[lbo-talk] It begins . . . .

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Fri Sep 17 12:33:59 PDT 2004



> Proposal would let Schwarzenegger run for president
>
> WASHINGTON - A United States politician has introduced a
constitutional
> amendment in Congress that would allow foreign-born citizens to run
for
> president.
>
>
http://sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2004/09/16/amend040916. html
>
> Todd

Schwartz - schmartz, but this is actually a very progressive proposal. The obstacles for immigrants to gain citizenship rights and hold public offices are the brain child of the Know Nothing movement - which in essence was to Irish and German immigrants what KKK was to Blacks.

Expanding voting rights to all immigrants (not just citizens) and the right to hold all public offices, including presidency, to all citizens, both native and naturalized, looks to me like a very progressive proposal that should be enthusiastically embraced by the Left. Nativism is probably the most reactionary movement imaginable, far more obnoxious than all forms of capitalism combined.

I agree that there is an extremely reactionary element among some immigrant groups (cf. Cubans, E. Europeans, S. Vietnamese) - but generally immigrants can and have been a progressive force in this country.

Wojtek



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