it might as well be Trump

[lauradi7dw]

Confusingly to me, instead of sincerely trying to avoid nominating Trump at their nominating convention, a bunch of Republicans are now trying to come up with another candidate. I think he's a lying self-centered jerk, but there is a system, and sticking to it is probably the best thing. It's not as though he's the only person who is upsetting to some of us - he has millions of followers, who were just waiting for someone to tell them it's OK to be angry, use appalling language, and hit people you don't like. No matter who wins in the fall (I'm planning to vote Clinton/Kaine), those followers have been empowered, and that won't change. Ted Cruz also suggested nuking people, so setting him up for a 2020 or 2024 run isn't a good plan either.
Also, I am fine with Melania T having worked briefly in 1995 in the US as a model while here with no work visa (the Wikipedia gives the name of the employer who was supposed to get her the proper visa, but maybe that was 1996). We had a juggler friend from the UK stay with us in the mid-80s on the way to a juggling convention. He went out and did street shows in Harvard Square to get a little traveling cash. Apparently, that would have made him be an illegal immigrant, working illegally. It would never have crossed my mind. In his case, he went back home after the summer. I don't think the US work force was harmed much by either of them.

Comments

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

Perhaps Melania will run in 2020?

[lauradi7.livejournal.com]

Article II, section 1 of the US Constitution has this clause

>>Clause 5:

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; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.<<

My whole life, until last fall, I was told that natural born meant born on US soil (or for the early guys, born in what was going to be the USA). One is an automatic citizen of the US by being born here or having at least one US citizen parent (or both, like most of us), but I thought to be president, the born here part was most relevant. There had always been oddities - nobody thought John McCain was made ineligible by being born in Panama, for example, because he was born on a US naval base, therefore on pretend US soil. But last fall the appalling Ted Cruz got a court to agree with him that having one US parent was good enough to run for president, even though he was born in Canada. To have Melania be eligible, there would have to be a constitutional amendment changing the requirements to include being a naturalized citizen. There was talk of just such a change at about the time Arnold Schwartzenegger was governor of California, to make him eligible to run, but nothing came of it.

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

Well I was joking, but I think actually she might be a better candidate than donald ...