Bill seeks new qualifications

Alicia Robinson

Arnold Schwarzenegger in the White House? It could happen, if a

constitutional amendment proposed by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is

successful.

Rohrabacher on Wednesday proposed an amendment that would allow

foreign-born residents who have been U.S. citizens for at least 20

years to run for president.

“First and foremost, I’ve been in awe of Arnold’s terrific job as

governor of California,” Rohrabacher said. “I just decided that if

Arnold does a great job in California, continues to do a great job in

California, he should be given a chance, perhaps, for that leadership

at a higher level, and if it’s true for Arnold, why shouldn’t it be

true for anyone that comes here as a naturalized citizen and has been

a naturalized citizen for more than 20 years?”

Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria and became a U.S. citizen

in 1983, didn’t know about the proposed constitutional amendment,

though he and Rohrabacher have been friends for about 25 years, the

congressman said.

“[Schwarzenegger] has said before that he is supportive of the

idea, but it’s something that he’s not focused on,” Schwarzenegger’s

press secretary Margita Thompson said. “His attention is focused full

force on California.”

In the long term, the proposal is about more than just

Schwarzenegger, Rohrabacher said; it’s about giving legal immigrants

the same rights as citizens who are born here.

There’s no timetable yet for the legislation to be discussed by

the House, but the same proposal has been made in the Senate by Sen.

Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).

Passing a constitutional amendment is difficult. It requires

approval from two-thirds of congress, as well as three-fourths of

state legislatures. But the notoriety of California’s

actor-turned-governor may give the proposal a boost, Orange County

Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh said.

“I think it has a better chance with somebody like Arnold

Schwarzenegger, who is immensely popular, than it would prior to his

election to the governorship, but I can’t predict its outcome at this

point,” Baugh said. “I think the opportunity for Arnold to run should

exist, but that’s way off into the future.”

Rohrabacher’s proposal could be viewed as a pro-immigrant

amendment and presented by Republicans as a way to reach out to the

nation’s immigrant population, UC Irvine political science professor

Mark Petracca said.

But Rohrabacher’s tough stance on illegal immigration could be a

drawback, Petracca said. When politicians criticize illegal

immigrants, sometimes what people hear is an attack on all

immigrants, he said.

“[Rohrabacher] is probably not the best messenger for this

message,” Petracca said. “[People] may be prepared to have Arnold

Schwarzenegger as president. Are they prepared in effect to create an

even greater incentive for more people to come to this country?”

This bill merely supports what he has fought for, Rohrabacher

said.

“I don’t find there to be any contradiction between the idea that

you are for and support legal immigration into this country and you

oppose and struggle against illegal immigration,” Rohrabacher said.

“This just underscores what I’ve always believed -- that someone who

follows rules and becomes a naturalized citizen should have the

rights of every other American.”

Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Frank Barbaro supports the

idea of letting immigrants run for the nation’s highest office, but

he questioned why 20 years as a citizen was the magic number.

“I think that there should be an opportunity for immigrants to run

for president if they are in fact the best person for the job,” he

said. “I just think it’s humorous, the timing.”

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

alicia.robinson@latimes.com.