BREAKING on MSNBC: Bachmann withdraws Swiss Citizenship

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Details to follow. Guess she wasn't as proud of it as she said she was.

DETAILS from USA Today:

May 10, 2012
Bachmann asks for end to Swiss citizenship

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/05/michele-bachmann-swiss-citizenship-withdrawn/1#.T6wdOTJhC-Y

Rep. Michele Bachmann says she's withdrawing from dual citizenship with Switzerland.

"I took this action because I want to make it perfectly clear: I was born in America and I am a proud American citizen," the former GOP presidential candidate said in a statement. "I am, and always have been, 100% committed to our United States Constitution and the United States of America."

The Minnesota congresswoman said she sent her request to the Swiss consulate. Her statement follows one from Wednesday, in which she declared her dual citizenship to be a "non-story."

Bachmann has dual citizenship because her husband, Marcus, is of Swiss descent and is a citizen of both the United States and Switzerland. She says the status was conferred to her automatically under Swiss law when she and her husband married in 1978.

[CTyankee]

1. Good! I was worried for the Swiss!

[closeupready]

38. LOL, yeah.

I'm glad they conquered that crisis.

[Big Orange Jeff]

49. I guess she found out they have universal health care <nm>

nm

[marmar]

2. That sound you hear is a collective sigh of relief in Zurich.

nt

[gratuitous]

3. Switzerland mourns, I'm sure

I heard they were even contemplating changing the name of one of their hallowed institutions to the Bachmann clock.

[awoke_in_2003]

19. well, I think...

village idiots are not common over there

[rocktivity]

36. DUzy candidate!

rocktivity

[Rambis]

4. Shame for her as they have excellent mental health services

[mmonk]

29. +1

[provis99]

5. the power of Ed Schultz is awesome!

he shamed her into the withdrawal.

[gratuitous]

8. Mitt Romney taking credit in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

Thank you, Mitt, for your efforts in making sure that Michele Bachmann remains in the United States. Yerk.

[goclark]

39. Maybe he wants her to be his "running mate"

and she is getting herself ready.

[woodsprite]

6. I don't like her at all, but it's a shame she felt she had to do that. n/t

[Courtesy Flush]

77. She's reaping what she sows

She has every right to have dual citizenship, and if she hadn't fired up irrational jingoism in America, she'd still enjoy that privilege.

[MineralMan]

7. Bachmann was a Swiss citizen before she wasn't.

Another freaking flip-flopping Republican.

[demilib]

9. Too bad.

I was hoping she would self-deport

[CTyankee]

10. Sounds like her kids are thinkin' it might not be such a bad idea...

As citizens, they could live there, get free health care and free higher education. They could choose between the French speaking and the German speaking sections. Not a bad thing, ya know...

[KamaAina]

14. There's even a small Italian-speaking section!

[CTyankee]

15. hey, there ya go...I'm sure they could pick up one of those 3 languages...

I'd go for the French, myself. I have some Italian, but I'd like to revisit my high school french.

I was an ESOL tutor for a young man from Lucerne in the summer of 08 for a month. He told me about life there and it sounded like heaven. I told him I was sorry he had to be subjected to our bad American food. He seemed impressed by the fact that we had bi-lingual bus schedules. He thought no Americans spoke any other language but English. He was cute as a bug's ear. It was during the 08 campaign of course and I had to explain the whole "lipstick on a pig" issue. He was mystified, couldn't fathom what it was about...

[Lars77]

23. Or you could go hard core and learn Reto-Romansh :) They have four official languages.

[Rex]

11. Ahhh...Repukes...will do ANYTHING to appease the M$M.

TALK ABOUT A GROUP OF PEOPLE WITHOUT A SPINE...

[Blue Owl]

12. Switzerland's 6th district has standards...

Whereas Minnesota's -- well, not so much...

[KamaAina]

13. And a nation mourns....

this one.

[stockholmer]

34. in the US, perhaps,but in Switzerland, hell no..they are celebrating with a nice cold Vollmond bier

It is only brewed during a full moon, so Bachmann can howl at it like the bat-shite lunatic she is.

[cr8tvlde]

16. There are another group of prominent dual citizens

who are exceedingly more powerful than MB could ever be. There are a great number of dual American-Israeli citizens, many of whom influence and control global finance, major corporations, hold national intelligence posts and occupy high places in the government.

[KamaAina]

17. Care to name names?

Or did you just pull that off some shady conspiracy theory website?

