California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told NBC’s “Meet the Press” recently that U.S. citizens born outside of the country should be eligible to run for the office of president. The Austrian-born Republican said he did not have specific plans to run for president himself, but that other foreign-born citizens should not be restricted based solely on their country of birth.
Schwarzenegger’s comments are the first of any kind regarding a proposal by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch. The bill put forth by Hatch would allow anyone who has been a citizen of the United States for at least 20 years to run for president. Schwarzenegger has been a citizen for 21 years.
Schwarzenegger was vehement in his claim that he is not seeking a presidential nomination. “I have no idea,” he said, “I haven’t thought about that at all.” Schwarzenegger says he is too busy dealing with California to entertain notions of the White House.
The governor did point out several other possible candidates who, according to Schwarzenegger, would make “great choices” for president. Schwarzenegger used two former secretaries of state – Madeleine Albright, a native of Czechoslovakia, and Henry Kissinger, a native of Germany – as prime examples.
“I mean, there’s many, many, many people here that have worked within a government and have done an extraordinary job and not have been born in America,” added Schwarzenegger.
With a senator already proposing an amendment to the Constitution, Schwarzenegger’s statement cannot be ignored. With the changing world that we live in, hearing the phrase “President Schwarzenegger” is not as far-fetched as it once was.
However, we at The Massachusetts Daily Collegian also take Schwarzenegger’s comments with a grain of salt. Given the governor’s hasty rise to political prominence and history of being in the limelight, it is only logical for Schwarzenegger to back Hatch’s proposal.
That’s not to say that the proposal is invalid, or that Albright or Kissinger would not make strong candidates for president, but the bill will need a much wider backing before it can be considered.
It seems rather discriminatory to prevent someone from running for president based solely on his or her country of origin. Foreign-born citizens are allowed to vote, participate on American Olympic teams, and even hold high-ranking government positions. Just as African Americans and women fought for their rights as free and equal citizens, foreigners are now fighting for rights of their own. However, the office of the president is a profound, almost sacred position, and proposing an amendment to the Constitution will require serious thought from all sides.
The support of Gov. Schwarzenegger is an important first step in passing Sen. Hatch’s bill, but it is important to keep in mind where the support is coming from. Schwarzenegger has been friends with Hatch for some time, and being a foreign-born politician himself, would naturally back the bill. If Schwarzenegger is serious in his claim not to run for president, it further emphasizes the point that the debate may merit consideration.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Massachusetts Daily Collegian Editorial Board.
