Further remarks. National Heritage Center for Constitutional Studies. Part 3 of 6.
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one of the statements we heard in the
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skit here tonight was the fact that the
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lament that we had not trained the Next
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Generation or future Generations in the
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principles of Liberty I've had the
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privilege and the honor of running an
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academy in our church now for 29 years
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we have uh attempted and I have been I
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have wrote a constitutional law course 5
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years ago which we teach to freshmen in
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high school line by line through the
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Constitution from the intent of the
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founders and we have a student here
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tonight that's going to come and deliver
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on a topic his oration the significance
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of the Electoral College so Ben Turner
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would you come up he's a ninth grader uh
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in the New Testament Christian
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School
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good
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evening in today's modern society the
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Electoral College the standard for
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electing the president of the United
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States is considered by many to be a
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thing of the past or at least
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impractical for selecting a president in
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this day and age on the contrary when we
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review the last few elections it becomes
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clear why the founding fathers
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instituted such a
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system the electoral college has served
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the United States brilliantly for more
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than the last two centuries and it still
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shows its genius
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today the Electoral College was
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established with a ratification of the
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Constitution in
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1789 our Founders instituted the
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Electoral
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College because they wanted a balance
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between elected the president by the
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people or by congress with the electoral
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system the American people decide on the
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electors they want to vote for their
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choice of candidates while avoiding the
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reality of every person voting
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himself if the legislature of the United
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States voted on a president there would
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be an oligarchy or in simpler terms a
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rule of the few this would put too much
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emphasis on on the federal government
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and thus defeat the purposes of our for
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founding
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fathers if the people voted directly it
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would be a pure democracy which the
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founders feared these men also wanted to
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ensure that a man of good
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character possessed the all important
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office of President of the United
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States the purpose for the Electoral
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College was to keep the balance between
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the that the between the way that the
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house of represent
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representatives in the Senate were
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elected the house was elected by the
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popular vote of the people while the
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state legislature elected the
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Senate the people now elect both the
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House and Senate by popular
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vote this balance of power between the
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house and the
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Senate was originally instituted to
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preserve the nation as
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Republic electoral college is comprised
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of 500 38 electors who meet once every
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four years on a day appointed by the
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electors to cast their votes for
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president the electors for each state
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are elected by the people of that state
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and therefore vote in accordance with
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the wishes of those who elect
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them each state receives two electors
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one for each of their two senators in in
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Congress and the rest of the electors
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excluding three given to the District of
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Columbia
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are divided according to the number of
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Representatives each state has in
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Congress some states such as California
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Texas and Florida are highly populated
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and combined for a total of 116
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electoral votes while other states such
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as Alaska Montana and Vermont combin for
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a grand total of only nine electoral
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votes a total majority of at least 270
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electoral votes is needed to become the
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next
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president therefore the electoral system
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does give Fair amounts of votes to
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States according to total
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population one reason people dislike the
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electoral college system is because we
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say that it does not reflect the
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Democratic will of the people this may
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appear to be true in a few elections
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such as those of
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1876 1888 and 2000 where the candidate
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with the majority of the electoral vote
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was was not the candidate with the
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majority of the popular vote this
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apparent flaw in the Electoral College
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however is actually designed for a good
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reason one must consider that while the
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difference between the Electoral and
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popular votes is real the institution of
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democracy would ensure privileges for
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the largely populated states and
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devastate the smaller States due to the
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fact that a candidate could essentially
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run his whole campaign from a group of
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larger cities
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thus ensuring him the vote needed to win
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without ever appealing to the smaller
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States for one
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vote this candidate would never publicly
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address nor even consider the voting
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concerns of these smaller
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States the candidate for example might
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address the problem of urban crime and
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big business needs while issues relating
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to farming would be ignored under the
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present system however the votes of the
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smaller states are important since a
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candidate must car carry at least a few
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small states in order to win the general
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election some critics of the current
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electoral college system also complained
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that the winner take all method is not
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consistent with the will of the people
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in situations where a candidate might
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win the electoral vote majority by a
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small margin but still receive all of
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the electoral votes for that
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state the present system however
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protects the election process so that
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candidates do not specialize in just one
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area in other words if a candidate
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received the electoral votes equaling
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the percentage that he won in a state he