[Anarcho-Socialist]

24. That's a truly awful post

I think what you're alluding to is pretty shameful.

[marble falls]

25. Anti-Semite.

[bloomington-lib]

42. I didn't see anything hateful about jewish people

[marble falls]

48. Just exactly what do you think cr8tvlde was talking about is his coy little hate screed?

[bloomington-lib]

50. I took it as the conservative Israeli government and citizens influencing politics in the US

You don't have to equate that with being Jewish. The conservative American government influences other countries all the time. I don't like that either, but that doesn't mean I'm anti-white protestants.

[cr8tvlde]

56. Dude, I'm a "her" and it isn't coy nor is it hate

Find the hate...enlighten me.

Sometimes facts are inconvenient and unpopular. I didn't think Michelle, even though I would not vote for her, should have been pressured to give up her Swiss citizenship. But I will say, and not in a coy or shy way, that those who control global finance are by far more powerful than any POTUS...or candidate for POTUS.

Done.

[marble falls]

72. So what is your point of these dual citizens who control so much, whats the implication ...

of their influence? Do you feel these "Israelis" who have strong influence over world banking and politics are worrisome? That their influence is out of proportion or not in the interest of others they influence? Frankly I don't care if Bachmann is a Swiss Miss or not, my stepson holds US, UK and French citizenship by birth (born in France of a US mother and British father), you seem to find significance in dual citizenship Israelis, why is that?

[cr8tvlde]

45. Good lord have mercy. This is a fact. Who said it was bad?

Anti-Semite? Do your own Google Search or notice the names on the majority of international financial houses. It's a fact.

As a Liberal, which identifies to me someone who is willing to reflect and think beyond kneejerk reactionaries, why did Michelle Bachmann feel she had to renounce her dual citizenship from "I don't care where it was" but it happened to be in Western Europe? Could have been Kenya or Canada or Brazil or Russia. As a Liberal, I don't think she should have had to do that.

I lived for almost 50 years in Southern and Northern California and Hispanic surnames abound. But not dual citizenship. Sorry. And further while doing due diligence rather than just emoting, Arabs and many other wonderful people are Semites, as well. All of the above are of the caucasian race, not that it matters, but happens to be true.

"The term Semite means a member of any of various ancient and modern Semitic-speaking peoples originating in southwestern Asia, including; Akkadians (Assyrians and Babylonians), Eblaites, Ugarites, Canaanites, Phoenicians (including Carthaginians), Hebrews (Israelites, Judeans and Samaritans), Ahlamu, Arameans, Chaldeans, Amorites, Moabites, Edomites, Hyksos, Arabs, Nabateans, Maganites, Shebans, Sutu, Ubarites, Dilmunites, Maltese, Mandaeans, Sabians, Syriacs, Mhallami, Amalekites and Ethiopian Semites."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic

[Anarcho-Socialist]

53. who are these "dual American-Israeli citizens who control global finance" you speak of?

[cr8tvlde]

58. I'm going to assume you can use Google

I never indicated it was bad, nor is there "a link" or my job to educate you. Just that it is an opinion, shared by many, from my years of research on that and many other issues. I'm a Liberal who doesn't believe in intellectual sacred cows...from any religious or cultural perspective. And anyone may disagree if they so choose.

Yet, the main financiers of the oil industry are Arab...and one can usually tell by their surnames. The main producers of quality watches are the Swiss, etc.

Peace.

[leftynyc]

79. Just name one fucking person

in government that claims dual citizenship with Israel. Shouldn't be so hard if you're not talking out of your ass. Who are "they"?

[nadinbrzezinski]

51. Right out of the Protocols.

But go on.

[cr8tvlde]

59. No, that's likely not a real document and is not "research"

It's propoganda...there's a difference.

[nadinbrzezinski]

61. Yup, propaganda.

It's lie when I am told us media is controlled by Jews...

Look some folks are Jews with even double citizenship...that is far from the Rotchilds control banking. Yup, tm Germans pulled this crap too, in Der Stumfuehrer.

Some does not translate to full control all, but you go on.

[cr8tvlde]

65. With all due respect...

and my apologies as no offense was intended.

[Bosso 63]

69. Jews? Last I heard the media is controlled by the "liberal elite".

[nadinbrzezinski]

74. This February I was told this trope

At an occuy by a Veteran for Peace. It is regular staple in a few circles. It's been a regular staple since at least the 1930s.

