The WallBuilders Show

Igniting Faith-Driven Civic Engagement: Constitutional Stewardship in the 2024 Election- With Chad Connelly

Tim Barton, David Barton & Rick Green

On this episode of The WallBuilders Show we explore its intricate connection with faith, history, and the Constitution. Our guest Chad Connelly helps us to uncover a realistic outlook of expected voter turnout. We delve into the implications of grassroots momentum, offering a fresh perspective on the evolving political landscape as we edge closer to election day.

Together, we unpack the critical role of voting from a stewardship perspective, highlighting its spiritual and civic importance. Our conversation spans the influence of President Trump on Senate races, strategic Democratic maneuvers, and the cultural impact of media. We also explore the transformative potential of Christian influence in politics, envisioning a future of efficient governance inspired by figures like Elon Musk and a diverse leadership team that could be provided by a new Trump administration. With a focus on ensuring election integrity and church involvement, this episode is an invigorating call to action for anyone eager to engage in shaping our nation's future.

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Rick Green [00:00:07] Welcome to the intersection of faith and culture. It's the Warbler Show, taking on the hot topics of the day from a biblical, historical and constitutional perspective. And of course, this week the hot topic of the day, as it has been for months and months, is the election of 2020 for not only the president, but, of course, all the way down the ballot. I'm Rick Green here with Chad Connelly and David Barton. And these two guys have crisscrossed across the country maybe maybe even more than the Trump campaign. I don't know. I couldn't even keep up with y'all. Y'all are like three cities a day. And I was tired just looking at schedule. So anyway, thank you for all the work you put in. 24 hours from now, roughly, we'll at least get a good idea. Maybe no tomorrow night. But anyway, we just want to check in on the day before the election and see what you guys we're seeing here and now on the ground. 

 

David Barton [00:00:52] Rick? Rick? Yes, sir. Have you not heard Arizona said it's going to be 10 to 13 days? Have you not heard that? 

 

Rick Green [00:00:59] Please don't remind me that. I. 

 

David Barton [00:01:01] Mean, and what's the litigation goes. It might be another six months to a year. Who knows how long this is going to go? 

 

Rick Green [00:01:07] I was hoping we would have a repeat of 2016, where you're the first one to call the race all across the country on the Victory News Network tomorrow night. But but I guess we'll see. I guess we'll see. Chad, welcome back. Man. We always love having you. Thanks for coming on, bro. 

 

Chad Connelly [00:01:21] Great to be here with you guys. And me and David have been we have been all over the place. And I love his quote. He seemed more sunrises with me than he has in his life because, you know, we really but, you know, he and I feel the same is, you know, feel like we're losing the country to people that just really hate God and hate the idea of freedom. And and too many people don't know the truth. So we've been doing our part to try to get the word out. So I've been honored to travel with him. 

 

Rick Green [00:01:47] You know, you guys, are you just simply doing the same thing that patriots and previous generations have done, you know, lives for the sacred honor you're giving of your life, giving him your time, your money or your reputation. And I don't know about you all, but I. I mean, we've been doing this. Let's see, David, I've been with you 20 something years. I have never seen this much response out there. People responding positively, people reacting with, okay, what can I do? Like we're seeing today, it just seems like there's a lot more people willing to give at least a little bit of their lives for a sacred honor. Is that just me being too too optimistic or do you guys feel the same thing out there? 

 

David Barton [00:02:22] Rick, I think I can. I think it's kind of sum of all. I mean, the polling certainly says that this is predicted to be the lowest presidential election turnout in the history of the United States by about 50% of all. All the adults vote in all everybody. They could vote not there, but registered. Only 67% of those who could vote a registered. But it looks like the turnout is going to be around 50%, which would be the lowest in the history United States. But that's not necessarily what Chad and I were seeing on the road. I mean, we weren't necessarily we saw a lot of energy and it could be just where we were going. I mean, we certainly weren't speaking to huge progressive rallies or whatever, But certainly where we were, we saw a lot of energy. A lot of stuff were that people who haven't necessarily been involved before think it's time to get involved. A lot of churches were that way. I mean, Chad, I mean, you saw the same stuff I saw, would you say? 

