David Broder: Mitch McConnell's Call To Review 14th Amendment Is 'Disquieting'

Washington Post:

It was an odd but intriguing experience to sit at a press breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor last week and listen as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell strongly rebutted one of my recent columns, implicitly endorsed the message of another and sent a disquieting signal about the prospects that might follow a Republican victory in the midterm elections.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[ruffdeezy]

12:54 AM on 08/22/2010

The authors of the 14th amendment didn't give citizenship to native indians (even though they were born in the US) because they were not subject to the jurisdiction thereof (of the US), they were subject to their own tribal governments. Either way you look at it, the amendment should be clarified because illegal immigrants aren't really subject to the jurisdiction, they are subject to their home country. But on the other hand, by not giving the child citizenship, it is possible they could become stateless which is not good.

[FessorFrink]

12:38 AM on 08/11/2010

Since Lee Atwater and probably before him Nixon the Republican Party has been trying to divide people with wedge issue being anti-gay, anti-hispanic, anti-islamic, etc. I don't think they know of another way to win a fair election. It sad when most of these conservatives, who probably don't believe in what they are saying half the time, are just throwing red meat to their tea party base. They are just bringing out the worst in people.

Democrats are not great by any stretch, but there are some that get it and do not take the miilions in donations for corporations who need their legislation passed. Some actually support us everyday people. Unfortunately its not enough to govern right now and the odds of growing majorities are probably out the door.

[mb303030]

08:23 PM on 08/10/2010

This kind of hysteria was around in the 30s too. Such that mass numbers of Mexican Americans were deported without even checking to see if they were U.S. American citizens. Scared people do shameful things sometimes.
American citizenship isn’t a special club that we belong to. The idea is that the authority of the government is derived from the consent of the governed. That is the basis of our democracy. It is indeed a problem that in some European countries there is such a thing as 4th generation immigrants who are not considered citizens. It undermines democracy.
Birthright citizenship from the 14th amendment is a principle in our country I’m proud of.
If there are abuses of our social safety net there are other ways to handle that besides betraying the principles of the U.S.A.
I’m not sure that the studies done on those demographics actually show that people’s fears about children being used to obtain resources are justified. I know there are also stories of parents of young citizens being deported. Trying to obtain government aid is a very risky business for undocumented aliens.

[sjpersonal]

02:25 PM on 08/10/2010

Some other poster below wrote "I hope the African Americans doesn't sit Idle, for they too will be affected by any repeal of the 14th amendment."

This is a lie, I have not heard of anyone wanting to repeal the 14th Amendment, I know that a lot of Americans are fed up with the way that the 14th Amendment has been abused by illegals and want to add restrictions to the jus soli portion.

No one is suggesting that the restrictions be made retroactive. So no one who is currently a US Citizen has anything to worry about.

[outofstepper]

03:44 PM on 08/10/2010

If you haven't heard anyone advocating for the repeal of the 14th amendment, then you haven't been paying attention. Granted they have cooled down the rhetoric a bit and have changed their stance to "we think it should be looked at" but that wasn't what they said in the beginning.

And with the GOP? Who knows? They might want to make it retroactive.

[sjpersonal]

04:09 PM on 08/10/2010

No I have not heard or read anyone in authority state that they wanted to Repeal it. I have heard Republicans state that they wanted to Amend it again so that the children of illegals will not receive US Citizenship.

Regarding making it retroactive. I do see that as a possibility!

[WowJones]

08:46 AM on 08/09/2010

Election year pandering to the racist Teabaggers. We won't be discussing this after Nov,

[JDotMill]

08:18 AM on 08/09/2010

Half you people really just live in a bubble don't you?

First, they are not talking about banning the 14th, they are talking of further amending it. They are looking to repeal birthright citizenship.