[obamanut2012]

71. I said that

In my alert.

[obamanut2012]

70. Shades of "Protocol" here

Wow. Cannot believe this was voted as okay.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

76. Yeah I agree

it craps all over the board rules.

[leftynyc]

78. Name names or STFU

Somehow I just knew someone here would bring this up - just fucking knew it.

[Faygo Kid]

18. Michelle who?

Didn't she matter once?

[cap]

20. You don't automatically get Swiss citizenship

Michelle had to apply for it. Because her husband obtained Swiss citizenship, Michelle automatically had the right to obtain Swiss citizenship. In order to get Swiss citizenship, Michelle had to get copies of her birth and marriage certificate and sign an application form.

She had to do something. It's not like god descended from on high and bestowed it on her.

[Lars77]

22. "I's not like god descended from on high and bestowed it on her. "

No that only happens in America

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

60. She's on Fox right now repeating the statement that it was automatically conferred

I don't know about Switzerland but France recognizes dual citizenship but you have to apply for it if you marry a French citizen. My mother is French and my father wasn't given automatic French citizenship. I doubt that any country on Earth confers automatic citizenship through marriage.

You know this repeated lie could be very damaging to Bachmann.

[Historic NY]

21. Bachmann withdraws Swiss citizenship, she found out it had holes in it.....

like the ones in her head.

[rocktivity]

40. DUzy Candidate, The Sequel!

rocktivity

[LynneSin]

26. That's not a windstorm passing thru Europe...

that's a giant sigh of relief from the people of Switzerland finding out that Michelle Bachmann isn't going to be a Swiss Citizen.

[mmonk]

27. The Swiss thank her.

[marble falls]

28. "You know what the fellow said .......

—in Italy for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace—and what did that produce? The cuckoo Michele Bachmann."

[mwb970]

30. What would Michele have said if Obama were revealed to have dual citizenship?

I'm pretty sure she would have assailed him as an un-American impostor. Maybe that's why she has kept this hidden throughout her political life, until she got caught. Then she immediately abandons it.

She's a coward, just like Romney.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

31. That's it in a nutshell, I believe...

...seriously, how could she maintain a hard line on her "Let's test every American to see how American they really are" meme while holding citizenship in a country that's...GASP...NOT America?

And the short version is that the only reason it was "wrong" is that SHE MADE IT "WRONG," so she was exposed as someone who did something "wrong," and her immediate, knee-jerk reaction was to make it go away.

[Life Long Dem]

32. Political

She wants to make it perfectly clear that she was born in America before her 2016 run.

[BlueMTexpat]

33. Michelle did not "automatically" get Swiss citizenship by marriage.

As usual, she "skews" the facts.

Her husband was automatically Swiss by birth by virtue of both of his parents' being Swiss - and married. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials/Switzerland:_How_to/Politics/Becoming_a_citizen.html?cid=29288376

But the spouse of a Swiss national must request citizenship, although the process is fast-tracked. By virtue of Michele's marriage to Marcus - which he did not inform the Swiss about until this year when he first exercise d his Swiss citizenship option - and her subsequent request, the process was fast-tracked for her. http://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home/themen/buergerrecht/einbuergerung/erleichterte_einbuergerung.html

Had she married Marcus in 1992 or later the process might have been a tad more complex. As a non-resident spouse, she would have had to show "close ties to Switzerland." There is obviously no requirement to be sane.

Whatever she says, it required an affirmative act on her part for her to acquire citizenship. This was no "operation of law" situation.

But she proves once again that she is even more stupid than a rock - and I apologize in advance to rocks.

Note: I personally have no problem with dual nationality, nor does current US law, although it may make things very difficult for those who are looking for work in "sensitive" positions. What surprised me about this whole situation is that MB's TP admirers are so xenophobic that having dual nationality certainly would not be perceived as a plus.

[Doc Holliday]

35. Am I the only one

who wonders why this is even "news"? Who gives a tin shit about Bachmann anyway?

A desperate has-been grasping for relevance (and free publicity) is so undignified....but perhaps quintessentially American.

[Renew Deal]

37. That's pathetic

But I'm sure the nativists that support her are pleased.

[YankeyMCC]

41. I'm sure many asked before but I don't can't understand

how did this woman get elected by anyone? I mean running a congressional campaign even one were maybe the district isn't full of people very involved or engaged in politics, or current issues, or have fixed ideas, takes intelligence and professionalism.

I can't understand how a person who can also be the same person that says and does the things she does.