 

Chad Connelly [00:03:14] Yeah. I mean, there's no question in my mind, our people and David's right, we could tell that story. Virtually every single city of a pastor, a leader, somebody in a church coming up and said, I've never heard anybody teach it this way. I didn't I didn't realize this. I didn't think I was supposed to be involved. You're right. I can't sit on the sidelines. And that's been part of our message. We've been finishing up by saying we're here to deputize you, to pass this word on, to make sure that people go out and vote. David, you might have seen this. And Rick, you may have to. Georgia has eclipsed all early voting records. Over 60% of the expected vote has already voted in the state of Georgia. 3.6 million people have already voted in Georgia. Well, that kind of goes against the left's narrative. When the state passed those new, you know, election integrity laws. Stacey Abrams told CNN what Saturday and said there's still voter suppression. How do you say that when they've already set a record for turnout? So I'm like, David, I think that there are a lot of people out there who are pretty disaffected and disenfranchized. They're ticked off. And if you look at this, these early vote numbers, it's pretty remarkable. And you break down the states. It's it's remarkable. I think folks like me and you are coming out with that. 

 

David Barton [00:04:34] Hey, Chad, I've been driving with you on a lot of these days where you you'll be talking to somebody inside Trump campaign or getting polling numbers from somebody and some party somewhere or some state party men. You got connections all over the nation like we do if you're if you're kind of look at this stuff now, what are you hearing on the way of numbers? What do you predict and what do you think's going to happen? What's it look like for you? Let's say 3:00 in the morning after election night and then a week later, What do you think where you think we're going to be? 

 

Chad Connelly [00:05:06] Yeah. You know, you and I tell this lot, I look at the early vote numbers. So if back to Priebus being chairman, the Republican Party did voter scores and we knew what Rick brings, propensity was to vote. David Barton, Chad Connelly, all that kind of thing. They couldn't do that this time. And the campaign basically said Trump's going to handle turnout. The RNC, you're going to deal with election integrity issues. But the data dumps come in like I know I got a Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I think that's probably pretty typical for the state parties. And although you don't know everything, you do know a lot about trend lines. When you see like a Georgia that's that had that kind of turnout. If Democrats do well in Georgia, the percentage of the early vote of black vote is about 33, 34%. It's 25, 26%. That bodes really well for Republicans. North Carolina, it's not typical for Republicans to match Democrat early vote numbers. They are. In fact, Republicans are out ahead. Nevada, same thing. It is unprecedented that Republican early vote in Nevada has outmatch 14 days out of 14. In Nevada, the Republican vote, early vote, that bank was higher. Pennsylvania, just go to another one. Typically Democrat, early vote is four to 5 to 1. In other words, for every 4 or 5 Democrats that vote early, one Republican, it's 2 to 1, y'all. In 2020, Democrats have banked 1.1 million early votes. But when early voting period closed, right now, they're only up 380,000, though those are those are not anecdotal stories. Those are real numbers. I think we could know a lot more early or I have a lot more feeling of 2016 than I did at 2020. Here's the other thing to watch. And David, you and I talked about this. Watch where they're spending their time. You know, the Trump campaign's in New Hampshire, New Mexico, Virginia. That's playing offense, fellas. Lawyers went to Texas, went to Kentucky. I would think that's two short congressional races, not to Jane Goodall in Kentucky or Texas. So you see the Trump campaign playing offense, hoping, I'll tell you as he looks like you have a fun. She looks good. She looks like she's been weaned on a pickle. And you know, that whole message over and over again, It's just it's it's it likes just consistency, you know, you're. Yeah, you're calling him a Hitler and Nazis and garbage on one hand and all. We need to unify and stop the. Division that confuses people. Those are the things I look at, Rick, and we I'm praying we know a lot sooner. I think we really could. 

