Tea Party Bill Would Repeal Birthright Citizenship

[pampango]

The text of the Fourteenth Amendment is clear: if you're born in the United States, you're a citizen. Period.

But House Republicans want to change that:

[Rep. Steve King (R-IA)] is once again advocating to "clarify" the portion of the 14th Amendment that protects birthright citizenship ... King is not opposed to the Amendment on its face, but maintains that the framers did not account for illegal immigration.

In 2010, King told a Cityview, a local newspaper, that "the framers did not consider the babies of illegals when they framed the 14th amendment because we didn't have immigration law at the time, so they could not have wanted to confer automatic citizenship on the babies of people who were unlawfully in the United States."

Actually, we've had federal naturalization law since 1790--78 years before the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified--and the Fourteenth Amendment was specifically written to protect the children of laborers whose full citizenship status had been challenged. In any case, you can't amend the Constitution by passing ordinary legislation, so Rep. King's legislation would appear to be dead in the water.

But it can be a useful barometer on another issue: comprehensive immigration reform, which already promises to generate considerable opposition within the Republican Party. So watch Rep. King's bill closely--the more influential co-sponsors he can bring in, the less likely it is that House Republicans will be willing to consider bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation in 2013.

http://civilliberty.about.com/b/2013/01/10/tea-party-bill-would-repeal-birthright-citizenship.htm

Looks like tea party King is buying into comprehensive immigration reform. Not all republicans seem to have learned any lessons from the election.

[hobbit709]

1. Doesn't say much for the people of Iowa that keep electing this clown.

[Archae]

2. This bill and King are racist.

[KharmaTrain]

3. Here's How This Scam Works...

...King comes up with something outrageous and someone pounces on him. King then issues a "press release" about how he's being picked on for his "conservative values"...followed by a "donate here" link and the money flows in. This dude knows not only how to milk cows but the great unhinged as well...

[malaise]

4. Ding ding we have a winner

[KharmaTrain]

5. I figger...

...I gotta waste a few posts today...hit 30k. Boy have I wasted a lot of time around here.

[malaise]

8. LOL

So what about me???

[liberal N proud]

6. This is as off limits at the 2nd Amendment

Cherry picker!

[elias7]

9. Maybe not. I'm told the framers had ak47's in mind while writing the 2nd

From Ben franklins notebook

[liberal N proud]

12. Did he say anything about everyone having guns would make us safer?

[Downwinder]

7. Would that make King an illegal, along with everybody

who was not a 1st generation immigrant?

[Kber]

10. Maybe!

I mean, how far back do we go?

[sadbear]

11. "the framers did not consider the babies of illegals when they framed the 14th amendment..."

Are they sure they want to go there? Framers not considering certain things is one of the major arguments against the 2nd Amendment, too, isn't it?

[gollygee]

13. It seems like they would have been more likely to consider that

than assault rifles. I mean there was immigration in other countires for tons of time before the Constitution was written. They might very well have thought about it.

[uponit7771]

14. ****LET IT GO TO VOTE**** Get the bastards on record and get a 15% approval of the GOP by

...immigrants especially Hispanics.

It will take a couple of generations to turn that kind of approval around historically