Day After Election Reality Check

Rick Green 0:07

Welcome to the Intersection of Faith and Culture, the Wallboarder show, taking on the hot topics of the day from a biblical, historical, and constitutional perspective. And the day after. An election that, well, I guess we'd have to say the prognosticators did get most of it right. I will admit for one, I definitely got it wrong. And uh there were definitely some surprises uh last night. Still some races we're not uh don't know about as of today, but most of the races that really uh most people are watching, we have results on. And so Rick Green here with David Barton and Tim Barton. And uh, David, you taught me a long time ago, man. God doesn't get surprised. I I th I can think of so many wall builders programs over the years after Obama got elected the first time and the second time, um, after you know Biden got elected and and other times in the years that we've been doing this program, where um I was so thankful uh to be at your side and and have your wisdom and and your long longevity look at these things and biblical perspective so that I would not get down. I used to get so emotional uh at after elections, and I I just can't thank you enough for helping me to not be that way anymore and to still have a long-term view. So, anyway, enjoyed broadcasting with you guys last night, uh, even despite the results, definitely serious results. I'm not making light of it, but we know God's in charge, and and there'll be opportunities in this for us to wake people up, get them involved, uh you know, get them get them to realize how important these things are. Um I I would say as bad as last night was, it's not as bad as uh 2020 was, and and what they were able to do after 2020. We still have the presidency, and perhaps this will help uh to make 2028 a better outcome. So anyway, uh that's my opening thoughts. Um what are you guys how are you guys feeling today after the election last night?

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Well, Rick, to pick up on what you're talking about, I I want to start the night by going back to what you alluded to.

Three Life Lessons For Resilience

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Um my daughter Demira reminded of this after after we were leaving the studios last night, after the election results. And it's the three life lessons that I've tried to share with kids, family, everybody that'll listen. And and life lesson number one is nothing catches God by surprise. So we need to act like that. I this this is you know, this is not shocking. It's no, it's a surprise, but nothing catches God by surprise. So therefore, the second life lesson is God's not as concerned with what happens to us as with how we respond to what happens to us. And the third life lesson is God causes everything to work for good. Romans 8 28. So that's the same with this election. It didn't catch God by surprise. We worked our tails off, and I am pleased with what we did, how much we did, how many places we went, and I think that a lot of what we did is going to go into future elections in future years. We got a lot of people activated and thinking the right way, and that's really good. And that wasn't just for this election. We did it for this election, but it'll it'll last in the future. And and God wants to see how we respond, and and I'm not going to respond wrong because I know that all things work together for good. So I I think that's the that's the starting place, Rick, echoing what you said. And then looking at where we were, I mean, the average for the last several generations has been that the president's party in power will lose twenty-seven, twenty-nine seats in an election. All right. It was uh above that. We don't know all the final numbers yet, they're still counting some. So it was average plus a little, and that the average is they lose five Senate seats in the election, and it's again still counting, so we don't know exactly where all that finishes, but okay, it's a little more than that, but it wasn't what happened to Obama. And so even with with all this still going on, I mean, you look at where it is, this is a little different, but it's it's not what happened to Biden in his midterm. It's not what happened to Obama in his midterm. And certainly this will be used as as part of the the emphasis that it's a complete repudiation of everything Trump has done. No, i i it's not. So we'll see what happens. I think the one that shocked me maybe the most is what happened in Texas. The loss by Governor Abbott, uh almost a double digit loss, but certainly a significant loss when it was expected that he would win. And pretty much that same margin, pretty much across the board, Texas lost the House and the Senate and the Supreme Court and all the statewides. I don't know that I've seen anything as sweeping as that that was as unexpected. Nobody that we know of saw that coming. There was nothing in the polling, there was no money being spent down underneath that we're aware of, there was nothing targeting the lieutenant governor and all the others, and and it's just that's the one that is astoundingly amazing to me. And you know, we'll find out what that means as time goes on. But overall, I'm not discouraged by what happened last night. I mean, we've we got so many people engaged, talked to so many people, so many pastors and churches are now doing things they weren't doing. So this is all good for the future, as far as I see. I mean, when I look at it and going back to those three life lessons, I think those are good things for us all to remember. We don't get discouraged, we don't get encouraged over things that happen. We just steady, hang the course, know that God's in control. We bust our tail to do everything we can, and then the results are in his hands. You know, that's the John Quincy Adams thing. Do desires, results are God's. And I don't think we could have done any more than what we did, so I I feel fine about things.