 

Rick Green [00:07:44] Is there any way to tell I mean, obviously, it begs the question on the on the early vote, and I just don't know anything about this. If if those numbers are so much better for Republicans. I know we asked people to early vote this time, and I've always thought that was the smarter move. But is there any way to tell if that means that our folks have just turned out in early and they're not going to be as strong on Election Day? Or can you dig can you go deep enough in the data to say, yeah, there's a massive number of Republicans voting early, but it's a lot of new people as well. Or you know that we should still do well on Election Day. You see what I'm asking, right? 

 

Chad Connelly [00:08:18] Yeah, yeah, yeah. That. Well, that's. That's the question. Are you cannibalizing your election day? Yeah. Here's here's what I'd tell you. From the ones I've gotten I haven't gotten many of the states is and this is part of what the polling says. And I want to read this to you in just a second. Trump's always pulled in like you and I are, four out of four. So they know to talk to us. And part of telling people to go vote early that's smart is if they know that David Barton and Sheryl have already vote and there are four out of four. They don't need to spend time money. They don't need to ping you with emails and texts. We get a bunch of those. They don't have to call you. They don't have to do a ballot chase operation. They can put that in the low propensity voters. Trump is always pulled in a one out of four, one out of six. I mean, some of his voters hadn't voted last five or 6 or 7 times. So I know at my church today, our pastor did a great presentation and it was about half and half of the people who had voted versus we're going to vote on Election Day. He really emphasized it. That's the real question. I'll tell you, the South Carolina numbers in South Carolina, they are vote. And this is using real data and also modeling off the real data, which everybody does. Modeling is the R's are up 29 points in early voting. That's on herd of it's unheard of. And so I have a sneaking suspicion there's a lot of ticked off people who are already voting. But I think there's a lot of people who are purists are going to vote on Election Day. 

 

David Barton [00:09:50] Okay. Let me jump in on this second, Chad, because as we look at the states, some states appear to have what we might call Trump coattails and some don't. I mean, I think South Carolina certainly is one that having Trump at the top is going to affect everything all the way down and the turnout is going to be high. Whether it does that in Michigan, who knows? You know, whether it didn't seem like there was much we can't tell. Raleigh, North Carolina, Trump's up good in North Carolina, but the governor, the head of the Republican ticket there is definitely not up good. We don't know what that means for lower races. But I think you were looking at the fact that that you guys just in South Carolina in something that maybe nobody's talking about. You guys are going to pick up state House seats and state Senate seats at a level that's unprecedented in your election history. 

 

Chad Connelly [00:10:37] Yeah. In fact, I talked to my buddy, the chairman, Saturday or Friday, I don't know when and he thinks are going to hit numbers haven't hit since Reconstruction for the Republican Party. Here's what I will tell you. And David, you and I talked about this. We've identified I know of Montana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania. The Democrat Senate candidates have bought ads saying they can work with Trump. You know, some form of I can work across the aisle and basically supporting Trump policies on things like border security. You don't spend money saying you can work for somebody you think's lose it. And those aren't truly those aren't real easy to metric out. But that's not an anecdote either. If Democrats are spending money on ads to try to save their Senate seat, I'd say that looks pretty well, pretty good for president. Have you all seen that Atlas Intel? It was kind of like the most accurate poll. And I look at the RCP average, Real Clear Politics. This is the final polling. North Carolina Trump up 3.4. Georgia Trump up to 2.5. Arizona up 6.5. Nevada up point five. Wisconsin up one with Michigan up 1.5. Pennsylvania 1.8. Here's the thing about not knowing who the voters are. Trump's always outperform polls, y'all. You'll see The New York Times today. They admitted they over sampled Democrats. Here's another early note. Saturday Night Live this past weekend, it quit being funny. 30 years gone. It watched it forever. But I see clips on Twitter, the you know, the Saturday Night Live who had said we're not going to, you know, tip the scales. It's you run afoul of the law. They did an ad of Kamala basically redoing the Trump thing they did in 2015, in the primary where he's kind of talking to a mirror image of himself. Kamala talks to a mirror image of herself. Then they did a piece with Tim Kaine, the senator in Virginia. Who play in this. Who am I? Kind of thing. And they mention his name over and over again. That's an ad that is a television that they are putting their finger on the scale. Here's why they're doing that. Tim Kaine is in a tight race in Virginia for a Senate seat against that military veteran who David, he came to our meetings in Virginia last year. So when you see things like that that the media and the left are piling on. I think that that those aren't those aren't the confidence signals of the lefties winning. Those are desperation moves. 

