Should The U.S. Require Presidential Candidates To Grow Up Only In The U.S.?

Question

This is about loyalty to the United States. There are two presidential candidates who spent at a good portion of their childhoods in other countries.

One candidate grew up in Mexico and he is also against having a border wall with Mexico. He is basically putting the wants of Mexico ahead of the U.S.

The other candidate spent a large portion of his childhood in an Islamic country. And he has proven he is weak on fighting terror. Just like the other candidate, his loyalty is misdirected.

Big difference. Unlike the mentioned candidates, F.D.R. made trips European countries that were pro-U.S.. Also, he was not raised in those countries.

Mexico still pays for anti-American propagada that are broadcast on radio stations. Mexico is not considered a "pro-U.S." country.

After 9/11, Mexicans chanted "Osama, Osama, Osama" when the U.S.'s soccer team played in a stadium in Mexico.

Answer 1

Unfortunately for America, politics are like our favorite professional sports team. We don't care where the players are from or what their values are, so long as they win the game. People who possess such a blind loyalty to their political party are not healthy for this country.

Answer 2

This isn't the answer you're hoping for, but I think a person who spends a considerable amount of time overseas during his formative years will have a better understanding of the world. He will appreciate the similarities and differences between our country and foreign lands in a way a person brought up in a sheltered U.S. environment cannot truly understand.

I would expect that someone who spent a lot of time growing up in another country would appreciate the U.S. MORE afterwards. Most people I know who travel overseas come back to the U.S. and say they never really appreciated how good we have it in America until they travel to a foreign country.

We have few enough good Presidential candidates as it is. I think the best way to ensure better ones it to start getting tough with the irresponsible media who pointlessly trash every single person who runs for office, just to get some juicy (and often misleading) headline. And once a person is in office, the press stays just as vicious. You must ask yourself, isn't it possible (just possible) that if Clinton had not been so distracted by all the legal troubles caused by excessive press coverage of his real and/or imagined transgressions, he might have been able to spend more time fighting terrorism?

Presidents are people too. They have a limit of how much chaos they can endure. Although I did not like Clinton, I did not want the press dogging him as they did. A President has the toughest, and often most thankless job in the world. Every offhand word he utters, every single action he takes is micro-dissected and put under crushing scrutiny. Imagine what would have happened if, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK had to defend himself about his romantic trysts with Marilyn Monroe. As it was, they say that JFK was under such massive tension that he could barely function without medication. Imagine if the press compounded his troubles.

That chapter in history might have had a horribly different conclusion.

Answer 3

A foreign-born US citizen is ineligible to be president or vice president. Growing up outside the US is not an issue.
By the way, let's squelch the rumor that Barak Obama is Muslim; he isn't. Just tell me how he is considered to be "weak" on terror?
Bill Richardson grew up in NEW Mexico, which is a US state.

Answer 4

Well to be loyal to America I believe it is a must to have only an American born, raised, and lived always as an American citizen as a Presidential Candidate. We better be careful who we let in that office! I don't care if it is a Republican or a Demo crate or if it is a independent. It doesn't matter much to me. But this does make a difference. They need to a born,raised, citizen of America!

Answer 5

Yes. Otherwise we wouldn't know where his potential threats or true loyalties lie. A person has to be born in the USA to become President so why shouldn't that person be required to be a lifelong resident of the USA and go even one step further, be required to vote in every election. I wouldn't vote for either or those candidates,especially the one who spent a portion of his childhood in an islamic country. Nor would I vote for a person whose parents were illegal aliens. If they had no loyalty to the country, as demonstrated by their failure to obey our laws in the first place, then it would stand to reason that their children would have been brought up in ignorance of the laws and without adherence to them as well. Therefore, they are effectively criminals and should be banned from running for any office but especially the presidency.

Answer 6

There is already a requirement that a Presidential candidate be born in the U.S. (Do you know which President was NOT born in the U.S.?)
Hopefully, the voters will be able to see these things and vote for the "right" candidate.

Answer 7

Hum, you yanks hold you so-called Founding Fathers in high regard, correct? These patriotic men, of which none were born in the USA. They must have had really divided loyalties... Of course, they did commit treason against their former country... Some even had parents, who were born in England, then enemy country!

You whole bloody country is build on emigrants, by emigrants. To even have some sort of clause for place of birth is stupid. Some guy, born in Mexico, moves to US at age 1, creates a public, political life, is loved by red and blue alike, loves his country like nothing else, but can never serve in it's highest office.

Answer 8

Just don't vote for them. I believe if these are their platforms, they won't be voted in anyway. Especially the one raised in Mexico. The illegal immigration issue is on the side of American's wishes more than the wars in the middle east.

Answer 9

Gaspode, are you from Washington or Oregon? Texas is apart of the US and is no where near as cartoonish as the media portrays.

I think the U.S president must have allegiance to the U.S. Should have lived here as a citizen for 20 years at least.

GB grew up in the US and is the most anti-american president I've ever seen.

Answer 10

Which candidates are you talking about? I'm sure they're Democrats, based on your screen name and your comments about them.

I don't care if the candidate is Democrat or Republican, born here or anywhere else, as long as he is the polar opposite of Bush.