Rick Green 5:34

Well, and and and Tim, I know you I know you want to get in there, man. I gotta I gotta ask, though, because you're talking about not being what w what is that quote, David? Which founder is it that said something it's something about not being too elated by success or something by defeat? I can't remember the quote, but it's essentially not to let our emotions or our joy or any of

Reading The Results Without Panic

Rick Green 5:55

those things be driven by results, whether it's in business or politics or whatever else it might be, that we're supposed to be steady and and and do our duty. And of course we're human, we're gonna, you know, have our ups and downs. But um, I can't remember who that was, but it it certainly fits tonight uh with the results from last night.

Tim Barton 6:12

Rick, I I was thinking of the exact same quote uh that you don't get too discouraged uh regardless of the defeat or too elated regardless of the win, um, that you just stay consistent in what you do. I don't remember who said it, but I thought of the same quote, and I was gonna ask you guys. Um I I'm driving right now, or I would look it up. Uh however, it is something that ultimately recognizing that God's called us as stewards to be faithful. Go back and review Matthew 25 and Luke 19 when the master showed up and talked to the workers, the the servants that were serving the master, when the master calls them to an account, the ones who did a good job, he said, Well done, good and faithful servant. He didn't say, Well done, victorious. He said, faithful. Now, we could argue that faithfulness will often breed productivity, it will breed success, it will breed victory, sure. Ultimately, that's what you hope for and pray for in your faithfulness. But what the master applauded them for was their faithfulness. And we've talked about that for decades. We want to be the people that are found faithful. And certainly there's already pundits that are armchair quarterbacking. And we can look and we will. We will have shows about this over the next several weeks, I am sure. We can look at some of the the polling, the exit polling of people that voted. What were the issues that concerned you and what what encouraged you to do the things you did? And there's some good analytics and data we can get from that. Um, there's you know, definitely some takeaways we can have when you look at the demographic of who voted and uh the things that were important to them, and then you look at some of the messaging, you look at some of the candidates, there's a lot of things that we can critique and we can analyze and hopefully be strategic for the future. But Dad, one of the things that that we have talked about over the last several weeks, and and definitely internally, I'm pretty sure we've mentioned it on radio as well, is one of the things that's encouraging to me, we have never seen this many pastors around the nation that were speaking up on and encouraging their churches to engage. And at times, even calling out specific candidates, it was incredible. But the reason I'm so encouraged is the pastors that are waking up, I don't think this was a one and done for them. I don't think they said, hey, let's give it a shot and see if we win an election. They were speaking up because they're concerned about discipling their people to support biblical positions, recognizing that the Bible is true. When the Bible says that righteousness exalts a nation. Well, I I need to help my people know

