Anyone who is following the United States Presidential campaign knows it has become one of the most unexpected, unpredictable, and contentious races in history. And so far the candidates are only vying for their parties’ nominations.
The qualifications for President are fairly simple (at least it seemed so until the controversy over Mr. Obama’s birth certificate.)
U.S. Constitution Requirements for a Presidential Candidate:
- Be at least 35 years old
- Be a natural-born citizen of the United States
- Been a resident of the United States for 14 years
In the Naturalization Act of 1790, the First Congress provided that children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond the sea, . . . shall be considered as natural born citizens . . . .
Thus Senator John McCain of Arizona, born in the Panama Canal Zone; Governor George Romney of Michigan, born in Mexico, and Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, born in Arizona before it became a state were all eligible to run for president, though none of them won. Senator Barack Obama, born in Hawaii when it was a state, was eligible and won the presidency in 2008.
The election process is anything but simple. The candidates campaign to secure delegates to their party’s convention through caucuses or primaries in each state. Then at the convention they must win the nomination to be on the ballot to win the electors in each state.
Finally, the Electoral College votes on which candidate will be President. Even that might not be final since in one recent election the final decision ended up in the Supreme Court (Bush vs Gore).
Holding the office of the President is our country’s highest honor but the job of president has become so thankless I wonder why anyone wants to do it. But I am grateful that people volunteer for and seek the position, and this year three of the candidates are physicians. (three that I discovered; if you know of others, please tell me.)
These posts are meant to inform, not influence you; they do not indicate an endorsement of the candidates. I will not promote or endorse any candidate on this blog.
In medical usage, progress notes are “Records kept by health care workers to indicate the course of the patient during care”
I have written some “progress notes” about each candidate that will give you a glimpse into their professional, personal and political lives.
Jill Stein, M.D.- Green Party candidate
Dr. Stein, an internist, is running for President for the Green Party.
Here are some notes about her.
- Dr. Stein graduated from Harvard Medical School.
- Her hobbies include writing and performing music.
- She ran for President in 2012, also on the Green Party ticket.
- She is a physician’s wife, mother, internal medicine physician/teacher and “environmental-health advocate.”
- She developed the “Healthy People, Healthy Planet” teaching program.
- She has been interviewed on the Today Show, 20/20 and Fox News network.
- In Massachusetts she ran for Governor, State Representative and Secretary of State.
- She co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities, a non-profit organization.
- She likes to walk with her Great Dane Bandita.
- She has advocated for several environmental issues in her home state-
- Mercury contamination of fish
- The “Filthy Five” coal plants clean up
- Mercury and dioxin contamination from burning trash
watercress words by Dr Aletha 