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Presidential Campaigning

Watch Presidential Campaigning

October 26, 2020

26:00

Elections are a core foundation of our American government. In ELECTIONS; David and Tim Barton pull back the curtain on this crucial process. By understanding where elections came from and how they work; you can help determine who will be in the room when our nation’s important decisions are made. During election season; the spotlight may be on the top contenders; but it’s really about the people! Tune into ELECTIONS on TBN to discover your role in this important election process.

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Presidential Campaigning

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- Elections area core foundation
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of our American government.
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In the early days,political debates
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were held in theaters andlecture halls across America
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like this one,drawing large crowds
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from every corner of society.
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Now we engage with thecandidates through TV screens
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and Twitter feeds, watchingas the elections unfold.
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- The spotlight may beon the top contenders,
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but it's reallyabout the people.
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Today we're going totalk about our role
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in this importantelection process.
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- By understanding whereelections came from
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and how they work,you can help determine
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who will be in theroom when our nation's
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most important decisionsare being made.
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Today's lawmakers aretomorrow's history shapers.
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I'm David Barton.
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- I'm Tim Barton, andthis is "Elections".
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(dramatic music)
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As we look at elections,we know we have a president
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who's the leader of the nation.
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We know the presidentis chosen through
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the electoral collegeprocess, which includes
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all the people voting,and then states
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can have a part in that,but how does a president
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really become a president?
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What do you have todo to be a president?
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Is this something you and Ican sign up for this afternoon
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and we get to run for president,
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because accordingto the Constitution,
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the founding fathersdid lay out details
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of what it takesto be president,
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and it's not as complicated,maybe, as people might think.
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- Yeah, in some waysit's not that complicated
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because last electioncycle, there were 200 people
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who ran for the Presidentof the United States.
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Now, you didn't hearabout most of them
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because they didn't makeit through the process,
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but the Constitutionlays it out very simply.
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When they were writingthe Constitution,
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they had never had a federalgovernment before at all,
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and so they said, allright, who's going to fill
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the slots in thefederal government?
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They said, okay, if youwant to be a congressman,
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here's the requirements, ifyou want to be a senator,
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here's the requirements, ifyou want to be president,
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here's the requirements.
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They all have requirements,and the president only has two.
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You've got to be 35 years old
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and you have to be anatural born citizen.
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Now, you could be asenator or a congressman
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or a governor or a staterep or anything else
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if you were an immigrantthat had become naturalized.
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You didn't have tobe born in America.
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- Which means youbecame a U.S. citizen.
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- You became a U.S. citizen.
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- So right now there arepeople serving in Congress
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who were not born in America.
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They came to America, gotlegal citizenship status,
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and then ran for Congress.
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In fact, we've had some prettyfamous leaders in America,
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at least on some levels.
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If you go back to California,one of the governors
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of California wasArnold Schwarzenegger,
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not an American,but came to America,
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became a legal citizen,then became governor.
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So for a lot ofpolitical offices,
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you don't have tobe born in America,
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but for president, notonly do you have to be 35,
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which is not veryold, by the way,
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although duringthe founding era,
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the lifespan wasn't morethan about 35 years old,
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so for them it maybehad a little more weight
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and age to it thanit does for us today.
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But to be 35 and thena natural born citizen,
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where you were born inAmerica, which again,
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is different than mostother elected offices,
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you don't have tobe born in America,
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but for president you do,which actually has its roots
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back in some Biblical thoughts.
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- When Israel wasfirst being formed,
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they've come out ofEgypt, they've neverhad a nation before
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to speak of, and they'reforming that nation.
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God helps get themestablished there
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and they have their first laws.
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You actually have severallevels going on there
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in that you have anational leader like Moses,
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and Moses has 70elders under him,
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which could be like anational senate maybe,
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and then you've got 12tribes, each had a leader
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of the tribe, so that'slike governors over a state,
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and under the leader of thetribe, he had a council,
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kind of like a state rep.
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It's interestingthat as you look
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at what the requirements are,
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the Bible says that foryour national leader,
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your national leader has to beone that is "born among you".
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So it had to be native born.
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Now, there weregovernors of Israel
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that would not necessarilybe native born,
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the same as in America, likewe were just talking about,
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but to be the nationalleader, the Bible says
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in Deuteronomy 17:15 that ithas to be one born among you,
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and that's what we havein the Constitution.
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- So looking at apresident or maybe someone
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who wants to run forpresident, you have to be 35,
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you have to be a naturalborn citizen of America,
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but beyond that, itreally is kind of open.
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But there is kindof some worked out
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political process involved,because even though
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anybody can sign upto run for president,
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if you run as anindependent all by yourself,
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you really don't havethe finances needed,
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you don't have thesupport structure
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around you to be successful.
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You really need tobe inside of a party,
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and not because wealways like parties
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or like the party system,but because they have
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a structure aroundthat it's a lot easier
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to gain the supportneeded from a party,
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and to get the notoriety,to get the recognition
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from a party, because theparty can help you raise money.
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If you did it by yourself,
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I mean it's millionsand millions of dollars
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to run a presidential campaign.
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- Well, you mentioned theimportance of having a party
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because we've had, basicallythe two parties we have now,
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Republicans and Democrats,for about 150 years.
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If you look atpresidential politics,
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virtually everypresident's come from
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one of those two parties.
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Trying to get an independentin is just almost impossible
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in the current system we have.
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So if you say, okay,I think I can do this,
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then you say, all right, whichparty am I going to run in?