The Texas Shock And What It Means

Tim Barton 8:55

what righteousness is. When the Bible says that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. When the wicked rule, the people groan, and they're helping Show their people what a righteous ruler looks like or doesn't look like. I I think those pastors are going to double down. And I think more pastors are gonna wake up, and I think especially as we see the potentially rise and increase over the next couple of years of the socialism movement, of the Marxism and communism movement, of the spread. Unfortunately, I think it's a very real possibility and a challenge. We're gonna deal with the spread of Islam in America. I think there's a lot of pastors who are going to be further awakened and recognize we need to do more. And the reason I'm encouraged on so many levels because of this is fundamentally we recognize that America cannot survive without a biblical foundation. That's why the founding father said this whole experiment only works with a moral and a religious people. And by moral and religious, they meant a Christian and biblical people. That that's what they're really referring to. And so we were not going to have a future as a nation without having a resurgence of the church and a growth in the church. And I think we are seeing more and more of that coming up. And so, you know, Dad, as you mentioned, all of us three, the the months that we have spent traveling, encouraging Christians and pastors to engage and trying to educate and inform them, and we did. We've seen a lot of people awakened that I don't think are going anywhere. And frankly, some of the people that lost in these elections, they were the old guard. And this could have been honestly a grace of the Lord to remove some of those people who might not have willingly stepped aside for a rising generation that, you know, for the Israelites, for Joshua and Caleb that were willing to go and do certain things. And then you had obviously the other 10 leaders who did not have the same ideology and worldview. And God tells Moses that we're gonna have to remove a generation before you can go in the promised land. I do wonder if part of what is going to happen is there's gonna be a rising generation. We've talked about these young men that are coming to faith, that these people that are going to church. I think a lot of these pastors that are being awakened, that are speaking to biblical truth to the issues, they are now gonna be in a position where they can start discipling the young men who, and that doesn't have to just be young men, but I think young men who are actively going to church, they're gonna start discipling them, and they're gonna be the ones that raise up and they're gonna be the next John Quincy Adams, the next George Washingtons, the next Abraham Lincolns, they're gonna be the next leaders that uphold the banner for the advancement of fundamental morals in America, et cetera. So, again, to your point, I am not discouraged by the outcome because had there not been a 2020, which we look back now and there's questions about was it an honest election, was there security, right? Joe Biden, who didn't campaign, who stayed in his basement, won with the most votes that any president's ever had. Like the most, he was described as the most popular president in American history. And we're like, that's crazy. There's no way, had there not been a 2020, arguably we would never have had a 2024. So, why of many reasons I'm not discouraged, Dad, to your point, all of the people that have been awake in, but also knowing that as you pointed out, that God can cause all things to work together for good for those that love him and are called according to his purpose. We saw 2020 as a disaster, but God somehow used it for good. I think this situation is absolutely no different. It is the same. God is on the move in America, and God is not done being on the move in America, and I think it will bear its fruit, and I think part of that fruit will be a continued revival and restoration of biblical truth and morality. But if you go back to the Second Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening, as God is doing this incredible move, it was an incredibly divided America. America arguably was never more divided than during the Second Great Awakening because that was the 1830s, that was the 1840s. The nation is literally splitting as God is on the move, but it's because God was on the move that you saw the increase of the abolition movement. Ultimately, what led to an end of slavery in America, it was part of the fruit of the second great awakening. And the second great awakening, it didn't actually bring unity in America. America was divided, but it did bring moral clarity on the topic and issue for so many people. It strengthened and encouraged the backbones of the people that needed to stand up to oppose an actual evil in America. And I think that's part of what's happening right now, and that's part of the fruit we're gonna see borne out in the future.

John Jay On Duty Over Outcomes

Rick Green 13:57

Amen. Amen. Hey guys, we're gonna take a break, but I found the quote. It's John Jay, uh, first Chief Justice, co-author of the Federalist Papers. He said, All that the best men can do is to persevere in doing their duty to their country and leave the consequences to him who made it their duty, being neither elated by success, however great, nor discouraged by disappointments, however frequent and mortifying. Gotta tell you guys, in a vacuum, last night was mortifying to see Texas go the way the Texas went. But that quote right there, I had it was played in my head so many lines from that. I'm I think I can actually remember the first time I saw you, uh, David, put that quote on a screen and just how it just it was shocking to me to it changed my whole mindset because I just I grew up in a world where you know you really celebrated those successes and you got down with the defeats and you know you swung back and forth. And I and and just to be, if I could for a second, I watched you live it out all these years, bro. All these years. I've never seen you be too elated by success or discouraged by disappointments, however frequent more no matter what we've been through over these nearly 30 years we've been together. And uh man, I just thank you for setting that example. And now I see Tim live in that way. Uh so many people that that we've been able to raise up in that philosophy. Uh just incredible. So, anyway, for for our friends out there that may be new listeners to Wall Bowlers, maybe never heard that quote, who may be reeling from last night and wondering, man, what do we do? Especially Texans, like, wow, what a total change in our state. Listen to that quote one more time as we go to break. All that the best men can do is to persevere in doing their duty to their country and leave the consequences to him who made it their duty, being neither elated by success, however great, nor discouraged by disappointments, however frequent and mortifying. That's John Jay. We'll be back in a moment on the WallBuilders show.