Why is this such a bad thing. We are one of the only countries in the world that still has birthright citizenship. Almost every country in Europe doesn't grant birthright citizenship, and they take it even further...usually around the time you are 18, if you were born there, you can take a culture/language test, and if you pass that, they will give you citizenship. Where is the outcry from all you libs about Europe? They must be incredibly racist out there, to not have birthright citizenship.....or maybe they have learned from their mistakes and know the economic burden illegal aliens are.

Most of you in here wish the US was more like Europe...well, here's your chance to put your money where your mouth is.

I'm still actually trying to figure out how it is racist to adopt a law that most of the modern world has? Don't you think it will curb down illegals coming into this country to have a kid? If they knew that the kid would not be a citizen, and they would immediately get deported once the kid was released from the hospital, don't you think that would weigh into their minds before they tried to take the risk to cross the border while 8+ months preggers?

[CCee]

08:41 AM on 08/09/2010

Every country on this continent does have birthright citizenship including Canada and Mexico.

It's a MOVE that is racist because that's what it is... It's a new anti-immigrant push.. Which makes it by definition atypically racist..

As for your Constitutional Argument ... Do you really believe that since the 1860's - in times of tolerated national racism in a 100 Plus years of that time - that in all this time as this amendment has stood up to just such claims leveled against it's specificity that ANYONE Born in the US is not a Citizen?... It survived all such tests for over a century and still you think it could be overturned or even amended today?

Wishful Thinking for some ... Nothing More ... The Constitution of the USA is there for a reason.. To prevent the Prevalence of Madness for either political or personal profit to become law or to corrupt what the USA stands for..

The USA stands for what it is, the constitution protects what it is, and no amount of whinging from the right is going to change that.

Feel free to vote for those pushing for it though... I think that's the point of this little exercise anyway.. Isn't it?

[JDotMill]

09:03 AM on 08/09/2010

There were a number of different things going on with southern states wanting to use "citizenship" issues for the purpose of denying rights to newly-free slaves. The easy way to handle it and leave no way around it was to say "if you are born on American soil, you are an American citizen." And that's what they did --- the idea of saying simply "everyone" eliminated virtually all the issues that the South was implementing with one word.

Immigration, however is viewed much much differently than it was back in the day

And to be honest, I never even thought of birthright citizenship really until I moved to Europe for a few years, I honestly thought it was birthright citizenship everywhere. The more I thought about it though, the more it made sense to not just grant citizenship to someone who illegaly came there for the specific purpose of having a kid on the governments dime.

One of the main reasons we have had that law is because we are not having the problems we are now.

But...I guess 122 Countries around the world are racist because they do not give automatic birthright citizenship.

[centsable]

08:42 AM on 08/09/2010

If you feel so passionate about this, I can only assume you are a native american. With your reasoning every one of us won't have a birthright citizenship. Were your ancesters native american, if not should you be deported> Just asking!!!

[JDotMill]

08:48 AM on 08/09/2010

1/8th actually, but that's neither here nor there...I'm not talking about taking the amendment and making it retro-active, I'm talking about just putting the amendment in, and from this point on, not granting birthright citizenship to illegals.

[falodun]

08:05 AM on 08/09/2010

so leave already. Give the Native Americans back their land

[BassFace]

07:49 AM on 08/09/2010

Such a delusional frootkayk, this chinless one..

[mcmutter]

07:23 AM on 08/09/2010

FASCISTS always enjoy making new rules for citizenship ... same thing happened in 1930s Germany ... just part of keeping the national bloodline pure ....

[JDotMill]

09:14 AM on 08/09/2010

So....looks like 122 countries are fascist then. I know when I think of fascism, I think of countries like Switzerland, Ireland, the UK, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

[mcmutter]

09:39 AM on 08/09/2010

I thought Conservaturds don't like following laws established in foreign countries ....

[1differentdrummer]

05:41 AM on 08/09/2010

And the GOP leader is disgusting. Is this the only problem he sees? Have we no other issues that need addressing?

