I remember this little dilemma from a high school textbook, prior to when Al Gore invented the internet. I googled it, too, so maybe the Atlantic Ocean v. the Carolinas became less of a story.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by honeychile

. . . prior to when Al Gore invented the internet.

Speaking of people about whom some have raised questions of natural-born citizenship.

If hope you figure out who it was; I want to know.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by honeychile

Believe it or not, I remember this little dilemma from a high school textbook, prior to when Al Gore invented the internet. I googled it, too, so maybe the Atlantic Ocean v. the Carolinas became less of a story.

Jackson was born in 1767 so it's a non issue. (But yes, he's the one it's rumored about). Even if he were born earlier and on a ship as some claim, he's still eligible.

"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;"

Some relevant wiki text:

Jackson's father died in an accident in February 1767, at the age of 29, three weeks before Jackson was born. Jackson was born in the Waxhaws area, but his exact birth site is unclear because he was born around the time his mother was making a difficult trip home from burying Jackson's father. The area was so remote that the border between North and South Carolina had not officially been surveyed yet.[9]

In 1824, Jackson wrote a letter saying that he was born at an uncle's plantation in Lancaster County, South Carolina. But he may have claimed to be a South Carolinian because the state was considering nullification of the Tariff of 1824, which Jackson opposed. In the mid-1850s, second-hand evidence indicated that he may have been born at a different uncle's home in North Carolina.[9]

And an article: WaPo

[SOM]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I'd be surprised if any other presidents ever produced a birth certificate. It only became an issue in this case (well, if you put aside obsessive conspiracy theories) because of the fact that his father wasn't American, his mother had lived overseas before and after his birth, and the fact that some people apparently had trouble remembering exactly when Hawaii became a state.

What's interesting to me is that I remember more "conversation" before the election about whether McCain is a natural-born citizen than whether Obama is.

MysticCat:
The "conversation" or "question" was raised, for a very short period of time. And never answered. In fact, the only way that it could have been was if Sen John McCain was election and sworn in. At that point any party with standing would have filed suit and it would have ended up at the USSC. Note:The GOP never filed a suit after Obama sworn in.
On John McCain: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/may/12/born-usa/
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/how_can_panamanian-born_mccain_be_elected_president.html
http://www.snopes.com/politics/mccain/citizen.asp
http://www.michiganlawreview.org/first-impressions/volume/107
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/politics/28mccain.html
http://genealogy.about.com/b/2008/08/30/john-mccains-citizenship-status.htm
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/trumps-birther-libel-and-american-history/237217/

This could be the real issue down the road for anyone else running for office who is a military brat. And an issue only the USSC can rule on. And rule on only after the election and swearing in.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by SOM

MysticCat:
The "conversation" or "question" was raised, for a very short period of time. And never answered. In fact, the only way that it could have been was if Sen John McCain was election and sworn in. At that point any party with standing would have filed suit and it would have ended up at the USSC. Note:The GOP never filed a suit after Obama sworn in.
On John McCain: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/may/12/born-usa/
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/how_can_panamanian-born_mccain_be_elected_president.html
http://www.snopes.com/politics/mccain/citizen.asp
http://www.michiganlawreview.org/first-impressions/volume/107
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/politics/28mccain.html
http://genealogy.about.com/b/2008/08/30/john-mccains-citizenship-status.htm
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/trumps-birther-libel-and-american-history/237217/

This could be the real issue down the road for anyone else running for office who is a military brat. And an issue only the USSC can rule on. And rule on only after the election and swearing in.

Oh, I know it was raised about both candidates. I was just saying that I remember seeing more articles about whether McCain was a natural-born citizen than about whether Obama was. (This, of course, doesn't mean that there were in fact more articles about McCain -- just that I saw more articles about McCain.)

FYI, I don't know that the GOP would have had standing to sue. Many courts have said individuals do not have standing to sue, and many legal scholars question whether the issue is justiciable in the courts at all. I believe there is a statutory procedure by which a challenge can be made (before the inauguration) in Congress as part of the receipt of results from the electoral college. As for the answer, I would have been amazed and astounded if SCOTUS or anyone else with say-so had said McCain wasn't a natural-born citizen.