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You look at what youbelieve, you look at
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what the party believes,what their platform says,
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you say, I think it'sgoing to be that party.
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Well, there may be 25other people in that party
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that are going to run forpresident at the same time.
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Now you're going tohave to say, okay,
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what makes medifferent from others
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that have my samegeneral belief?
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How can I distinguish myself?
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Then, the way theparty process works,
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is I'm going to have to gofrom state to state to state,
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where the states haveprimaries to vote
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only on the peoplein that party.
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I'm going to have toget a majority of votes
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before I can evenface the other party.
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- Which also means thatyou have to raise money
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even to get into the primarybecause your going to have
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to find supporterswho go, I really like
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what that person says.
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She's really smart.
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He's really great.
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You need supporters who canhelp financially hold you up
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to be able to gofrom state to state
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and help you get campaign staff.
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So there is money involvedeven at this primary level.
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Now, it's only going to getmore expensive the more you go.
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Hopefully these candidatesare gaining more support.
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If they don't, that'swhy they're dropping out,
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because they're not goingto be able to last as long.
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You have to be competitivein these states.
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Iowa has been one of thetraditional early states,
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where there's earlyprimaries in Iowa.
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You have to have money tostart campaigning in Iowa.
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The problem is after Iowa,there's the next primary
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that happens prettyfast, which means
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you can't only focus on Iowa.
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You have to be thinkingabout the second
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and the third and thefourth and the fifth
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and the sixth and theseventh and on down
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the list of the primaries,getting not only yourself
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but your staff, andthe campaign message,
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and you're taking outads in those states.
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There's a lot involvedin this primary process.
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- There's a lot involvedin the primary process,
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and that's where you'realso messaging as you go,
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because when you start inIowa and you're going to go
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to South Carolina,those two states
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don't think exactly alike.
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So I'm runningagainst 10 other guys
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that believe generallywhat I believe,
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so how do I communicatethat in Iowa?
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Then I'm going togo to South Carolina
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and then I'm going tocome up with Super Tuesday
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where there's a dozen statesthat I've got to run in
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at the same time onthe same election.
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So if you can getthrough that process,
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which is generally a sixto eight month process,
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you get through thatprocess, and let's say
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you win for your party.
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Okay, now you'vewon for your party.
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Someone else has wonfor the other party.
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Now we're going to have tostart a whole new campaign,
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so to speak, in that it'sjust two of us running now.
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It's myself and my opponentfrom the other party,
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and we're having to run in50 states at the same time,
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because instead ofhaving primary elections,
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we're going to have onegeneral election in November.
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On that night, all 50states are going to vote,
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and now I've got to spendmoney in all 50 states
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at the same time.
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It could have be in theprimaries I didn't have to spend
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in all 50 statesbecause I won it early.
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Now I've got to spend a lotof money in all 50 states,
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have a lot of media,have a lot of support.
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I've got to have a lot ofpeople going out talking for me.
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In elections, there'sreally only a few states
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that really decidemost of the elections.
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- What's fortunate, if youmake it through the primary,
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if you win the primary,what's fortunate now
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is your entire party is behindyou helping support you,
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so you have a muchbetter structure
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once you get to thegeneral election.
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Even if you win,now the primary,
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we're not looking atthe general election.
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You've beat all theother contestants
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who were in yourpolitical party.
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You get to the generalelection, as you mentioned,
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even though we look at thenation and there's 50 states
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that you want to win,there's a lot of states
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who are already very strongon one side or the other.
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They're very strong Republican,they're very strong Democrat
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and that doesn'tmean you shouldn't
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campaign in those states.
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We've seen some presidentsmake some mistakes
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and not campaign instates they thought
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they were going to winand it went the other way.
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But there are a handfulof states that it seems
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almost every year you're goingto find a couple of states
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that it's kind ofabout 50 to 50,
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and that's where you'll see,in some of those swing states,
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it seems that you see presidents
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spending a littlemore time there.
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- Yeah, you do see presidentsspending time there
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because again, theoverall strategy,
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because of theelectoral college,
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which is that brilliantsystem of giving people
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and states a vote,you have to come up
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with 270 electoral votes.
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There are certain statesthat you kind of say,
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those are my people,I'm going to win that,
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my party owns that state.
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You're not going tospend time there,
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but at the same time, ifyou've got a swing state
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that has 25 electoralvotes and a swing state
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that has three electoralvotes, you'll probably spend
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more time in the 25because you've got to get
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to that 270 thresholdto win the presidency.
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That really makes theprocess difficult.
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Running for president reallycan be a four year process.
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A lot of times it startsright after the election.
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The other side will startchoosing their candidates
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and grooming them andgetting their party
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and stuff ready in those states.
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So it can be avery long process.
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It is a very gruelingprocess that we now have
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under this two partysystem with the primaries
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the way that it is.
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This is what's been goingon in presidential politics
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for almost a centuryand a half now.
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- There's a lot involvedin the campaign process.
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- There really is.
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When an individualcampaigns for office,
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especially at the federallevel, even at the state level,
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he or she generally choosesthree to five issues
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to talk about with voters.
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Now, they have platformsand they're presented
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like a playbook fortheir time in office.
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But it's important to recognizethat these talking points
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are just the tip of the iceberg.
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The individuals we electwill be responsible literally
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for thousands of policieson numerous issues.
00:10:09.654 --> 00:10:13.491
Hundreds of thosepolicies will become law,
00:10:13.491 --> 00:10:15.793
and they'll affect eachand every one of us.
