Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
As promised, this week we present a debate on what popularly known as anchor babies — the idea that any child born in the U.S.A is automatically a U.S. citizen no matter what the immigration status of the parents may be.
Our debaters: Constitutional law professor and Ricochet podcast host John Yoo and author, lawyer, and columnist Ann Coulter. Not much else to say about this show except do the right thing and listen.
Music from this week’s episode:
Born In The U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen
The opening sequence for the Ricochet Podcast was composed and produced by James Lileks.
Let’s get ready to rumble, EJHill.
Yes, you should absolutely subscribe to this podcast. It helps!
Help Ricochet by Supporting Our Sponsors!
For a limited time The Great Courses has a Special offer for Ricochet listeners. Order any of these 4 Business & Presentation courses – for just $9.95. Go to thegreatcourses.com/RICOCHET
This podcast is brought to you by Harry’s Shave. For the finest shave at the best price, got Harrys.com and use the coupon code RICOCHET at checkout.
Subscribe to The Ricochet Podcast in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.
As all this comes to fore, it is interesting. Appears on it’s face that inaction of law and affording it as “Presedent” is a poor case. Avoidance thinking on the part of those in the Ivory Towers who must not be questioned.
Found Yoo’s “Freindly Sniping” at Ann as an attempt to dissmiss her.
Think “Climate Change”, the science is already settled. Move along –
Thought more of the man –
Rob Long, et. al. , still don’t understand the argument Ann Coulter is making. Rob interprets her as making a theoretical point that a nation that doesn’t control its borders is not a nation at all. She’s not making a theoretical point, but an urgent immediate and practical point: If immigration is not stopped now, no Republican will ever be elected President again. That’s why the other issues – health care, terrorism, trade etc. – and Trump’s dubious conservative history on them don’t matter. What does it matter if Scott Walker is more reliable than Trump on healthcare if Walker is the last Republican ever elected? We’ll end up with single payer eventually anyway, and forever. Rob still views immigration as one issue among many when, for this election, it is the only one that really matters.
I considered making both of my sons anhor babies from Canada. Quite a few of my South African families did. So it is a known way for many foreigners because your immigration system seems unpredictible. How long does it take and how much money?
What I am seeing in Canada is that since a university educated foreigner is basically fast tracked to Canadian citizenship, we have high numbers of engineers and medical graduates, etc., who talk about how they considered America but then went with Canada. Once they are Canadian, they can work in the USA anyway – free trade, baby.
Mnay of them return to Toronto after a long stint at Google, etc., because they get a better life style.
One beneft of having government run health care and schools is that is impossible for people to hide. You need govt. ID for renting, for opening a grocery card account, anything.
My cleaning lady and husband were exported back to Hungary as soon as her daughter was school age which is 4y. The daughter is Canadian and can come back at 18. It was very sad at the time as the lady had 50 cleaning staff. It takes about three years to become Canadian so her staff member became Canadian the legal way and got to stay, although she was Canadian too. She now has her husband and Canadian daughter and they are all living here.
It always surprises me
So it is impossible probably to control borders. But as soon anyone accesses any of the government services like health care or education, they are unable to hide and they do get deported – put on the plane direct back to their country.
Mr. Yoo makes his points with grace and is a joy to hear. Ann Coulter has very good points, I just am unable to listen to her raised voice for long. It may be time for a voice coach and public speaking coach to change up the Coulter brand. It would help her and I do appreciate Ann, just am unable to get her points through the style of delivery.
Intriguing. What did you think of Yoo’s performance, in view of how I found him patronizing to women in general, to Coulter in particular, and insulting to an educated audience? Believe me, I am with you on disdain for the shrieking harpy approach, but I have promoted her to “neutral” after listening to this podcast.
Hey Ball, I have not listened to Yoo before. Ah, so maybe the condensending tone is what I read as gay. Did you find him condescending in this podcast?
So Yoo is a mental snob to women but sounds as if he talks down to perceived lessor males too. You can do that for so long then people get tired of it. So maybe Mr Yoo has had the feedback already and acted on improving delivery, as I enjoyed his comments. I am hyper-sensitive to condescending men due to my career.
Women are mainstream, which Ann has cracked for all of us women. I really recognize that which is why I support her and buy her books. But what she needed to do even 10 yers ago is different. She can be more professional and eloquent without screaming duing a podcast with allies. Change up the delivery. She could even try asking questions more. Loved Lileks freaking.
As far as the Supreme Court ruling on anchor babies goes, I say put first things first.
Wait for Ginsburg to assume room temperature and then replace her with Ted Cruz. (McConnell will personally whip the votes just to get rid of him from the Senate.) That’s where I want Cruz anyway, someplace where he can do real conservative activism and begin the rollback of cultural progressivism.
Then bring a court case on the most egregious example of birthright citizenship scamming we can find. Using the conservative media and enlisting every traditionalist organization in the country, plan to hold a demonstration on the day the oral arguments are scheduled.
Flood the capital with millions of Americans loudly expressing their opposition to any judicial cheapening of American citizenship. Make sure that, as the saying goes, the Court follows the election returns. President Trump can take the lead in voicing the people’s will when he addresses the throng to caution the Court not to endanger its independence by violating common sense.
(For conservatives like John Yoo who have a more expansive – Democratic – view of the Fourteenth Amendment, this would be the time to say nothing. Conservatives and traditionalist Americans will be happy to listen to their arguments once the case is settled in our favor.)
After birthright citizenship is consigned to the dustbin of history conservatives can move on to items 2 and 3: National Voter ID and then an end to all race-based preferences (affirmative action) in America.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who found Yoo’s performance to be weak. He kept wanting to slip into personal anecdotes about Coulter, instead of addressing her argument. When he’s at his best, he’s very good. He thoroughly demolished Jon Stewart on-air. Yoo made it is devastatingly clear than Stewart and his handlers hadn’t done their homework.
I think was trying desperately not to embarrass his friend Ann. She refused to make a legal argument but rather made an emotional one. It may well be crazy and ridiculous public policy to allow people who have entered the country illegally to have a child who becomes a citizen at birth but that is what the clear text of the Constitution requires.
If you do not like it, change it.
I thought conservatives opposed judicial activism and a ‘results oriented’ jurisprudence?
If nothing else, Ms. Coulter now has a title for her autobiography. “I’m Still Talking: The Ann Coulter Story.”
As a longtime listener to the “Law Talk” podcast, I don’t think Yoo sounded any different with her than he does with Richard Epstein. That’s just the way he talks.
This is the hill I chose to die on…..
A urine pregnancy test would take about 10 minutes, and is about 98% accurate, very few false positives.
I got the feeling Yoo is somewhat irritated that he even has to discuss the topic and explain it to the Booboise.
I agree that Yoo, who I respect immensely, came off as patronizing. I think maybe he’s just a really nice guy? I don’t know–giving him the benefit of the doubt here. I know he’s whip smart, so it’s not a lack of brainpower.
Coulter was fantastic.
And then she expressed, seemingly seriously, support for Donald Trump for President. I…just…don’t…
Either urine… or you’re out!