 

Rick Green [00:13:12] Yeah, those things seem to add up. So, Chad, David, what do we say to folks that, you know, for they could be on either end of the spectrum? They might say, well, you know, Trump's got in the bag, I'm not going to go vote tomorrow or my, you know, whoever I got running for Congress or senator, state legislature, whatever, they're going to win. So I'll have to hear about it. Or they're on the other end of the spectrum where they're, they're going to cheat, they're going to steal my votes, not going to do anything. What's kind of our final closing message for them to make sure they get up early, get to the polls early. Drag people to the polls, call everybody they know tomorrow if they already early voted, still spend the day, you know, just really press the gas for the final 24 hours. 

 

Chad Connelly [00:13:45] David, you got to cover this first. 

 

David Barton [00:13:48] The first thing I would do is say I've got a long answer to this and I got a short answer. And so let me say the long answer is I would talk to you about how that your vote is the stewardship given you by God and you will answer to God for what you do with that vote. And so I don't care whether you like the candidates or not, you better do everything you can to slow down the most wicked and the most unrighteous. And we've talked about in previous programs last couple of weeks, the fact that you're not electing a president as much as you're electing the team leader. He's going to bring 9000 Schedule C appointees with him into the end of the presidency. And you're going to have 9000 agencies being run by one of those two people. You do not have another choice. It will be one of those two people. So are you going to do something to stop the most wickedness if you don't like them? That's fine. But what are you going to end the sit back and say, Hey, I decided not to use my vote. You need to read the parable that Jesus did and Luke 19 and Matthew 25, where the master called the stewards to them and gave them something they did not ask for, and then he demanded it of them later. Would you do with what I asked for? And in both cases, there was an individual said, Well, I didn't do anything. I just I didn't think I was going to do it. And he said, You wicked, this lawful servant. So whether you believe it or not, I firmly believe that your vote is a gift given to you by God and you will answer to God for what you do with that. So if you don't think you do, I hope you're right. I don't think you're right biblically, but I hope you don't have to stand before the father and answer to him for why you're doing what you're doing. From the Christian standpoint, I would go to Luke 17, where Jesus was doing so many miracles and had so much power, and the disciples came to him because there was an instant where they could not do the same thing he had done. When people asked him to pray for them and they went to him, said, Lord, increase our faith. And he went through this long parable about doing your duty. If you want me to increase your faith, you need to think about the guy who goes out and plows all day, and he comes in and his master and I says, Hey, wait on me. And he said, But I've been working all day, will work all night. And he just goes through all this hard work, hard work, hard work. And he says, that's that's the way you increase your faith as you learn to do your duty. And so the Luke 17 thing about doing your duty is what will increase spiritual growth and spiritual productivity. I would say your vote is a duty because God has given you this nation. He's told us and passages like in Jeremiah that you're to seek the good of the nation where you live. And if you don't do that, I think it's direct disobedience to God. So for a Christian not to go vote, I think they're in serious trouble eternally with God. And I'm not saying that you're going to hell for it, but I'm just saying you're going to have to answer to it for him. And I don't think you want to have to explain why you didn't do something. It was something he gave you, particularly in the nation where we live, given the opportunities we have, where we can do so much good. So that's the long and the short, but those are the passages I would turn to and hopefully nobody listens to us. Has to think about that. Hopefully they're going to go vote. If you if you're not planning to, then think about the possibility that there may be a spiritual aspect to this where you do have to give account for to God for everything you think, everything you do and everything you say and what you don't do and what you don't say and what you, you know, don't act on. So that's all biblical. Just go back and read the Bible and understand what happens on judgment, down accountability, and it'll encourage you to get involved. 