00:10:15.793 --> 00:10:18.295
So how can we be sure weknow the true platform
00:10:18.295 --> 00:10:20.831
of each candidate, not justthe three to five issues?
00:10:20.831 --> 00:10:24.101
Well, it's not that difficultif you know where to look.
00:10:24.101 --> 00:10:26.904
- [Announcer] In orderto run for president
00:10:30.441 --> 00:10:31.809
and appear on theelection ballot,
00:10:31.809 --> 00:10:33.411
you must either be nominatedby a political party
00:10:33.411 --> 00:10:36.147
or register your own name with
00:10:36.147 --> 00:10:37.648
the Federal Election Commission.
00:10:37.648 --> 00:10:39.417
In some states, a candidatemay have to pay a filing fee
00:10:39.417 --> 00:10:42.586
or show that they spent upto $5.000 towards a campaign
00:10:42.586 --> 00:10:46.457
in order to have his or hername printed on the ballot.
00:10:46.457 --> 00:10:49.126
Not too bad, right?
00:10:49.126 --> 00:10:50.561
But in reality, $5.000will barely cover the pizza
00:10:50.561 --> 00:10:54.031
for the volunteersneeded if a candidate
00:10:54.031 --> 00:10:56.133
is truly serious aboutbecoming president.
00:10:56.133 --> 00:10:58.903
Each presidential candidatemust establish eligibility
00:10:58.903 --> 00:11:01.872
by showing broad-basedpublic support
00:11:01.872 --> 00:11:04.175
in state after stateacross the entire nation.
00:11:04.175 --> 00:11:07.244
That means travel,petitions, volunteer staff,
00:11:07.244 --> 00:11:11.048
paid staff, town meetings,fundraisers and advertisement.
00:11:11.048 --> 00:11:15.152
All of those expenses canstart adding up pretty fast.
00:11:15.152 --> 00:11:18.556
Once the candidate getson the primary ballot,
00:11:18.556 --> 00:11:20.825
things go a whole new levelwith even more travel,
00:11:20.825 --> 00:11:24.328
debate costs, TVcommercials, more staffers
00:11:24.328 --> 00:11:27.298
and their staffers,more town meetings,
00:11:27.298 --> 00:11:29.900
wardrobe and photo ops, becauseyou have to look your best,
00:11:29.900 --> 00:11:33.204
direct mail, email, morepizza for the volunteers,
00:11:33.204 --> 00:11:36.540
press releases, hats, yardsigns, bumper stickers,
00:11:36.540 --> 00:11:39.877
online advertisements,and the list goes on.
00:11:39.877 --> 00:11:43.180
Like a poker game, eachcandidate and their supporters
00:11:43.180 --> 00:11:46.117
keep upping the anteuntil the actual election.
00:11:46.117 --> 00:11:49.019
Whoever's able to stay in thelongest makes it to the finals
00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:52.223
and the money stakesare raised even higher.
00:11:52.223 --> 00:11:54.859
But is this all necessary?
00:11:54.859 --> 00:11:56.527
Well, spending more moneythan the other party
00:11:56.527 --> 00:11:58.829
doesn't alwaysguarantee the victory,
00:11:58.829 --> 00:12:00.664
but it can make an impact.
00:12:00.664 --> 00:12:02.399
Altogether, in thelast election of 2016,
00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:05.469
political parties as a wholereceived and spent $1.6 billion
00:12:05.469 --> 00:12:10.441
on the congressional andpresidential elections,
00:12:10.441 --> 00:12:13.210
and political actioncommittees raised and spent
00:12:13.210 --> 00:12:15.780
$4 billion on theirfavorite candidates
00:12:15.780 --> 00:12:18.582
in only a 24 month period.
00:12:18.582 --> 00:12:20.818
That's a lot of money,but as you can see,
00:12:20.818 --> 00:12:23.154
it takes a lot of money toreach 220 million voters.
00:12:23.154 --> 00:12:26.957
Now, when your candidateasks for support,
00:12:26.957 --> 00:12:29.393
you'll have a better ideaof where all that money
00:12:29.393 --> 00:12:31.629
is actually going.
00:12:31.629 --> 00:12:33.564
- As presidents considerrunning for office,
00:12:33.564 --> 00:12:35.166
one of the things theyhave to measure is where
00:12:35.166 --> 00:12:37.768
is the general populace whenit comes to their support?
00:12:37.768 --> 00:12:41.238
Do I have the support it takes
00:12:41.238 --> 00:12:42.740
to be able to be the president,
00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:44.108
and this is where it'sinteresting looking at polling,
00:12:44.108 --> 00:12:46.210
because even though polling'snot always super accurate,
00:12:46.210 --> 00:12:48.612
it gives you a prettygood indication
00:12:48.612 --> 00:12:50.214
if you even have achance, should you run,
00:12:50.214 --> 00:12:52.016
and maybe even once you'vemade it to the primary
00:12:52.016 --> 00:12:54.118
and the general election,polling is just kind of
00:12:54.118 --> 00:12:56.287
a big deal inpresidential elections.
00:12:56.287 --> 00:12:57.521
- It is a huge deal inpresidential elections,
00:12:57.521 --> 00:12:59.623
and there's two kindsof polling, actually.
00:12:59.623 --> 00:13:01.826
There's polling you dointernally for the campaign,
00:13:01.826 --> 00:13:04.461
and there's pollingyou do externally
00:13:04.461 --> 00:13:06.230
to release to the public.
00:13:06.230 --> 00:13:07.932
If I do internalpolling and I find out
00:13:07.932 --> 00:13:09.800
I'm really well knownin all these states,
00:13:09.800 --> 00:13:11.268
then I'm going torelease to the public
00:13:11.268 --> 00:13:13.170
that I am this popularguy in all these states.
