New President -

[Asperion]

It is Post-Election Day 2008. All the votes nationally are being tallied and the winner is someone no one expected. This person never actually ran for the office, nor did he do any campaigning for any running candidates. Let the world see the new President of the United States of America - President Superman! The courts rule that since he was effectively born and raised in the US he does have the ability to hold the office, so there is no argument in that area.

 

What I am wondering is:

1) How this would affect the Man of Steel?

2) Would he accept the office or refuse it?

3) Would he continue to hero or would the duties of office mean that that is not possible?

4) How would this affect his secret ID?

5) What would his agenda be as the President?

 

If there is any more comments that you would like to add, feel free to do so.

[sinanju]

Re: New President -

 

It is Post-Election Day 2008. All the votes nationally are being tallied and the winner is someone no one expected. This person never actually ran for the office, nor did he do any campaigning for any running candidates. Let the world see the new President of the United States of America - President Superman! The courts rule that since he was effectively born and raised in the US he does have the ability to hold the office, so there is no argument in that area.

 

What I am wondering is:

1) How this would affect the Man of Steel?

2) Would he accept the office or refuse it?

3) Would he continue to hero or would the duties of office mean that that is not possible?

4) How would this affect his secret ID?

5) What would his agenda be as the President?

 

If there is any more comments that you would like to add, feel free to do so.

 

I deny your premise.

 

"Strange visitor from another world!" indeed. He may have been raised in the USA, but Kal-El was born on Krypton, which means he is not a citizen of the USA except perhaps by adoption. He's ineligible, no matter how many people want him to be President*. This is common knowledge in the DC universe (as far as I know), so everyone would know this. And even if they didn't, being Superman he would neither lie about his birthplace nor allow himself to be sworn in in contravention of the 14th amendment.

 

Besides, in canon (not in real time), is he even old enough to legally be President? Not necessarily.

 

*Short of a Constitutional amendment, anyhow. If THAT many people want him to be President, they could enact an amendment. But otherwise....

[hfergus]

Re: New President -

 

In any case, I do not thnk superman would accept. Presidents do not go around fighting crime. I think he would step down and suggest someone he thinks would do a good job. (Batman perhaps? That's a frightening thought)

[Comic]

Re: New President -

 

Etrigan would accept.

[薔薇語]

Re: New President -

 

In any case' date=' I do not thnk superman would accept. Presidents do not go around fighting crime. I think he would step down and suggest someone he thinks would do a good job. (Batman perhaps? [i']That'[/i]s a frightening thought)

 

 

I'm with you on this one. Superman wouldn't take the office(assuming he could which as was stated is completly prohibited by the constitution). I can see him at best/worst declaring a Vice Pres and then stepping down to allow them to run things while he continued his busisness.

 

Besides that, Although he is the Champion of Truth Justice and the American way, he has always been more global than that. I wouldn't think Superman wouldn't want to be forced into stricted allegence to the US when there is a world to be saved.

 

Although I disagee, Batman I think would make a great President.

 

La Rose

[teh bunneh]

Re: New President -

 

They did something like this in the Armageddon 2000 maxi-series, a decade or so ago. According to that storyline (and, I assume, current continuity), Kal-El was indeed "born" on US soil. Jor-El didn't send his son as an infant , he sent the embrionic child in its "birthing chamber," which only opened after it landed. So Supes was eligible. He won in a landslide, and apparently made a pretty durn good president.

[Badger]

Re: New President -

 

What about changing the write-in to Chuck Norris.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: New President -

 

President Kal El - Superman. Giving a whole new meaning to world superpower. I think he would make a great president. Bruce Wayne for Vice President and Diana Prince as Chief of Staff. (Lasso of Truth would come in real handy eh?)

 

 

LOL

 

 

QM

 

P.S.: Vote for Steve Rogers - Captain America for President in 2008.

[Oruncrest]

Re: New President -

 

They did something like this in the Armageddon 2000 maxi-series' date=' a decade or so ago. According to that storyline (and, I assume, current continuity), Kal-El was indeed "born" on US soil. Jor-El didn't send his son as an infant , he sent the embrionic child in its "birthing chamber," which only opened after it landed. So Supes was eligible. He won in a landslide, and apparently made a pretty durn good president.[/quote']

 

You're right. In the 1991 Adventures of Superman Annual, Superman did indeed run for president in 2004 - and won handily against a thinly disguised Bush clone. After Supes' Clark Kent identity was blown saving Presidential candidate Pete Ross' life from an assassination attempt, Pete urged Clark to run in his place. He was declared a natural-born citizen after STAR Labs verified that his birthing matrix (they were using the 1986 Byrne origin at that time) really was an artificial womb.