[Kyad06]

43. Batshit finally comes clean

"I am 100% committed" She got that part right Calling Nurse Ratchet

[aquart]

44. Was she planning to be POTUS and citizen of Switzerland?

[cr8tvlde]

46. What if she was ...

or what if Obama were a dual citizen of Kenya and America or Israel and America or Canada and America? Why does it matter?

[deacon]

47. ' Swiss Say No Thanks'

[riverbendviewgal]

52. I am a dual citizen of USA and Canada

Born in the USA and a Canadian by choice.

It seems that now we Canadians in Canada who have US citizenship must file US taxes and now report ALL our money in the banks and the Canadian Banks have to report to the US what we have...


How does dual citizenship in Switzerland work for taxes? anyone know? . Would Bachman have to pay if she kept Swiss citizenship and her children.. How about her husband?

My son born in Canada and never worked in the USA must file taxes now for America. This is insane and now this law HIRE is going to make everyone who is American report their banking, investing income, real estate to America , even if they don't have income from America. This is going to cost me...My husband left me a pension in investments...I am going crazy as I just found out about this and there is a June 15th deadline....So far one tax accountant who has the official US number to do taxes gives me a quote of $400 a tax year. Minimum year of taxes is 6....I am a widow with a pension. don't own a home...living on CPP and a small CDN company pension.
Anyone else in this boat?. Email me on my account email here.

My late son's widow, born in Israel and Canadian now..says Israel dual citizens do not file Israel income tax if they live abroad..

[tammywammy]

57. All US citizens regardless of where they live must file income taxes

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=97324,00.html
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p54/index.html

Bachmann keeping a Swiss citizenship would not alleviate the income tax requirements since she is still a US citizen.

[cr8tvlde]

63. Another interesting situation regarding the co-founder of Facebook Eduardo Saverin

has reportedly renounced his American citizenship...he lives in Singapore...so he will not have to pay taxes from the IPO.

http://bazaardaily.com/2012/05/12/facebook-co-founder-ditches-u-s-citizenship-to-evade-ipo-taxes/

[tammywammy]

64. There's been articles over the last couple of years

regarding expats renouncing US citizenship over taxes.

[nxylas]

54. Lee 'Scratch' Perry must be relieved

He has won the "Most Barkingly Insane Person in Switzerland" award for the last 20 years, and doesn't need the competition. Though at least, unlike Bachmann, Perry's insanity is benign, and he has given us some great music.

[RB TexLa]

55. What the hell does she think is wrong with having Swiss citizenship?????

This makes no sense.

[cr8tvlde]

62. She was pressured into it by the surprised Republicans

It was a political "gotcha" that she had to fix quickly.

Dual citizenship is often considered politically "inappropriate" depending on the circumstances, and may be considered a patriotic/nationalistic form of conflict of interest....regardless of the other citizenship's national identity.

There was also rightful examination that she and her family...all of whom apparently recently applied, directly based on her husband's Swiss birth, possibly because of the access to liberal health care and other social privileges the Swiss have and that she opposes in the US. Adding a rather cynical double standard to the situation.

I do not believe she could have been elected President as a dual citizen, however, again, regardless of the nationality, so perhaps it made her candidacy appear a bit more cosmetic than serious.

[RB TexLa]

66. Dual citizenship wouldn't effect one's ability to be president. I really don't see how this could

have been an issue. But some people are weird and will make something out of anything I guess.

[cr8tvlde]

68. Yeah, it would. Would not happen.

I mean, John McCain had to literally get an act of Congress because he was born in the Panama Canal, not in America. His saving grace was that both parents were American citizens and I believe it was on a military base. But it literally took An Act of Congress.

[BiggJawn]

67. "An' I'm PROUD to a MURRIKAN..."

"... Cuz my Swiss bank account is tax-free. And I spit on the grave of the men who died securing that privilege for me..."

[bayareaboy]

73. So do you think a scriptwrither could do with this ...

Ms Bachmann loses her grip on the the 6th district and is out of a job and moves to Zurich. She takes her Hubby the Psyho-oligst and goes to develop an office between the Swiss Army Knife works and Neslie, so Marcus can fully study gay studies. Then Mittens and his little family have decided to move out of the US and decide to move to somewhere where they have money and people that look like them.

They get to become good neighbors!

[penndragon69]

75. The swiss tolerate gay marriage.

So naturally, Marcus and Michelle would fit right in.