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by
David Barton. Presidential
Election 2000 was
unique in a number of ways: it was the closest presidential election in
America's history; it was more than a month after the election before a
winner was determined; and the outcome rested in the hands of the
judiciary rather than just those of the voters--all firsts. Because
of these unprecedented occurrences, Election 2000 was described by
reporters with phrases ranging from "roller coaster" to
"confusing" to "fictitious." However, Election 2000
represented much more than just an opportunity for colorful rhetoric; it
also represented what was apparently the most prayed-for presidential
election in American history. For
example, Dr. Bill Bright called the nation to 40 days of fasting and
prayer; Pastor Dutch Sheets from Colorado Springs activated thousands of
churches for 21 days of fasting and prayer; Dr. Jim and Shirley Dobson
contacted 144,000 churches and pastors, urging them to set aside the
Sunday before the election as a day of prayer and fasting; and a number
of Catholic dioceses across the nation held prayer and fasting vigils.
Many others issued similar calls not just for prayer but for prayer and
fasting. I know of no other election in America history which has been
such a serious focus of prayer or which has seen such widespread
involvement of God's people seeking His intervention in the election and
His righteousness in the nation. Just
as I believe that these concurrent calls for prayer were Divinely
orchestrated, I also believe that God placed the willingness in the
hearts of His people to respond to these calls. Therefore, believing
that God was seeking to work in this election on behalf of His people, I
also believe that those prayers were still being answered in the month
following the election. In fact, I believe that some words from the
Founding Fathers--even though uttered two centuries ago--accurately
describe what we have witnessed in recent days. During the American
Revolution, Commander-in-Chief George Washington declared: The
hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this that he must be
worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has
not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations. And
Benjamin Franklin, during the Constitutional Convention, wisely
observed: I
have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing
proofs I see of this truth--that God governs in the affairs of men. . .
. We had daily prayer for the Divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were
heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us . . . must have
observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. Over
recent weeks, I believe that we have indeed "observed frequent
instances of superintending Providence in our favor" and that
"the hand of Providence has been conspicuous in all this." As
evidence, consider some of the blessings that have materialized because
the election did not end on election night, as many might have wished: 1.Continuing
Prayer
This was perhaps the first election when prayer did not stop after
election night as it normally does; rather, focused and intense prayer
continued literally for weeks following the election. In fact, each
day's news reports seemed to provide further incentives to seek God's
continued intervention. When was the last time the nation--or so many
Christians--prayed seriously for the country immediately after an
election? 2.
The Importance of One Vote Confirmed
Never again will individuals need to question whether a vote really
matters. Not only was Florida extremely close but so was new Mexico (at
one point, the two candidates were separated by only 4 votes statewide),
Iowa, Wisconsin, and several other States. Interestingly, overall voter
participation rose in this election (e.g., nearly 75% turnout in
Maryland, 70% in Florida and California, etc.), and in a Fox News Poll
taken three weeks after the election (12/1/2000), 78% said that what had
happened in the election would make them more likely to vote next
election. Christian voter turnout also escalated, and Christians now
seem to have a renewed perspective on the importance of their vote as
well as a new understanding of the necessity of their civic stewardship. 3.
Election Fraud
Although election fraud has been a too frequent occurrence in many
recent elections, few Americans have taken it seriously. They have
naively believe that such fraud happens only in Cuba, or Russia, or some
other third world nation, but certainly not in America. Now, however,
because of the prolonged election coverage, the public has learned of
individuals who admitted to voting up to five times in the election; of
some counties that actually had more votes cast than they had registered
voters in the county; of individuals who collected absentee and early
voting ballots for seniors in rest homes and cast votes for those
seniors without the seniors ever knowing; etc. Consequently, Americans
now believe that election fraud can occur--something they still would
not have believed had this contest ended on election night. It was only
because of the prolonged election results that many of the "hidden
things of darkness" have now been "brought to light" (I
Corinthians 4:5) and publicized. As a result, many States are now moving
to tighten their voting procedures so that candidates will either win or
lose their race legitimately without having the election decided by
election fraudulently. 4.
Judicial Activism
For years, citizens have seemed to dismiss claims of judicial activism
as nothing more than the rantings and ravings of individuals overly
obsessed with a particular issue. Now, however, the nation has seen a
very understandable illustration of judicial activism, and,
providentially, instead of the controversy being over a complicated
statute on abortion, pornography, or religjous liberties, instead it was
over a clearly-worded voting statue. Most citizens, almost unbelieving,
watched judges take a law explicitly declaring that all election vote
tallies must be turned in to the Secretary of State's office by 5 pm on
the 7th day following the election, and that results turned in past that
time were to be ignored, and saw those judges rule unanimously that 5 pm
on the 7th day really meant 5 pm on the 19th day; and that the word
"ignored" really meant just the opposite--that the Secretary
of State must consider all results, even those that did not comply with
the law. Citizens are beginning to understand what we have been
explaining for years: that judicial activism is nothing more than judges
rewriting law to match their own wishes--that judicial activism is
simply judges determining the result they want and then defining words
as necessary in order to achieve their pre-determined goal. One related
blessing may well result from this fiasco: since Bush was the victim of
that judicial activism, he may well be vigorously motivated to prevent
any potential judicial activists from receiving appointments to any
federal bench during his presidency. 5.