00:13:13.170 --> 00:13:15.573
If I do polling and itshows that nobody knows me
00:13:15.573 --> 00:13:17.975
and nobody likes my positions,
00:13:17.975 --> 00:13:19.610
I'm not going to releasethat to the public.
00:13:19.610 --> 00:13:21.478
So polling can bea political tool,
00:13:21.478 --> 00:13:23.514
but it's also a politicalassessment that's used.
00:13:23.514 --> 00:13:26.584
Different kinds of pollinghappens at different times,
00:13:26.584 --> 00:13:29.119
but it really iscrucial to what goes on.
00:13:29.119 --> 00:13:31.488
The further you getinto a campaign,
00:13:31.488 --> 00:13:33.390
and the more it becomesbetween the two candidates,
00:13:33.390 --> 00:13:35.993
the more polling is used.
00:13:35.993 --> 00:13:37.828
Sometimes it's accurate andsometimes it's not accurate.
00:13:37.828 --> 00:13:41.532
Sometimes you use it almost,
00:13:41.532 --> 00:13:43.601
I'm going to usethe word propaganda.
00:13:43.601 --> 00:13:45.202
You're wanting to make a point.
00:13:45.202 --> 00:13:47.137
We've seen it in so manyelections for so many years.
00:13:47.137 --> 00:13:49.340
Polling has been so inaccurate
00:13:49.340 --> 00:13:51.475
when it's all overand done with,
00:13:51.475 --> 00:13:53.110
but it's a way oftrying to convince you
00:13:53.110 --> 00:13:55.112
that everybody elseis moving this way
00:13:55.112 --> 00:13:57.014
and you need toget over here too.
00:13:57.014 --> 00:13:58.515
So you really have to be careful
00:13:58.515 --> 00:14:00.251
when you start seeing polling.
00:14:00.251 --> 00:14:01.652
There is some accurate polling,some accurate pollsters,
00:14:01.652 --> 00:14:04.054
but there's somevery inappropriateways to poll as well.
00:14:04.054 --> 00:14:06.824
- Yeah, and alsolooking at polling,
00:14:06.824 --> 00:14:08.459
we have friends who actuallydo some political polling.
00:14:08.459 --> 00:14:11.128
They do a lot of workwith a lot of communities.
00:14:11.128 --> 00:14:14.665
One of our friends pointsout that you can get
00:14:14.665 --> 00:14:16.800
almost any answer youwant from the poll
00:14:16.800 --> 00:14:19.270
based on how youask the question.
00:14:19.270 --> 00:14:21.705
This is sometimes where yousee very inaccurate polling,
00:14:21.705 --> 00:14:23.874
but not only do youwant polling to know
00:14:23.874 --> 00:14:25.175
where a candidatestands in the sense of
00:14:25.175 --> 00:14:27.645
where their level of support is,
00:14:27.645 --> 00:14:29.380
you also will, ifyou're a candidate,
00:14:29.380 --> 00:14:31.015
you want to dopolling of the people
00:14:31.015 --> 00:14:32.716
to see where arethey on this issue?
00:14:32.716 --> 00:14:35.819
How do they feelabout this wording?
00:14:35.819 --> 00:14:38.188
Do they like my message,because what you will often find
00:14:38.188 --> 00:14:41.525
is that duringpresidential campaigns,
00:14:41.525 --> 00:14:43.394
presidents will beginto use different words
00:14:43.394 --> 00:14:45.763
or even shift theirmessage, and part of it
00:14:45.763 --> 00:14:48.132
is because their campaign hasdone polling and found out,
00:14:48.132 --> 00:14:50.901
hey, we're about togo to all these states
00:14:50.901 --> 00:14:53.037
and they didn't like thatword you used in the last one.
00:14:53.037 --> 00:14:55.239
You need to usethis different word.
00:14:55.239 --> 00:14:57.441
This is where it'sinteresting about polling too,
00:14:57.441 --> 00:14:58.943
is it's not just pollingthat let's the people know
00:14:58.943 --> 00:15:01.512
how a presidentialcandidate's doing.
00:15:01.512 --> 00:15:03.580
There's a lot of in thehouse polling that happens.
00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:07.251
You talked about it withinthe campaign that happens.
00:15:07.251 --> 00:15:09.353
That lets a presidentialcandidate know
00:15:09.353 --> 00:15:11.522
how should we be messaging this?
00:15:11.522 --> 00:15:13.090
What should we be communicating?
00:15:13.090 --> 00:15:14.325
Because if you knowwho you're targeting,
00:15:14.325 --> 00:15:15.826
and in theory you're goingto target all 50 states,
00:15:15.826 --> 00:15:18.062
you want to win everybody,but for example,
00:15:18.062 --> 00:15:19.730
if you know there'ssome swing states
00:15:19.730 --> 00:15:21.365
and I need to winthese swing states,
00:15:21.365 --> 00:15:23.133
there might be certain messagesthat are carried off better
00:15:23.133 --> 00:15:26.870
or better received incertain states than others,
00:15:26.870 --> 00:15:29.073
so this is where pollingbecomes significant
00:15:29.073 --> 00:15:31.075
not just the generalpolling of how many people
00:15:31.075 --> 00:15:33.777
like that candidate, butalso presidential campaigns
00:15:33.777 --> 00:15:36.914
will use pollingfor lots of purposes
00:15:36.914 --> 00:15:38.949
inside of their campaign.