 

Rick Green [00:17:10] Quick break, guys. We'll be right back. As we're going to break, David, I just my understanding of what you just said is, you know what, even if this were totally different circumstances and one side was winning massive over the other side, you still are a good steward of what you've been given. You still go vote. So all of the excuses that you hear from people, don't let that be. You don't use any excuse at all. You be a good steward of your particular vote and make sure that you turn out tomorrow. All right. Quick break. We'll be right back. You're listening to The WallBuilders Show. 

 

Break [00:17:38]  

 

Rick Green [00:18:46] Welcome back to the WallBuilders Show. Thanks for staying with us. Chad Connelly, our special guest today. David and Chet have been crisscrossing across the nation. And now it's you know, we're down to about 24 hours encouraging everyone to make sure you show up to vote tomorrow. Call your friends and family. Tell them to do the same, all the folks from your church. It's very, very important that people get have their voice heard. You know, guys, we're in a clash of worldviews in the country and probably hadn't had as clear a race in terms of different worldviews as we do in the presidential race right now. And so we have a chance to use the weapons of our warfare today, which is our voice, our vote, our dollars. So tomorrow's our chance to use our voice and our vote. Tell me about down ballot as well. Right. So how important is it to not just vote in the presidential race, but make sure that we're going all the way down the ballot to those local races as well? 

 

Chad Connelly [00:19:35] Yeah, I think that when you look at it and I'm ditto what David said on the obligation and in our Christian duty to vote. Don't don't be talked out of it by whatever you're hearing or see and you need to go vote. That's between you and God. But go exercise that right. Your vote down, Take it. You know, it's one reason we just try to get Christians involved. And David, not a lot about this. You know, everybody talks about the attention on presidential, but the truth is Christian influence needs to be permeating society. You know, your school board, your city council, you obviously want coattails from the top. You want a great candidate at every level that pulls in other vote on the Senate really matters for judges and and things like that. The House for spending a bigger majority for conservatives will make a real big difference, especially if you have a Trump administration that he'd have support from the House and the Senate. But honestly, I believe for us, when you see people fall off the vote numbers and I look at them a lot, when you look down ticket and you see how the big percentage of people that quit voting, that that's a shame to me. We can't let that happen. You need it puts the responsibility back on us, right, to find out about the candidate and learn about those candidates and get to know them. Look at voter guides, ask questions, study their website, whatever it takes. I just think we ought to be voting up and down the ticket for the very best candidates that most reflect the biblical worldview. It is very important. 

 

David Barton [00:21:09] The other thing I'd say is I'm excited about some possibilities, assuming this thing goes in the good direction. And Chad and I both talked to Speaker Mike Johnson and and the what we hope will be the possibility that you get a president and you get the Senate and you get the House, you can start doing some things we haven't been able to do in a number of years. And one of the things I'm really excited about and Rick, you and I talk about this all the time with Tim as well. And by the way, Tim's out today. He got caught in an a light travel. He was not able to catch the plane. They had they delayed it. So that's why we're on today without Tim. But having having said that, we've all talked about the fact that there are so much government inefficiency in government bureaucracy and government bureaucrats, etc.. And you look at Elon Musk, who Trump says he wants to put over government efficiency, how he went into X or Twitter, cut it by 80%, took the price down and made it more efficient, more effective and greater reach that has ever had with less. And so my Josh and these are the guys are saying, you know, there's no reason to have an every government agency in Washington, D.C. Let's move it to Omaha, Nebraska. Let's move it to Lubbock, Texas, or move it out of these places. And those progressives that are so entrenched in the swamp, they don't want to go to Lubbock, Texas. My gosh, they don't believe DC. You know, they don't want to do well. That's great. And so the possibility of really reshaping it. And by the way, Elon Musk says he can save approximately just he's not even into it yet. And he just looking at, he says save approximately $2 trillion a year in government spending just by reorganizing in a business kind of matter, which we've always known governments inefficient. And how good would it be to have less spending and have less taxes and have more efficiency? You know, one of the places I like eating is Wendy's. And Cheryl, I went there after one of Chad's maids. We were headed back and just we got a late night snack and it was 30 bucks for the two of us. Are you kidding me? You know, that should be under ten bucks. And it used to be 8 or 10 bucks 3 or 4 years ago. So I'm excited about the possibility that down ballot, if we're able to capture the House and the Senate, that these guys already have a plan put together to move forward and perhaps roll back some stuff that's been a problem for government for a long time. I would love to see government get smaller and get back partially in the box we're supposed to be get back to enumerated powers and things like we talk so often on this program. 

