Morning Constitutional

I recognize that the right wing attack on the 14th amendment is pure politics, just the latest attempt to gin up hate-as-vote-getter for the next election. I've said before: Republicans always campaign on hate, and do so because their actual political/economic ideas are so empty. And, of course, because in this version of America, it works like a charm.

I also know the reason for the "birthright" part of the amendment was so that children of freed slaves would have citizenship, which, clearly, was the right thing.

But I have to admit: I don't know why it ought to be the case, in the twenty-first century, that any child born in this country is automatically a citizen, even if the parents are illegal aliens. Or, for that matter, even legal residents but not citizens. Which is not -- obviously -- to say that people living here legally, citizens or not, ought to be denied, say, health care. But automatic citizenship? I can't make an argument.

I'd like to hear them. I think the anti-immigrant frenzy ginned up by the RWS™ and the rest of the usual suspects is shameful and destructive and, per usual, highly cynical. Without immigration, we'd be screwed. Look at the kids graduating at the top of their classes, getting scholarships, winning prizes. But that's not the issue, vis a vis citizenship. In the case of legal immigrants, on their way to citizenship, it makes sense that their kids born here would be citizens without having to take a test at age two. But the question is regarding illegal immigrants. What's the argument there?

[Update: commentary from a conservative judge and Fox "news" personality.]