00:15:38.949 --> 00:15:40.217
- This is where weas Christian citizens
00:15:40.217 --> 00:15:42.219
have to be really committedto our principles.
00:15:42.219 --> 00:15:44.655
We have to look atthe principles and say
00:15:44.655 --> 00:15:46.123
this is what I stand for,and even though polling shows
00:15:46.123 --> 00:15:49.259
everybody else isgoing the other way,
00:15:49.259 --> 00:15:50.761
that's not necessarilyaccurate polling.
00:15:50.761 --> 00:15:53.163
That's the kind of stuff that'soften done to sway opinions.
00:15:53.163 --> 00:15:56.033
There's a former presidentfrom back in the '70s,
00:15:56.033 --> 00:15:58.302
he said data frompolling, other things,
00:15:58.302 --> 00:16:01.605
is much like the way adrunk can use a lamp post.
00:16:01.605 --> 00:16:05.809
He can use the lamppost to lean on it,
00:16:05.809 --> 00:16:08.078
or he can use the lamppost to illuminate.
00:16:08.078 --> 00:16:10.481
A lot of times polling isdone to give you numbers
00:16:10.481 --> 00:16:13.217
to lean on, to say, oh,this is where I want to go.
00:16:13.217 --> 00:16:15.319
Everybody's going this way.
00:16:15.319 --> 00:16:16.587
- To prop a candidateup, to make you think
00:16:16.587 --> 00:16:18.055
that candidate's awesome.
00:16:18.055 --> 00:16:19.590
Really, maybe they'rejust propping it up
00:16:19.590 --> 00:16:21.158
with some inaccurate polling,but that does happen.
00:16:21.158 --> 00:16:24.094
- It does happen.
00:16:24.094 --> 00:16:25.362
- Or they can useit the other way.
00:16:25.362 --> 00:16:26.897
- They can use it toilluminate and say
00:16:26.897 --> 00:16:28.365
this is what weactually believe,
00:16:28.365 --> 00:16:29.733
this is where the nation is.
00:16:29.733 --> 00:16:31.235
Truth is always the objectivefor a Christian individual,
00:16:31.235 --> 00:16:34.171
a Christian candidate, itshould be the objective,
00:16:34.171 --> 00:16:36.306
a Christian campaign, anywherethat Christians are involved,
00:16:36.306 --> 00:16:38.809
truth has got tobe at the essence.
00:16:38.809 --> 00:16:40.544
So for us as individualvoters, we look and say
00:16:40.544 --> 00:16:43.414
I want to knowwhat the truth is,
00:16:43.414 --> 00:16:44.481
and that's based on principles.
00:16:44.481 --> 00:16:46.016
It's not based on where allthe people are on this issue
00:16:46.016 --> 00:16:48.352
or in this region or this poll.
00:16:48.352 --> 00:16:50.154
We really have to becareful when we hear that.
00:16:50.154 --> 00:16:52.256
The same thing when weget into social media,
00:16:52.256 --> 00:16:54.358
which is another way ofshifting and shaping opinion,
00:16:54.358 --> 00:16:57.294
and it's not alwaysnecessarily true.
00:16:57.294 --> 00:16:59.296
- Social media's alsowhere so much campaigning
00:16:59.296 --> 00:17:01.632
is going to happengoing forward.
00:17:01.632 --> 00:17:03.867
Certainly presidents, orpeople running for president
00:17:03.867 --> 00:17:06.336
in a presidentialcampaign, you're thinking
00:17:06.336 --> 00:17:07.805
I need TV ads, I needads all over social media
00:17:07.805 --> 00:17:10.274
and YouTube, you haveto get yourself known,
00:17:10.274 --> 00:17:12.376
but most of the timeyou get a 30 second
00:17:12.376 --> 00:17:14.711
or one minute spotthat you're running,
00:17:14.711 --> 00:17:16.780
and most people actuallywill vote for a candidate
00:17:16.780 --> 00:17:19.783
based off a 30 second ad thatthey saw a president take out.
00:17:19.783 --> 00:17:23.587
Well, in 30 seconds,you don't always give
00:17:23.587 --> 00:17:26.290
the full values of whatyou believe or support,
00:17:26.290 --> 00:17:28.792
and in 30 seconds, you actuallycan make a really bad person
00:17:28.792 --> 00:17:32.162
look really good if all you know
00:17:32.162 --> 00:17:33.897
is what this 30 secondcommercial showed,
00:17:33.897 --> 00:17:35.966
which is why weshouldn't just look
00:17:35.966 --> 00:17:37.601
at what a campaignadvertisement says.
00:17:37.601 --> 00:17:40.604
We don't just watchwhat's on social media,
00:17:40.604 --> 00:17:42.306
we don't justwatch what's on TV.
00:17:42.306 --> 00:17:44.074
We want to look beyond that.
00:17:44.074 --> 00:17:45.576
One of the reallygood places to look
00:17:45.576 --> 00:17:47.411
even at presidential candidatesis where do they stand
00:17:47.411 --> 00:17:50.280
on the issues, and oneof the things they do,
00:17:50.280 --> 00:17:52.015
running inside the party,is they have a platform
00:17:52.015 --> 00:17:54.485
that they are advocating forthose values on the platform.
00:17:54.485 --> 00:17:58.055
We need to go beyondjust the campaign ad.
00:17:58.055 --> 00:18:00.791
We need to look at the platform.
00:18:00.791 --> 00:18:02.826
[Button clicking]
00:18:04.094 --> 00:18:06.096
- [Announcer] How can you know
00:18:06.096 --> 00:18:07.097
what a candidatereally supports?