 

Chad Connelly [00:23:35] Amen and amen. I was just going to add, Rick. Real quick, I got to ask on one of the programs, one of the media hits, what what is the Elon Musk and Bobby Kennedy? 

 

Rick Green [00:23:44] That's what I was going to ask you. How did you know? That was my last question on the show today, Chad. You read my mind, man. 

 

Chad Connelly [00:23:50] What effect will they have on News Nation? I said, let me tell you what I think the effect of nobody in the media is talking about it. I think it's a big deal. I think it's a big deal that President Trump's been able to show that he's got a far reach and quite a bit of diversity in the leadership team. And David just gave a great example of increasing and fixing some of the government bureaucracy. It's a joke. The DMV's a joke. Everybody knows it. It's a punchline. And so, yes, I think it's a really big deal that he's been able to pull in this wide array of experts in their field that can apply that knowledge and wisdom to the government arena. 

 

Rick Green [00:24:28] Yeah, I was I think it was maybe tonight I saw I mean, last night that I saw some clips from one of the rallies. I think it was the racecar driver. Danica, what's her name? Yes. She was saying she said it with this team, you get six presidents. You know, you get six. And people that could be easily be president with J.D. Vance have a very nervous well being. Elon Musk and Robert F Kennedy. I mean, you go down the list, Tulsi Gabbard. So that seems to be I don't ever remember a team like this on an on a presidential ticket. I mean, I can remember people sometimes talking about who they might name. But this is no kidding. A dream team that that is just stellar. And to think that well over half of its former Democrats that have said they're like the men of s a car man, they've come over to David's side and said, enough of the corruption and we're leaving the house, that we've been a team, part of the team all our life. We're going over here and helping the new team. It's just remarkable, man. So it that part is really, really encouraging. The last 60s Chad, if you would, you know, just the whole thing about they're going to steal it anyway or what if the election is written, you blah blah blah. Speak to that as as we're going off today. 

 

Chad Connelly [00:25:31] We've been recruiting people in churches in seven states. I think the encouraging thing is the stuff you're hearing, we're able to send people to find out if it's real and some of it's not y'all. But the other part is the things that they're finding. Our church groups have been in the middle of it. Damien I've been in these conversations. Bucks County, Pennsylvania. That was those church. David That one church we went to in Stroudsburg, they recruited 25 people to be poll watchers in Bucks County. So the stuff we're finding, we're finding ahead of time instead of after the fact, that's a big deal. Go vote. Don't listen. Those ne'er do wells don't listen to people that are negative. And please don't be talked out of voting. That's exactly what those guys do. They're trying to suppress your vote. Don't let that don't don't buy into it. 

 

Rick Green [00:26:14] Amen. Amen. And as David said earlier, it's our duty no matter what. Even if you did think, you know, odds were that they were going to, you still would have the duty to do so. But, man, I mean, the stuff that Chad, y'all were able to do just a couple of years ago in Virginia and now this time around on boots on the ground all over the country. So folks, be encouraged. Well, let's finish strong, press the gas tomorrow, get as many people as you can out to vote. If you haven't voted yet, no matter how long you got to stand in line, get there and do that. Let's do our duty and we'll leave the results of the guy. Thanks so much for listening today. You've been listening to the WallBuilders Show

 

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