Tim Kaine Debates Like a Girl

I thought Hillary Clinton was one of the worst debate participants until I watched her running mate Sen. Tim Kaine.   I would compare both of them unfavorably to President George H.W. Bush's Vice President Dan Quayle,  but most people wouldn't know what I was talking about and I'm not ambitious enough to try to find a transcript to refresh my memory.

I admit I'm basing my comparison discussion of how women argue on how television portrays arguments then on a scientific study of the subject.    One of the most annoying practices used in arguments by female tv characters is bringing up some statement the man has made  in the past and making it the center of discussion.  This practice may serve some purpose in a personal conflict, but is often irrelevant in a discussion of political issues.

The impression I got about both candidates, with Kaine being the worst, is that they were trying to change the subject because they didn't understand the issues they were discussing.   Kaine reminded me of a small child who keeps interrupting a discussion because he's not getting the attention he wants.   His face reminded me of one of those little yappy dogs who should be muzzled.

If I had been considering voting for Hillary I would have changed my mind because I'm repelled by the thought of Tim Kaine being a heart beat from the presidency.  I wonder if it's too late "to throw him under the bus" like George McGovern did to Thomas Eagleton.    If Kaine is an example of the type of people Clinton plans to appoint to federal office we will be in big trouble if she is elected.

I'm not opposed to a woman president.  I wish I had had an opportunity to vote for Shirley Chisholm or Elizabeth Dole, but neither could get her party's nomination.  Condoleezza Rice was my  preferred choice to succeed President George W. Bush. I would likely have voted for Kathleen Sebelius if she had run this year or the two previous elections.

Women who support Clinton need to consider that if she fails badly [as is likely considering her record as Secretary of State] it may be 50 year before another woman will have a chance to even be nominated.   Jackie Robinson was able to bring about the integration of professional baseball because he was a great player.  If he had been  poor player other teams would probably have not signed black players

9th Circuit Court Would Likely Keep Cruz Off Ballot

Those who think Sen. Ted Cruz can be elected to a job he isn't eligible for are ignoring the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.   If Republicans make the mistake of nominating Cruz for President of the United States,  Democrats in California and other states will challenge his eligibility.  There's at least a 90% probability the  9th Circuit Court in San Francisco would rule him ineligible because he is a naturalized citizen rather than a "natural born citizen" as required by the Constitution.

Then Republicans would have to choose whether to take a chance on the Supreme Court overturning the ruling or replace Cruz with someone else.   Either way the Republican campaign would be delayed and the Democrat would  be able to run unopposed for some time.  Republicans would have trouble getting a campaign started.

Article 2 of the United States Constitution establishes eligibility for the office of  President of the United States:  "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."    The 14th Amendment states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."

Cruz was not born in the United States so he cannot be a "natural born citizen" of the United States.  He is a  naturalized citizen because his mother took advantage of a naturalization "short cut"  that allows some U.S citizens to obtain citizenship for their children who are born outside the United States.   This naturalization process is not automatic and is not available to all children born to U.S. citizens outside the United States.    Children born in the United States are automatically citizens.   The parents of children outside the United States must request the child be given citizenship and demonstrate they are eligible to  obtain citizenship for their children

When Cruz was born a child could only qualify for citizenship under this provision in naturalization law  if at least one citizen parent had lived in the United States for at least 10 years, including five years after the age of 14, and the parents were married to each other.  Barack Obama had to provide evidence he was born in Hawaii to be a U.S. citizen. He could not have become a citizen if he had been born in Kenya  because his mother  had not lived in the United States the required five years after her 14th birthday.  Thousands of individuals fathered by American soldiers in Vietnam could not become U.S. citizens by this procedure because their fathers were  not married to their mothers.

A federal appeals court that would order states to accept same sex marriage would not hesitate to keep an ineligible presidential candidate off the ballot, particularly a candidate who would be likely to nominate Supreme Court justices who might vote to overturn the appeals court's rulings.