00:18:07.097 --> 00:18:08.799
In some ways, election campaignsare often like watching
00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:11.502
a quarterback performa fake handoff.
00:18:11.502 --> 00:18:13.704
He keeps you looking at one hand
00:18:13.704 --> 00:18:15.239
when it's really the otherhand you should be watching,
00:18:15.239 --> 00:18:17.674
because that's where all theimportant action is happening.
00:18:17.674 --> 00:18:20.377
But when it comes to politics,you don't have to be fooled
00:18:20.377 --> 00:18:23.013
by a candidate's sleight ofhand if you know where to look.
00:18:23.013 --> 00:18:25.916
When candidates run for office,
00:18:25.916 --> 00:18:27.451
they are playing ona particular team.
00:18:27.451 --> 00:18:29.386
So if their team wins,they will be following
00:18:29.386 --> 00:18:31.455
the playbook of that team.
00:18:31.455 --> 00:18:33.023
A party's platform is what setsforth the team's game plan.
00:18:33.023 --> 00:18:36.326
It lists what they will do,what policies they will pass
00:18:36.326 --> 00:18:39.163
if they get in, whetherat the federal, state,
00:18:39.163 --> 00:18:41.665
county or local level,so it's important to know
00:18:41.665 --> 00:18:44.434
what the candidate's partyor team thinks about issues
00:18:44.434 --> 00:18:47.137
like education, freedomof speech, gun control,
00:18:47.137 --> 00:18:50.507
abortion, internationalrelations, big government,
00:18:50.507 --> 00:18:53.677
small business,national security.
00:18:53.677 --> 00:18:56.113
The platform or playbookby which a candidate runs
00:18:56.113 --> 00:18:58.715
reflects much moreaccurately what they will do
00:18:58.715 --> 00:19:00.984
once they get into office thanany campaign ad or commercial
00:19:00.984 --> 00:19:04.354
so take the time to readthe various platforms.
00:19:04.354 --> 00:19:07.090
They are short andaccurate indicators
00:19:07.090 --> 00:19:09.026
of how the candidates willperform if their team wins.
00:19:09.026 --> 00:19:11.862
- So we see that platformsare very important
00:19:13.197 --> 00:19:15.199
for identifying wherea candidate stands.
00:19:15.199 --> 00:19:17.401
One of the reasons we alwayswant to know where they stand
00:19:17.401 --> 00:19:19.670
is because even thoughin culture today
00:19:19.670 --> 00:19:21.805
we look a lot at thepersonality of the individual,
00:19:21.805 --> 00:19:24.308
and we say I reallylike this person,
00:19:24.308 --> 00:19:26.977
I like their attitude,I like their behavior,
00:19:26.977 --> 00:19:29.546
but personality isnot what we really
00:19:29.546 --> 00:19:31.748
should be prioritizingour vote on.
00:19:31.748 --> 00:19:34.084
It really needs tobe the principle,
00:19:34.084 --> 00:19:35.686
and where you find theprinciple is the platform.
00:19:35.686 --> 00:19:38.121
A lot of times today,we look at a party.
00:19:38.121 --> 00:19:40.657
People say, well that's mypart, I'm voting for them.
00:19:40.657 --> 00:19:42.659
Well, sometimes that'sokay, but we want to know
00:19:42.659 --> 00:19:45.128
what is the principleof the person involved,
00:19:45.128 --> 00:19:46.897
and that's wheresometimes the platform
00:19:46.897 --> 00:19:48.532
really does help showthe principles atleast of the party,
00:19:48.532 --> 00:19:51.668
but we've come to a placetoday where it seems
00:19:51.668 --> 00:19:53.537
that fewer and fewer peopleare caring about principle
00:19:53.537 --> 00:19:56.340
and we care a lot moreabout personality,
00:19:56.340 --> 00:19:58.108
which is kind ofa bad place to be.
00:19:58.108 --> 00:19:59.576
- Yeah, it is a bad place to be.
00:19:59.576 --> 00:20:00.978
I would say it's a safething, I think, to say
00:20:00.978 --> 00:20:04.681
that most of the peoplein the two major parties,
00:20:04.681 --> 00:20:07.317
most of those votershave never read
00:20:07.317 --> 00:20:08.986
their own platformfor their party.
00:20:08.986 --> 00:20:10.988
They're voting on thepersonality of who's running
00:20:10.988 --> 00:20:13.457
or on 30 second ads or on soundbites or on something else,
00:20:13.457 --> 00:20:16.660
and they're not seeingthat when that person
00:20:16.660 --> 00:20:18.929
gets into office, they'regoing to enact literally
00:20:18.929 --> 00:20:21.665
thousands of policies, and youwant to be principle driven.
00:20:21.665 --> 00:20:25.502
One of the early piecesof great political wisdom
00:20:25.502 --> 00:20:28.939
was given by PresidentGeorge Washington.
00:20:28.939 --> 00:20:31.141
President Washington hadgiven so much to see America
00:20:31.141 --> 00:20:34.144
become this strong nation.
00:20:34.144 --> 00:20:36.413
After having spent 45years in public service
00:20:36.413 --> 00:20:39.216
and finishing hislast eight years
00:20:39.216 --> 00:20:41.051
as President of the UntiedStates, as he's leaving
00:20:41.051 --> 00:20:43.820
the presidency, he giveshis famous farewell address.
