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Jumping on the celebrity political bandwagon, Will Smith seems to think he could be the very first black president if he decided to go after the top spot in our country's government.
"People laugh, but if I set my mind to it, within the next 15 years I would be president," the 35-year-old actor recently told reporters. "I have specific attitudes about things that are really important to a lot of people. I feel like I'd be a good president."
While the "Bad Boy II" star supports fellow thespian Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor of California, he himself has a long way to go politically. And there's still no word yet from his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, on whether she's willing to be the first African American first lady.
Your thoughts..?
ID:189115
 Oct 12 2003, 12:13 pm
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Oct 12 2003, 1:08 pm
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DarkView
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I don't think he would do as well as Arnold. The only people who would want vote for him would be his underage fans. Pretty much anyone over age wouldn't be able to take him seriously (Mainly due to the fact most older people know him as the Fresh Prince).
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Heh, I've seen some older movies from Arnold that make his old show seem like high quality television.
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DarkView wrote:
I don't think he would do as well as Arnold. The only people who would want vote for him would be his underage fans. Pretty much anyone over age wouldn't be able to take him seriously (Mainly due to the fact most older people know him as the Fresh Prince). lol,i had heard will was running for president, but i didnt think he was still up to the challenge. | |
Jotdaniel wrote:
Heh, I've seen some older movies from Arnold that make his old show seem like high quality television. HEY! "Hurcules in New York" was a fine piece of cinimatic history! [To Pagemaster:] Arnold can't run for President, he wasn't born an American citizen. | |
HEY! "Hurcules in New York" was a fine piece of cinimatic history! Funny thing is, thats the exact movie I was refering to; I saw it one morning during the summer. | |
I think it is possible for him to become presedent, but he will really have to prove himself as a good polotition, not a movie star. I personally would not vote for him at this current time and date. I feel that he wants to become presedent for the sake of being "The first Black Presedent", i could be wrong, but it seems that way to me.
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DarkView wrote:
[To Pagemaster:] Arnold can't run for President, he wasn't born an American citizen. Wrong, he can; it's not if you were BORN an American citizen, it's if you are CURRENTLY one, which he is. I had a long discussion about that exact topic with a few friends of mine (one of which is a law student, and studies these things) | |
Are you sure? I've heard it a lot. Oh well, must just be one of those things that are wrong, but everyone thinks they are true. (But hey, I'm Australian, how was I meant to know =P )
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Nadrew wrote:
Wrong, he can; it's not if you were BORN an American citizen, it's if you are CURRENTLY one, which he is. I had a long discussion about that exact topic with a few friends of mine (one of which is a law student, and studies these things) I believe its if you were born an American citizen, but they are trying to change that (Arnold & Co). Atleast thats what the newspapers all say here in Denmark. Was what my father told me as well. I havent looked extensively into it though, so maybe the newspapers have it wrong (Wouldn't be the first time)? | |
Last I checked (granted, it's been about four or five years since I took Government) you had to be born a US citzen, either by blood or by soil. I remeber that being the most stict rule for the government (in my opion at the time, anyway).
I could be wrong though. I'll do some research. [EDIT] Encyclopedia: President of the United States Down the page a little: Requirements to Hold Office Article 2, Section 1, of the U.S. Constitution sets the requirements one must meet in order to become President: A natural-born citizen of the United States Thirty-five years of age Resident of the United States for 14 years | |
The last item on there is a OR item of the first one, it means if you've been a citizen here for 14 years you're able to run, no matter where you were born, Arnold has been one for nearly 25 years.
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I do know this: there was a Bob Hope comedy special, many years ago, which depicted him making a brief run for the Presidency. The shocking conclusion was that he had to abandon his campaign because he wasn't a natural-born citizen. I ask you, if you can't trust knowledge gleaned from a Bob Hope special, what can you trust?
Here's something from the Internet. Is it true? Who can say? The website seems reasonable enough at first glance, so here it is (emphasis added by me). ========= Constitutional Topic: Citizenship The Constitutional Topics pages at the USConstitution.net site are presented to delve deeper into topics than can be provided on the Glossary Page or in the FAQ pages. This Topic Page concerns Citizenship. Citizenship is mentioned in Article 1, Section 2, Article 1, Section 3, Article 2, Section 1, and in the 14th Amendment and several subsequent amendments. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you're going to be involved in government in the United States, citizenship is a must. To be a Senator or Representative, you must be a citizen of the United States. To be President, not only must you be a citizen, but you must also be natural-born. Aside from participation in government, citizenship is an honor bestowed upon people by the citizenry of the United States when a non-citizen passes the required tests and submits to an oath. Natural-born citizen Who is a natural-born citizen? Who, in other words, is a citizen at birth, such that that person can be a President someday? The 14th Amendment defines citizenship this way: "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." But even this does not get specific enough. As usual, the Constitution provides the framework for the law, but it is the law that fills in the gaps. Currently, Title 8 of the U.S. Code fills in those gaps. Section 1401 defines the following as people who are "citizens of the United States at birth:" Anyone born inside the United States Any Indian or Eskimo born in the United States, provided being a citizen of the U.S. does not impair the person's status as a citizen of the tribe Any one born outside the United States, both of whose parents are citizens of the U.S., as long as one parent has lived in the U.S. Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year and the other parent is a U.S. national Any one born in a U.S. possession, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year Any one found in the U.S. under the age of five, whose parentage cannot be determined, as long as proof of non-citizenship is not provided by age 21 Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time) A final, historical condition: a person born before 5/24/1934 of an alien father and a U.S. citizen mother who has lived in the U.S. Anyone falling into these categories is considered natural-born, and is eligible to run for President or Vice President. These provisions allow the children of military families to be considered natural-born, for example. Many parts of the world have law to provide them with special status, to allow children born in those places to be considered natural-born. This allows families with a long history of working in these areas without ever returning to the U.S. to be considered natural-born. For example, the Panama Canal Zone had been in U.S. possession for a full century, and some families lived there for generations. 8 USC 1403 handles the Zone specifically, stating that anyone born in the Zone on or after 2/26/1904, to at least one citizen-parent, is a natural-born citizen. Similar law is in place to handle the acquisition of territories, such as Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hawaii. | |
Doesn't that mean if your a natural-born citizen of the United States, but become say an Australian citizen, then become a citizen of the United States again. You have to wait 14 years before running for Presient.
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I think if he did put his mind to it, he could. He has accomplished a lot in his life time. Even if it is non-political. If he has been doing it his whole life, why stop now?
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Will Smith couldn't become president without a huge image change. Currently I don't think he could even play the race card properly.
If I was African American, and had the chance to let him into office, I wouldn't. Why? Because he is likily to make a joke out of the whole thing and ruin what should be a great day. Like how if Neil Armstrong made a wise crack instead of "One small step for man..." would have made America look bad. He could be 100% serious, but you'd still expect him to get into some wacky situation where he is elected President of two countries and can't let either one know about the other. | |
DarkView wrote:
Jotdaniel wrote: Ahh...i was reffering to "Will Smith" not Arnold. | |