How To Listen And Share The Show

Rick Green 15:50

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What A Hostile Congress Tries Next

Rick Green 16:54

Welcome back to the WallBuilders show. Thanks for staying with us day after the election. Uh a lot of bad news in the election, uh, but I think as you said earlier, uh Tim, it's you know, all things work together for good, or maybe that was you, David, at the top of the uh uh program, uh, and we know that. And uh so kind of just a rundown. Um, now that we've got not all the races, but but most of the races, what does that look like? The first thing I got tonight from people calling or texting was, oh, does this mean impeachment? In fact, one of the studio guys asked me that. Um, and of course, just a reminder that, you know, yes, they've talked about it. The House could impeach because they have the majority, but a conviction in the Senate is not gonna happen. They're not gonna get the 60 votes to do that. Um so that's the number one question people get. But what else, what what what kind of changes do you do you think does this mean for the Trump administration in the final two years of Trump's presidency?

SPEAKER_00 17:41

I I think there will be a lot of push from the House and the Senate to pass a lot of bills uh that they know he's going to veto. And they're going to do that to to make it look, he's an obstructionist, he's in the way. We're trying to help America progress. I think you'll see a really progressive agenda come through. There'll be a lot of money spent and a lot of money thrown at groups and at people. Uh there'll be expansion of government programs, expansion of of rights. The people have rights to these programs. There's gonna be a lot of spending measures, there's gonna be a lot of expansion of government measures, there's gonna be a lot of restriction of uh parental rights type of measures. Uh there's gonna be a big push on education, more education making because they love educating with progressive ideas, and so they're they're big in education because of what that all that's like they're that's like them having evangelists, quite frankly. You know, in church we talk about evangelists with with the Bible, there's evangelists. Education is their evangelism tool, and they want to fill it with progressives. So I think you'll see a lot of that, which means you're gonna see a lot of vetoes, which they will say he's just a complete obstruction. So we're trying to move America forward and he's doing this, and so you know, let's impeach and look at all these terrible things he's done. I think you'll see uh some attempt to open borders, which again, he has control of the executive branch, so he has to execute. You'll you'll see just a lot of things that have changed. Uh, it was striking to me that even last night Arizona voted down the measure on their ballot to make sure that citizens are the ones who vote. And that they said, no, we we think it should be open basically to everybody. We don't want this this check the citizens before they vote. So you'll see things like that, I think, which that's their platform, that's their agenda. I'm curious as to whether they will try to be so combative that they try to take him down and thus make him a martyr. Uh I think that would be dumb on their part, but that's kind of what Democrat and and and Dumb both start with these so same letters, so maybe they're related somehow. Sometimes it seems like that. But that's kind of what I think. Tim, Rick, what do you guys

Socialism Momentum And Clearer Contrasts

SPEAKER_00 19:44

think?