 

Before his first year was out, he'd taken major steps to solving Earth's energy crisis, put America in the black by salvaging sunken ships filled with gold bullion, rescued a hostage from terrorists on foreign soil (don't forget, he was the Commander-in-Chief in that story. If he wanted to, he could head his own military missions. And with his X-Ray Vision, he'd not only know where to hit, but could immediately present evidence of the terrorists' wrongdoing to imbedded journalists), and made steps to uniting all the nations of world into a world government.

 

Of course, this was long before Birthright rewrote Clark's origin again and sent him to Earth as an infant, so Superman couldn't run in 2008.

 

Sucks, don't it?

[FenrisUlf]

Re: New President -

 

Etrigan would accept.

 

But he's a demon from hell. Jokes about New Jersey aside, he's not a US citizen.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: New President -

 

President Kal El - Superman. Giving a whole new meaning to world superpower. I think he would make a great president. Bruce Wayne for Vice President and Diana Prince as Chief of Staff. (Lasso of Truth would come in real handy eh?)

 

 

LOL

 

 

QM

 

P.S.: Vote for Steve Rogers - Captain America for President in 2008.

 

Nah Wonder Woman gets Attorney General.

 

Batman as the Most Useless Elected Official? Works for me.

[Cold Steel]

Re: New President -

 

Wouldn't you know it, Washington D.C. has the largest concentration of Kryptonite in the Eastern seaboard?

[The Monster]

Re: New President -

 

Bruce Wayne - President

proven executive skills, wide business and political connections, record of charitable and social activism...

Clark Kent - White House Press Secretary

Superman - U.N. Ambassador

Wonder Woman - Secretary of State

Batman - Head of Homeland Security

[steriaca]

Re: New President -

 

Simply put, while he COULD handel the responcabilities of being a presadent of the United States, he would not acept. Even if it would be to keep Luthor for running for another term. Why?

 

1) He dosen't want to give the impression that he is favoring the USA. He exists to help EVEYBODY, from EVEY COUNTRY, not just the US.

 

2) There would be many a country which would automaticly go to war with the US if anyone with superpowers was elected, not just Big Blue. Thay see the election of a superpowered eleat as a threat to THERE superpowered eleat.

 

3) He might, at any time, leave the planet for a short while. Even HE can't run a country when off planet.

[Force]

Re: New President -

 

I deny your premise.

 

"Strange visitor from another world!" indeed. He may have been raised in the USA, but Kal-El was born on Krypton, which means he is not a citizen of the USA except perhaps by adoption. He's ineligible, no matter how many people want him to be President*. This is common knowledge in the DC universe (as far as I know), so everyone would know this. And even if they didn't, being Superman he would neither lie about his birthplace nor allow himself to be sworn in in contravention of the 14th amendment.

 

Besides, in canon (not in real time), is he even old enough to legally be President? Not necessarily.

 

*Short of a Constitutional amendment, anyhow. If THAT many people want him to be President, they could enact an amendment. But otherwise....

 

"A person of unknown parentage found in the United States while under the age of five years, until shown, prior to his attaining the age of twenty-one years, not to have been born in the United States"

 

Unless someone supplied proof of non-citizenship of Superman by Supe's 21st birthday, he would be considered a natural born US citizen and be eligible to be elected or appointed POTUS.

 

This is discussed under Title VIII - Chapter XII - Subchapter III - Part I - Section 1401 - Paragraph (f).

 

P.S. It would not require a constitutional amendment, but merely a change in law.

[McCoy]

Re: New President -

 

Presidents do not go around fighting crime.

Oh the innocence of youth!

 

In following this link, it is essential to remember, the author is not making this up! This actually, got pitched, green-lighted, and made it all the way to network television, proof positive that those who say drugs today are stronger than they were in the 60's are full of it.

 

http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/reviews/S/super_president.html

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: New President -

 

While he's still Superman? I don't see him doing it. However...if his Secret ID were blown and he lost his powers permanently (or for at least 4-8 years) I could see President Kent.

[sinanju]

Re: New President -

 

"A person of unknown parentage found in the United States while under the age of five years, until shown, prior to his attaining the age of twenty-one years, not to have been born in the United States"

 

Unless someone supplied proof of non-citizenship of Superman by Supe's 21st birthday, he would be considered a natural born US citizen and be eligible to be elected or appointed POTUS.

 

This is discussed under Title VIII - Chapter XII - Subchapter III - Part I - Section 1401 - Paragraph (f).

 

P.S. It would not require a constitutional amendment, but merely a change in law.