A Renewed Interest in the Constitution
Too many Americans for too long have thought that the Constitution was a
dusty old document with little application to daily life in modern
America. They now have a different view. At least three items in the
Constitution have become subjects of public interest as a result of this
extended election: A.
The Separation of Powers.
Citizens are now curious about the separation of powers and are
beginning to realize why the framers of the Constitution placed the
law-making and policy-making powers in the hands of the legislature and
not in the hands of the judges. In fact, the Constitution's
two-century-old sagacious reasons for placing such powers in the hands
of the legislature still seem to make sense today. B.
The Electoral College.
Many citizens had no idea what the electoral college is, how it works,
or the protections it provides for States and communities--or that this
two-century-old device is still very relevant today. Citizens are now
seeking to know how the electoral college works and how it is possible
to lose the popular vote and still win the presidency--and why this is
sometimes a preferable outcome. In fact, anyone who has seen the
county-by-county map showing the counties won by each candidate can
understand the fairness in this particular election of winning the
presidency without winning the popular vote. (A copy of this county map
and a complete report on the operation and importance of the electoral
college appears on our web page at www.wallbuilders.com/electoral_college.html) C.
The Rule of Law.
Previously, many citizens thought the term "the rule of law"
was nothing more than noble but unnecessary rhetoric--after all, our
society is a society of laws and those laws apply equally to all
individuals, or so they thought. Citizens now know better, for they
watched as States and federal laws, and provisions in the State and
federal Constitutions, were ignored by Gore and by judges who personally
wished to see a different result. In fact, two weeks after the election,
one foreign correspondent reported in his country's media: [W]hat
we have been witnessing in America these past two weeks is something
only smidgen less than an attempted legal coup. I say "legal"
coup because the law can sometimes be selectively used to circumvent the
law. And I say "coup" because what has been going on is an
attempt to snatch victory from the twice-declared winner in a manner
that violates almost every principle of common sense, constitutional
law, and due process. 6.
The Need for Restraint and Accountability in the Media Never
was the abuse of power by the media more evident than it was in this
election, where the media called the election in Florida while Florida
polls were still open--and while some States still had 7 hours of voting
time remaining. Interestingly, the media went so far in the
election--and in the weeks following--that a significant legislative
effort now will be made to address the problem. In fact, I was just on
Capitol Hill and spoke with a number of Congressmen currently drafting
bills to make the media more responsible while still preserving the
First Amendment's guarantee for freedom of the press. 7.
The End Justifies the Means
Most Americans embrace the restraints of basic morality and conscience
and practice the rules of decency. They mistakenly believe that others
do also. They tend to believe the best in others and expect the best
from their leaders; therefore, they often reject accusations to the
contrary as nothing more than negative campaigning. Yet, this election
has proved that there actually are many for whom the end justifies the
means--that is, anything can be "right" to those individuals
if it helps produce the "right" outcome. Consequently, if many
in the military must temporarily lose their right to vote so that the
right outcome may occur in the election, so be it. And if more votes
from a heavily Democrat county in Missouri are needed to seeing the
outcome of close statewide election sin that State, then simply have a
Democrat State judge declare that--contrary to the State law the voting
polls in the largest Democrat county in the State will remain open for
an additional four hours while the voting sites in Republican counties
across the State must close at the time specified by State law--four
hours earlier than that Democrat county. Such behavior, made manifest
only because the election was prolonged, has opened the eyes of many
decent Americans. Interestingly, even many decent Democrats have now
turned against their own political party. In fact, an editorial in the
Sunday Times of London, written nearly three weeks after the election,
commented on this, confirming what many prominent Democrats in America
had also voiced: [Gore]
is a man who will do anything to win: trash the Constitution, get his
lawyers to peddle falsehoods in court, change counting rules in
midstream, gerry-rig recounts favour him. . . . He is a coldly ambitious
man who is prepared to . . . destroy his party's slow march back to the
centre of American politics. . . . We should all be praying that he
doesn't make it to the White House. But the people who should be praying
hardest are those Democrats who still have faith in the party and
reverence for their country. 8.
A Clean-Up of the Hollywood Entertainment Industry
Although this potential benefit appears to be more facetious than
serious, it is based on two facts: (1) many decent citizens are very
concerned about liberal Hollywood and its influence on the culture, and
(2) many of the most strident extremists in Hollywood promised to leave
the country if Gore lost the election. While it perhaps is too much to
hope that they would fulfill their promise, what a different look
Hollywood entertainment could have it these individuals were to keep
their word! Conclusion
There will be lasting positive effects in America from this election
that would not have been possible had the election ended on election
night. I believe that what we have witnessed is reminiscent of what God
told the prophet Habakkuk thousands of years ago: "Look and watch,
and be utterly amazed. I am going to do something in your days that you
would not believe, even if you were told" (Habakkuk 1:5). These
words certainly seem applicable to America today. There
is also a word of challenge from Zecharaiah 10:1, which admonishes,
"Pray for rain in time of rain." In the agricultural world,
prayer is offered for rain when there is a drought; but when the rain
finally begins to fall, thanksgiving ensues and the fervent prayer often
stops--thus reinviting the drought. A prudent response teaches us that
when it begins to rain, we should continue to pray for rain so that
there will be steady, ongoing, continuing cycles of rain. This lesson
should be applied to the political arena as well. There was much prayer
before the election, and there have been many answered prayers as a
result. However, now that a positive change is occurring, this is not
the time to stop praying; rather, now is the time to pray even more--to
"pray for rain in time of rain." |