00:20:43.820 --> 00:20:46.823
In that farewell address,he sums up for Americans
00:20:46.823 --> 00:20:49.626
what really we prettymuch already knew,
00:20:49.626 --> 00:20:51.228
but he's just reminding us.
00:20:51.228 --> 00:20:53.563
He said one of thegreatest banes or enemies
00:20:53.563 --> 00:20:57.134
of free governmentis a love of party.
00:20:57.134 --> 00:21:00.904
He didn't say parties were bad,
00:21:00.904 --> 00:21:02.673
he said if you love yourparty more than you love
00:21:02.673 --> 00:21:05.175
your principle, that willdestroy a free government.
00:21:05.175 --> 00:21:08.745
So he talked abouthow important it is
00:21:08.745 --> 00:21:10.280
to love the right principlesand not have a love for party.
00:21:10.280 --> 00:21:14.184
So as Christians,when we get involved,
00:21:14.184 --> 00:21:15.952
it's okay to beinvolved in parties,
00:21:15.952 --> 00:21:17.721
but I'm involved in aparty because I have
00:21:17.721 --> 00:21:19.389
certain principles Iwant to see move forward,
00:21:19.389 --> 00:21:22.025
and I'm involved in that party
00:21:22.025 --> 00:21:23.293
to move thoseprinciples forward.
00:21:23.293 --> 00:21:25.095
If I can't get themto move forward,
00:21:25.095 --> 00:21:26.530
I'm going to find aplace where I can move
00:21:26.530 --> 00:21:28.065
those principles forwardbecause principles
00:21:28.065 --> 00:21:29.566
are more importantthan personalities.
00:21:29.566 --> 00:21:31.034
That really is thecore of Proverbs 14:34
00:21:31.034 --> 00:21:34.438
which tells us to be carefulabout our public policies.
00:21:34.438 --> 00:21:37.007
- Yeah, one of thegreat examples I think
00:21:37.007 --> 00:21:38.208
from American historyis Benjamin Rush.
00:21:38.208 --> 00:21:39.776
Benjamin Rush signedthe Declaration,
00:21:39.776 --> 00:21:41.645
he helped ratifythe Constitution,
00:21:41.645 --> 00:21:43.113
and then he served underthe first three presidents,
00:21:43.113 --> 00:21:46.283
all of whom were from adifferent political party.
00:21:46.283 --> 00:21:49.019
There was a time in hislife somebody came to him
00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:50.554
and said, okay,Benjamin, help me out.
00:21:50.554 --> 00:21:53.123
You are working with allthese different guys.
00:21:53.123 --> 00:21:55.492
Benjamin Rush says, I'vebeen called an aristocrat,
00:21:55.492 --> 00:21:57.694
I've been called a Democrat.
00:21:57.694 --> 00:21:59.162
People are trying to figureout what party I'm from.
00:21:59.162 --> 00:22:00.664
He says, I'm not any of that.
00:22:00.664 --> 00:22:02.332
I'm a Christ-o-crat,
00:22:02.332 --> 00:22:04.267
meaning the onlything I care about
00:22:04.267 --> 00:22:06.136
are Christian principles, andI want to move those forward
00:22:06.136 --> 00:22:09.339
regardless of the party.
00:22:09.339 --> 00:22:11.108
This is where, in culturetoday, it's so easy to look
00:22:11.108 --> 00:22:13.810
and say this party'sgood, that party's bad
00:22:13.810 --> 00:22:16.012
for whatever reason.
00:22:16.012 --> 00:22:17.247
We need to say, waita second, what we care
00:22:17.247 --> 00:22:18.815
the most about arethe principles.
00:22:18.815 --> 00:22:20.617
We want to promoteGodly principles,
00:22:20.617 --> 00:22:21.985
we want to promoteBiblical principles.
00:22:21.985 --> 00:22:23.553
We know that righteousnessis what exalts a nation,
00:22:23.553 --> 00:22:26.323
so we want to, asChristians, to promote Godly
00:22:26.323 --> 00:22:28.658
and righteous principles.
00:22:28.658 --> 00:22:29.993
Part of how we want todo that is try to elect
00:22:29.993 --> 00:22:32.129
a Godly and a righteouspresident and a leader,
00:22:32.129 --> 00:22:34.498
and part of how thathappens is we have
00:22:34.498 --> 00:22:36.032
to get involved earlythrough the process,
00:22:36.032 --> 00:22:37.768
through the primary process.
00:22:37.768 --> 00:22:39.269
We help get that candidatethrough the primary process
00:22:39.269 --> 00:22:40.804
and then we stayengaged the whole time,
00:22:40.804 --> 00:22:43.373
making sure that we are votingnot just for personality,
00:22:43.373 --> 00:22:46.810
but for principlesof righteousness.
00:22:46.810 --> 00:22:49.513
- [Announcer] The civil arenacan be an intimidating place,
00:22:49.513 --> 00:22:52.115
but the more informed youare, the more empowered
00:22:52.115 --> 00:22:54.451
you will be to get involved.
00:22:54.451 --> 00:22:55.919
Voting is not just a right,it's a responsibility.
00:22:55.919 --> 00:22:58.922
As Christians, we arecalled to steward the nation
00:22:58.922 --> 00:23:01.625
God has placed us in,but stewardship starts
00:23:01.625 --> 00:23:04.261
long before youhead to the polls.
00:23:04.261 --> 00:23:06.229
First, remember this this.
00:23:06.229 --> 00:23:07.731
Choose principles over party.