 

Part I, Section 1401, paragraph (f)...of WHAT? Your cite is incomplete, sirrah.

 

And irrelevant anyhow. Superman's parentage is not in question. It's common knowledge that he was the child of Jor-El and Lara of the planet Krypton. The only question is, was he born there and sent to earth (as in the original Superman origin story), or was he technically born on earth, as in some later versions.

 

Nor do I think changing the US Code would work--it would apply going forward to people in Superman's position, but cannot legally be applied retroactively.

[tkdguy]

Re: New President -

 

Oh the innocence of youth!

 

In following this link, it is essential to remember, the author is not making this up! This actually, got pitched, green-lighted, and made it all the way to network television, proof positive that those who say drugs today are stronger than they were in the 60's are full of it.

 

http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/reviews/S/super_president.html

I actually remember watching this as a kid (in the Philippines, no less). I don't recall any of the episodes, but I remember that I enjoyed it. I only saw it in black and white, however, as my family didn't get color TV until several years afterwards.

[Gemphyre]

Re: New President -

 

But he's a demon from hell. Jokes about New Jersey aside' date=' he's not a US citizen.[/quote']

 

Etrigan would accept.

 

And his host is British. I do not think that he was on US soil in 1782 when the Revolutionaries defeated the British and won independence, the only loophole to being born on U.S. soil or to U.S. citizens while they were abroad.

 

Mark Sebree

[Clonus]

Re: New President -

 

But he's a demon from hell. Jokes about New Jersey aside' date=' he's not a US citizen.[/quote']

 

Etrigan could be grandfathered in, having lived in the United States since before it existed as a nation.

[Comic]

Re: New President -

 

Originally Posted by FenrisUlf

But he's a demon from hell. Jokes about New Jersey aside, he's not a US citizen.

And his host is British. I do not think that he was on US soil in 1782 when the Revolutionaries defeated the British and won independence, the only loophole to being born on U.S. soil or to U.S. citizens while they were abroad.

 

Mark Sebree

 

They actually covered these points in the issues where Etrigan (not his host Jason Blood) ran for President, and even offered Superman a place on his ticket as a running mate.

 

But aside from the published arguments in Etrigan's own pages, the Devil makes a case for his citizenship in The Devil and Daniel Webster, which would extend fairly well to Etrigan, too.

 

Both came down to that it would be difficult to argue, based on the descriptions of conditions imposed by humans on other humans, and actions undertaken by humans against other humans in the 1700's, that the Devil was not in the territory at the time.

[Force]

Re: New President -

 

Part I' date=' Section 1401, paragraph (f)...of WHAT? Your cite is incomplete, sirrah.[/quote']

 

Here is a link:

 

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode08/usc_sec_08_00001401----000-.html

 

And irrelevant anyhow. Superman's parentage is not in question. It's common knowledge that he was the child of Jor-El and Lara of the planet Krypton. The only question is' date=' was he born there and sent to earth (as in the original Superman origin story), or was he technically born on earth, as in some later versions.[/quote']

 

You don't have to question his parentage as far as being born on the planet Krypton as long as that parentage was not revealed before his 21st birthday. You never know what Supe's age was (in his various origins) when he revealed that he was from the planet Krypton. If he was found and adopted by the Kent's before age 5 and his 'non-natural US citizens parents' were not revealed before his '21st birthday', he would be considered, under current law, to be a 'natural US citizen' and eligible to be elected POTUS.

 

Nor do I think changing the US Code would work--it would apply going forward to people in Superman's position' date=' but cannot legally be applied retroactively.[/quote']

 

Not if the law itself said it was retro-active. There is speculation going on that the two major parties are entertaining possibly changing the law to let folks like the current Governor of California AKA 'The Terminator' and the Canadian-born Jennifer Granholm of Michigan to run for prez.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural-born_citizen

[sinanju]

Re: New President -

 

Not if the law itself said it was retro-active. There is speculation going on that the two major parties are entertaining possibly changing the law to let folks like the current Governor of California AKA 'The Terminator' and the Canadian-born Jennifer Granholm of Michigan to run for prez.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural-born_citizen

 

Whatever legislators may be "entertaining," ex post facto laws are unconstitutional. Or should be, if our government actually pays attention to said Constitution.

[Force]

Re: New President -

 

Whatever legislators may be "entertaining' date='" ex post facto laws are unconstitutional. Or should be, if our government actually pays attention to said Constitution.[/quote']

 

This happens all the time at the federal, state and local levels, both going 'forward' and 'back'. It's not unconstitutional at all.

 

You never heard of grandfather clauses?