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could run up the votes in states where
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he was popular and just squeeze by with
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the minimum number of votes required in
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states where he was less popular again
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this would cause a neglect of voter's
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concerns in certain areas and an
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overemphasis on voters concerns in other
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areas for example a if a candidate
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focused on the northeast he might focus
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on medical research and
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industrialization but the problems of
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Western wildfires and Southeastern
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hurricanes may be
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neglected the electoral college system
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forces candidates to address all issues
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more
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equally the power of the states though
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not evident in the way that the federal
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government is run today is much greater
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than the power of the federal sphere
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according to the Constitution
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as stated in Article 2 Section 1
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paragraph 2 quote each state shall
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appoint in such manner as the
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legislature thereof may direct a number
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of electors equal to the whole number of
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Senators and representatives to which
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the state may be entitled in the
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Congress but no Senator or
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representative or person holding an
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office of trust or profit under the
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United States shall be appointed an
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elector
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in other words the states have the right
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to decide how the electors are
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elected the only thing that the federal
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government has the right to decide on is
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the date on which the electors meet
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legally the states could at any time
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abolish the win or take all system due
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to the misunderstanding that this system
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is unchangeable others state that the
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system does not allow for third- party
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candidates receiving any electoral votes
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they point out that the call
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system also does not allow for the
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Nationwide publicizing of ideas that
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these third party candidates might wish
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to
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convey the main issue that third party
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candidates have however should not be
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with the Electoral College in its
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original design the problem is that the
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two main parties the Republican and
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Democratic parties are official
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monopolies that prohibit fair play and a
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Level Playing Field the federal
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government controls both the parties and
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gives each an excessive amount of tax
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spare dollars to fund their campaigns
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and pay for the Democratic and
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Republican party
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conventions the Electoral College proved
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itself recently in the 2000 election in
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this election Governor George W bush of
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Texas and vice president Al Gore were
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contending for the
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presidency neither Bush nor Gore had a
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decisive majority of the popular vote
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though Gore had a slight lead Bush still
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managed to squeeze out a win in the
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Electoral College by winning the
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majority of States 29 to
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21 Gore on the other hand ran up the
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votes in a smaller area with a more
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concentrated
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population the electoral college system
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worked in this election by ensuring a
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win for the candidate who won over the
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largest
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area the electoral college has basically
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performed the way it was designed to for
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219 years as seen in past elections
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though not everyone agrees with the
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system it is still the best and most
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effective way to elect the president and
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preserve the nation as a republic
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avoiding the extremes of a democracy on
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one hand and an oligarchy on the other
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in the upcoming election it will most
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likely prove that it is not a thing of
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the past or impractical for electing a
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president in this present day and
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age
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thank you
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Ben Article 2 Section 1 paragraph 7 of
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The Constitution
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states before we enter on the exe
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execution of his office he shall take
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the following oath or affirmation I do
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solemnly swear affirm that I will
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Faithfully execute the office of
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President of the United States and will
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to the best of my ability preserve
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protect and defend the Constitution of
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the United States in addressing my
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remarks tonight around the theme of The
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Ninth Amendment and ensuring The
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Sovereign power of the people and not
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attempting to tread upon the ground of
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our keynote speaker I chose to Simply
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pose this Sovereign expressed power
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limitation
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on the oath of office for president in
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such an election year this is the only
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oath given in the Constitution for a
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particular position and that's the oath
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of the president the president is only
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given six Powers by the Constitution
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although most presidents exercise more
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than 20 once in office if a president
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does not take their oath
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seriously this means that they will not
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govern or even tend to govern in the
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jurisdictional limits of their office
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why would the president's oath be
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articulated and no other in the
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Constitution it was because the oath of
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the president and his faithful obedience
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to it was to be the example of
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leadership set for every other office
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pledging allegiance to the Constitution
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what is an oath Exodus 27 in the Bible
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states don't take the name of the Lord
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thy God in vain for the God will not
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hold you Guiltless who takes his name in
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vain to take an oath then was to invoke
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the name of God as a party and a witness
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to it Matthew Henry in his commentary on
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numbers 30 and Matthew 5 which the
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founders read since he was contemporary
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with them gave this definition and this
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commentary quote perjury is a sin
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condemned by the light of nature as a
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complication of impiety toward God and
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Injustice toward man and as rendering a
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man highly obnoxious to the Divine wrath
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which was always judged to follow so
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infallibly upon that sin that the forms
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of swearing were commonly turned into