00:23:07.731 --> 00:23:10.100
Look at what the Biblesays about education,
00:23:10.100 --> 00:23:12.636
life, economics, marriage,family, immigration,
00:23:12.636 --> 00:23:16.373
religious liberty, andthen choose the party
00:23:16.373 --> 00:23:18.675
and the candidates thatbest mirror those values.
00:23:18.675 --> 00:23:21.478
Principles over party.
00:23:21.478 --> 00:23:23.280
Second, it'simportant to support
00:23:23.280 --> 00:23:25.182
the good quality candidatesrunning for public office.
00:23:25.182 --> 00:23:28.285
Although the candidate whostands for Godly values
00:23:28.285 --> 00:23:30.687
may often be bullied,belittled, attacked or ignored
00:23:30.687 --> 00:23:33.824
by the media, this is notan insurmountable problem.
00:23:33.824 --> 00:23:36.793
A candidate canovercome the media
00:23:36.793 --> 00:23:38.495
with a strong grassrootsteam lifting him up.
00:23:38.495 --> 00:23:41.298
So when you find a goodcandidate, get involved.
00:23:41.298 --> 00:23:43.867
Offer whatever financialsupport you can.
00:23:43.867 --> 00:23:46.203
Volunteer some of your time,
00:23:46.203 --> 00:23:47.771
even if it's onlyan hour or two.
00:23:47.771 --> 00:23:49.639
Voice and show your supportfor those candidates
00:23:49.639 --> 00:23:52.075
in the community.
00:23:52.075 --> 00:23:53.310
Vote at all primariesand main elections.
00:23:53.310 --> 00:23:55.712
Call or write his or heroffice to let them know
00:23:55.712 --> 00:23:58.248
that you supportwhat they're doing.
00:23:58.248 --> 00:23:59.950
Unfortunately, too fewChristians communicate directly
00:23:59.950 --> 00:24:03.320
with those electedto represent them.
00:24:03.320 --> 00:24:05.255
Politicians are constantlymaking decisions
00:24:05.255 --> 00:24:07.524
that will affect yourcity, state and country,
00:24:07.524 --> 00:24:10.260
and a well-writtenletter or email
00:24:10.260 --> 00:24:12.128
can have more impactthan you can imagine.
00:24:12.128 --> 00:24:14.531
Third, once you have becomeactive as an individual,
00:24:14.531 --> 00:24:17.300
it may be time tolead community change.
00:24:17.300 --> 00:24:19.936
Yes, you.
00:24:19.936 --> 00:24:21.204
Gather others whobelieve as you do
00:24:21.204 --> 00:24:22.939
and start a local groupin your community.
00:24:22.939 --> 00:24:25.275
Effective change most oftencomes through well-organized
00:24:25.275 --> 00:24:28.478
and well-led groupsthat represent a bodyof the electorate.
00:24:28.478 --> 00:24:31.848
Finally, pray.
00:24:31.848 --> 00:24:33.350
Become active in prayingfor leaders and officials
00:24:33.350 --> 00:24:35.552
at all levels, asinstructed in I Timothy two,
00:24:35.552 --> 00:24:38.655
verses one through four.
00:24:38.655 --> 00:24:40.056
Pray for elected officials,issues, court cases
00:24:40.056 --> 00:24:42.926
and potential candidates.
00:24:42.926 --> 00:24:44.294
There is power in prayer.
00:24:44.294 --> 00:24:45.929
As a founding father, JohnHancock wisely challenged
00:24:45.929 --> 00:24:48.999
Christian citizens in his day.
00:24:48.999 --> 00:24:50.734
"I urge you, by all that isdear, by all that is honorable,
00:24:50.734 --> 00:24:54.504
by all that is sacred,not only that ye pray,
00:24:54.504 --> 00:24:57.474
but that ye act."
00:24:57.474 --> 00:24:58.775
Do all four ofthese action steps,
00:24:58.775 --> 00:25:00.510
and you can shape the futureof your city, state and nation.
00:25:00.510 --> 00:25:04.147
It's time to put yourinfluence to work
00:25:04.147 --> 00:25:06.383
through electionseason and beyond.
00:25:06.383 --> 00:25:08.618
- A big election is approaching
00:25:09.653 --> 00:25:10.921
and some major decisionsare about to be made.
00:25:10.921 --> 00:25:13.356
Voting is one of ourmost important rights
00:25:13.356 --> 00:25:15.225
and responsibilitiesas U.S. citizens,
00:25:15.225 --> 00:25:17.360
and this next electionwill ultimately determine
00:25:17.360 --> 00:25:19.596
who makes the callson all the issues
00:25:19.596 --> 00:25:21.164
that you and I carethe most about.
00:25:21.164 --> 00:25:22.599
In this upcoming election,your voice and your vote count.
00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:26.202
- The president who takesoffice will have the opportunity
00:25:26.202 --> 00:25:28.772
to make some majordecisions this term
00:25:28.772 --> 00:25:31.408
that will impactgenerations to come.
00:25:31.408 --> 00:25:33.777
The one third of theSenate we vote into office
00:25:33.777 --> 00:25:36.046
this election willdetermine just how far
00:25:36.046 --> 00:25:38.582
that next president can goin making those decisions,
00:25:38.582 --> 00:25:41.518
and all the House ofRepresentative seats
00:25:41.518 --> 00:25:43.186
will be up for grabs.
00:25:43.186 --> 00:25:44.654
So this is the year to showup and vote your values.
00:25:44.654 --> 00:25:48.058
- We have a chance to shapehistory one vote at a time.
00:25:48.058 --> 00:25:52.362
(dramatic music)
00:25:52.362 --> 00:25:55.098

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