UPDATING THE CITIZENSHIP CLAUSE OF THE 14TH AMENDMENT: POPULAR - AND POLITICALLY CORRECT

Via HOT AIR this item: Ed Rendell: What’s with these conservative wackos and birthright citizenship?

AND IT'S ALL OVER THE WEB:

Andy Barr / The Politico:

Ed Rendell: Many Republicans ‘are nuts’ — Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell on Monday said that Republican desires to repeal the 14th Amendment are “cuckoo” and prove that many in the GOP “are nuts.” — Asked during an MSNBC interview about many Republicans' calls to repeal the portion …

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Excerpt:

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell on Monday said that Republican desires to repeal the 14th Amendment are “cuckoo” and prove that many in the GOP “are nuts.”

Asked during an MSNBC interview about many Republicans’ calls to repeal the portion of the 14th Amendment providing citizenship to any person born in the United States, Rendell said the idea will likely turn off many independent voters.

“They're going to fire up their base, but I think it's a damaging strategy for independents,” he said. “If I'm an independent and I look at [GOP Gov.] Rick Perry saying Texas is going to secede from the union, and now I hear the Republican Party saying repeal the 14th Amendment — which has done so much good for the country — I'm beginning to worry that these guys are cuckoo.”

“Not all Republicans – there are plenty of good ones – but there are a lot of people who are nuts in there,” he said.

Allahpundit's reaction is typically CYNICAL & SARCASTIC:

Oh Ed. Sweet, innocent Ed. Don’t you know that the birthright citizenship amendment is nonsense being fed to the base by amnesty-minded Beltway Republicans to convince us of their immigration bona fides? Selling out to the left on a path to citizenship is way too electorally dangerous for them right now. But after a few months, or even years, of table-pounding about an amendment that’s going nowhere? They’re golden.

I think BOTH Ed Rendell and Allahpundit are wrong.

Rendell is also OUT OF TOUCH. Like the Democrats on MOST issues of the day.

I think amending the Amendment is a very good thing and would be a very popular thing. In fact, updating the 14th Amendment would be as hugely popular as the anti-Obamacare vote in Missouri and the Arizona immigration law enforcement law and building a wall on our border with Mexico.

These things all are favored by about 70% of the people in the USA. As is changing the 14th Amendment in AZ.

Here's some anecdotal evidence:

A few days ago, I asked a hardcore leftist buddy of mine (who is non-partisan) if he thought pregnant tourists or illegal aliens should be allowed to have their kids become USA citizens automatically just because they popped out here and he said - unequivocally: "no."

He agreed with me that only the babies of legal residents should automatically become USA citizens when born here, and that means folks with green cards.

And he is a leftist.

LOOKIT FOLKS, IT'S REAL REAL SIMPLE:

There were no green cards in 1868 when the amendment was written.

It's time to make automatic citizenship available only to babies born to legal residents. it would SIMPLE to do so.

Here is the 1868 clause:

Amendment XIV, Section 1, Clause 1:

“ All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

It's time to update it.

Here'ssome new simple - non-discriminatory language:

“ All persons born to legal residents of the United States or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."