It has been all over the news, the Arizona state legislation has voted to pass a bill which if made a law would require any presidential candidate to bring proof of their eligibility for office to the Arizona Secretary of State in order to be on the ballot. Governor Brewer has five days to sign or veto the bill and she, like everyone else, must anwser some tough questions, "Is this bill a good idea?", "Does it have the right motives backing it?", and "Is it constitutional?". These are hard questions that provoke many different opinions depending on who you ask. The supporters of the bill say it's purpose is to preserve the integrity and legitimacy of the presidential candidates. Those opposed to the bill say it is another attempt by the right-wing Republicans to attack eligibility of President Obama's fight to hold office. I am opposed to the bill because we don't need any new laws to qualify people to run for President, the Constitution names the only requirements to hold the office. To hold the office of President a person must be a born US citizen, at least 35 years old and a resident of the United States for a minimum of 14 years.
Candidates don't have to turn their birth certificates in to the states in order to put their names on the ballot nor does a state government have the power to disqualify a person from running for President in that state. This bill was created not out of concern of people forging birth certificates and IDs in order to run for the nation's highest office.
This bill was formed out of a heated dispute over President Obama's birthplace. Was a bill like this ever proposed before? Did anyone ever demand John Kerry's birth certificate? How about Bush's or Gore's? Despite the state of Hawaii releasing Barack Obama's birth certificate and confirmation of it's legitimacy by the Hawaii Secretary of Health, some still insist that a it is fabricated and a "conspiracy" exists to keep Obama in office. It is these claims that have created the traction necessary to bring this bill to Governor Brewer's desk. While I don't support this bill as it is unnecessary, and perhaps unconstitutional, I know that it will have no effect on Obama's Presidency or re-election campaign. Because President Obama IS a US citizen, he IS eligible for the Presidency, and like it or not Barack Obama IS the President of the United States!