Tim Barton 19:44

Yeah, I I think the Democrats won't be able to help themselves because when you look at I I I think what was gonna happen from this election is if Democrats lost, one of the leading voices in the the present Democrat movement was the Democrat Socialists of America. And I think if Democrats would have lost this election, they would have told the the DSA, you guys need to shut up and take a back seat. You're the reason we lost. But because they won, I think the Democrat Socialists of America are gonna say, see, we are the winning voice, we are the winning ticket. And I think they're gonna double down. When you say, Dad, Democrats and dumb, I think they're gonna double down on this dumb. And it I say dumb, I don't think it's gonna be politically expedient in the long run, even though I understand that a huge percentage of Americans are now saying they have a favorable view of socialism and Islam. But honestly, it's because they've had poor explanations of what those actually are. It doesn't mean they might not vote that in and then learn the hard way that they didn't actually like what that is. But I think one of the things we will see is the elevation of the loudest, craziest voices, where you know, we might look at someone like an AOC and go, She's just crazy, she's dumb, you know, whatever kind of uh pejoratives we might want to put her direction. I think ultimately it's gonna be people like her who are gonna become louder, outspoken voices, the Hassan Pikers, the people that instead of being repudiated in this election, they're gonna feel like they were vindicated and validated and they're gonna just double down on it. And I think that's gonna provide a greater clarity and contrast. And honestly, I thought I thought yesterday was uh it should not have been as confusing as some people felt like it was because it was some of the greatest clarity and contrast we've had. When you have literally a party who wants to remove any restriction on abortion up to and maybe even after birth, when they think it's okay for boys to go in the girls' bathrooms and locker rooms, and they think it's okay to trans the kids. And actually, there literally are people running on the Democrats. That are outspoken socialists or communists or Marxists, that are Islamist. And this is one of the most obvious contrasts we've ever had in an election. But I think a lot of people don't live inside of the political spectrum as much as we do. And I don't think it was as clear for them. I think it's going to offer a lot of clarity as the Democrats double down in the House and the Senate on the DSA positions and platforms. And as they advocate and say this louder and longer, and then, Dad, back to the point that I don't think they can help themselves. I think they're going to bring all kinds of legal challenges against Trump and his family. And as they do this, they're going to make him appear to be a martyr. And even though some of their side are going to celebrate that we're finally going to go after this guy because all they know about him are the pejorative adjectives that have been thrown about him by mainstream media. They don't actually know much story or anything else, but I think they're going to end up making him a martyr to some extent. What that actually means when it plays out, I'm not sure yet. But I would default to what I said on the first portion of the program that God is God has been so clearly on the move to even get Trump to the presidency in 2024. When Trump was in Butler and turns his head and he gets shot in the top of the ear instead of literally in his head where he would have died. God did too much to get Trump to the White House to think that God is now done with America. Like that was God's final miracle for America. Now he's done. That doesn't make any sense at all. I think God is still fundamentally on the move. I think there's still a revival happening. And I think part of what's going to expose the Democrats is going to be them doubling down on dumb in the House and the Senate. They can't help themselves. And now the DSA, the Democrat socials of America, are going to be emboldened, saying the reason we won so strong is because people love us. And I don't think that's necessarily correct. And I think as they double down, it actually is going to be potentially beneficial to wake more people up, which is what's needed to restore the soul and the foundation of America.

How To Respond And Rebuild Foundations

Rick Green 24:19

Amen, brother. No, that's I I I think you're so right. And and it's not, you know, there's nothing new under the sun. And and back to that that list of three things that Demaris sent us, you know, the fact that it doesn't take God by surprise, that he does work all this together for good. Um, and we've seen him do that. So it's not even like we have to hope that these weird circumstances we've never seen before that somehow he can turn that. No, no, no. We've seen such, such similar things. You just listed several of the of those examples. Um, what would y'all say in in our final coup couple of minutes to folks that are that that are feeling down how to how to get them to realize to see past this and and actions to take, because I think that's the best way to get out. Um, you know, the we're we're we're we're now the day after, so you know, enough enough pity party time, right? It's time to get to work, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Well, I I I would point to First Corinthians eleven, verses eighteen and nineteen, where Paul says, It is absolutely necessary that there be fights and divisions among you in order to know which of you have God's approval. And so within the church they had these factions, they had these groups going on, there was different views of how to do things, and there was all this human conflict, and he says, Hey, that's that's necessary. That that's how God will point out which is right, which is wrong, and and what's and I think what Tim laid out is is part of it. Um this is sometimes you learn what's right and wrong by putting your hand on a hot stove and figuring out that was a really bad thing to do. So I think that's part of what will happen. And so don't get distressed over it. Don't get bent out of shape when people have conflicts, et cetera. That's part of exposing who's right and who's wrong.

Tim Barton 25:53

Well, guys, I think this is something too that probably uh is a good foundation of freedom conversation. How do we restore the foundation so we can be free? I think maybe tomorrow we need to get into that a little bit. Maybe not just answering all the questions that people have sent in that we have a whole bunch of. Maybe let's get into and talk about how do you restore the foundation? What's the blueprint and game plan? And guys, we all have already been on calls and text threads with people saying, hey, we need to get together, we need to strategize. So for everybody listening, that is in the works. There's lots of conversations, lots of groups, lots of meetings. But bottom line for now, maybe tomorrow, we'll start laying out some of that foundation.

Rick Green 26:33

Hey man, the foundations haven't changed. The principles still work. So tune in tomorrow and we'll talk about how to restore those foundations. Thanks so much for listening. You've been listening to the WallBuilder show.