[nomobull]

07:12 AM on 08/09/2010

plenty of problems to be addressed but the gop don't seem interested in addressing real problems just creating distractions from the fact they have no ideas other than tax cuts for the rich.,war and blaming everyone but themselves for making this mess.

[JDotMill]

08:20 AM on 08/09/2010

yes...war...must be contagious, because it seems like Obama loves it too

[La Jones]

04:55 AM on 08/09/2010

Every week, The Rebublican Party only seems to have plans they are willing to have a discussion
about, having something only to do with,..... "IT"S THE
BROWN?BLACK?ASIAN PEOPLE, repealing Amendments, Civil Rights 1964, Voting Rights 1965,
Gay Rights, Secession, The Conferderate Flag Rights, Jim Crow Rights, and on and on...........,
Why can't they focus and put their energy off of things having to do with the 1860's, 1964, 1965,
FOR GODS SAKE, WHAT'S THEIR PLAN, FOR JOB CREATION,? THE HIGH COST OF FOOD IN THE GROCERY STORE, ?GAS
Currently BACK UP AGAIN, ON SPECULATORS TRADING ON
WALL STREET,? THE LONG TERM FIX UP PLANS FOR THE GULF COAST......I'AM
SICK AND TIRED OF THIS CONSTANT DRUM BEAT OF IT'S.... IT''S THE BROWN/BLACK
BLACK PEOPLE....,VILE NAME CALLING AND EXCUSES" NONE OF THIS CRAP" HELP'S ME
AT ALL", YOU CAN'T USE IT IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE, PAYING MORE FOR MILK
AND TOMATOES AT THE GROCERY STORE, RENT MONEY,
GAS TO DRIVE LOOKING FOR A JOB!. ..... AMERICA AND IT'S "ADDICTION
TO THE REBUBLICAN RACE BAITING/HATING PROPAGANDA", VOTE FOR 'US ANYWAY
WITH NO PLANS, EXPLANATIONS, CHARTS, JUST IT'S THE "BROWN/BLACK/ASIAN"
PEOPLE, SHOWS THE EXTENT OF JUST HOW "COWARD, FEARFUL, IGNORANT, AND
DESERVING THIS COUNTY WILL CONTINUE TO BE,.. BY FAILURE BY THE VOTERS, (NOT-
SO-ENTIRELY OF OBAMA), OF MORE RECESSIONS, 14-17% UMEMPLOYMENT, $4.02 a
GALLON GAS, Mostly $9.25 AN HR JOBS, WITH No Benefits, 67% health care increases.

[SPQR1052]

04:37 AM on 08/09/2010

What the GOPTALIBAN wants and will receive in November will be completly opposite.

[Mz Fang]

03:53 AM on 08/09/2010

Every picture, without fail, dude looks like he just "sharted"... Someone needs to sell him stock in "Depends" for crying out loud....

[fortyfiveseventy]

03:13 AM on 08/09/2010

As liberals love to say, "times change and these amendments need to be interpreted in a modern context." This country no longer needs or wants millions of impoverished immigrants to stock the population. It's time to repeal the 14th. It has no place in modern society.

[Sepulchre]

03:57 AM on 08/09/2010

You have no idea off all the things that the 14th Amendment encompasses do you, like due process. Maybe you should give it a read through some ime.

[Ed C Atlanta]

07:08 AM on 08/09/2010

you know these people dont read, they just want to make noise about changing the rules to fit them everytime and then they are only playing lip service to the base with wegde issues to gain and keep votes,

[1088]

02:22 AM on 08/09/2010

I hope the African Americans doesn't sit Idle, for they too will be affected by any repeal of the 14th amendment.

[JayJayInMI]

02:33 AM on 08/09/2010

The Repubes are coming after the rest of the Reconstruction Amendments, too. Especially that silly one that outlawed slavery. Look where that got us.

[fortyfiveseventy]

03:14 AM on 08/09/2010

I hope they doesn't too. Theys might gets deported.