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execrations or imprecations as that God
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so to me and more also and with us so
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help me God wishing I may never have any
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help from God if I would swear falsely
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thus by the consent of Nations have men
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cursed themselves not doubting but that
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God would curse them if they lied
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against the truth when they solemnly
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were calling God to witness it end quote
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Noah Webster when he wrote his 1828
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dictionary the definitions contemporary
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with the founding of America he defined
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Oath a solemn affirmation or Declaration
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made with an appeal to God for the truth
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of what is affirmed the appeal to God in
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an oath implies that the person
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imprecatory if the de decaration is
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false or if the Declaration is a promise
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the person invokes the Vengeance of God
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if he would fail to fulfill it end quote
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these are powerful words this is amazing
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could it possibly have been that the
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Bible Matthew Henry and Noah Webster
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were contemporaries with the founders
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could it possibly be they understood the
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implications of not taking an oath
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seriously when they put it in the
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constitution in the first first place
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thus The Taking of an oath was not only
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serious it invoked the fear of God if it
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was ever taken lightly and in any way
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ignored or treated with a lack of
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seriousness they knew the founders
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did that one if one was to swear by an
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oath when duly called to it and never
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doing it for your own advantage or doing
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it for your own advantage or
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irreverently or by any other name than
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the god of the Bible because he alone
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was the author of Liberty we would
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invoke serious wrath from heaven above
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most importantly as the Bible enjoins if
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you ever do take an oath the Bible says
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and Jesus repeated make sure your Yes
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means yes and your no means no or in
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other words if you don't intend to
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fulfill the oath have the character not
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to take it in the first
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place I would ask this in my own
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pondering how important if if I was I
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was I was thinking myself if I got a
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chance to ask the questions of
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presidential candidates I would accept
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the
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opportunity in fact I would say that one
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of the most powerful things in the
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Constitution that articulates the
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jurisdictional limits is the oath of
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office because candidates do not run to
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swear allegiance to political parties
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they don't run to swear allegiance to
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polls they don't run to swear allegiance
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to issues and they don't swear
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allegiance to popularity they swear
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allegiance to the Constitution of the
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United States and I would ask some of
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these to a candidate how important do
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you hold the oath that you will solemnly
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swear with your hand upon the Bible does
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it matter to you what book you put your
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hand on does it matter which God is the
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source of this nation's love
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law is it possible that George
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Washington on April 30 1789 in New York
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City as he took the oath of office that
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he understood the meaning as quoted from
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the Bible and the meaning that Matthew
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hentry one of his own uh contemporaries
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had written from Europe and had been
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published here in America is it possible
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that George Washington knew the actual
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meaning when he added the words so help
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me God it is every president has added
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it since though it is not required
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George Washington placed his hand upon
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an Open Bible at Psalm
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1271 specifically designed by him to
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read with the words except the Lord
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build the house they labor in vain that
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build it other presidents have chosen
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other Bible verses presumably
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understanding that they will be held
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accountable for the faithful execution
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of their oath since God was invoked as a
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party to it I would love to also ask an
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candidate although uh after mentioning
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the Bible I probably wouldn't get the
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second question across I would still try
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to ask this other question what does it
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mean to you that you will fulfill the
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responsibilities of the Office of the
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President of the United States is that
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the only office you intend to fill or
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will you stretch and bend it expecting
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uh your executive orders to be obeyed by
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the members of other
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branches will you insist on line item
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veto Powers giving you legisl a ative
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responsibilities instead of fulfilling
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executive ones alone how faithful will
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you be in taking an oath to fulfill the
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executive office and only the executive
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office than the responsibilities of
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President of the United States and No
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Other
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Nation I would love to go on as you can
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tell and ask some more questions that I
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would like to see answered by
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individuals who would say they are ready
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and prepared to be president of the
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United States I'd love to ask what do
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you understand is the meaning of
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preserving the Constitution of the
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United States to which you've just been
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willing to say you would take an oath is
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it simply making sure the original
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document is safe in the National
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Archives or does it have a deeper
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meaning I believe it does or does the
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word preserve actually mean what Webster
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articulated to keep or save from injury
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or destruction to defend from Evil this
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means that you as president will set the
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example of preserving to the American
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people and the other officers Bound by
19:04
the Constitution the original intent of
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every line and every word in the
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document you swear to
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preserve you will use or will you use
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the bully p Pulpit of the presidency to
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declare when Congress or the Supreme
19:19
Court interpret the Constitution falsely
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or deceptively or God forbid by the
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meaning of foreign law or International
19:27
intang lements will you as the president
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expose
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it I would want to know whether the
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president running for office is willing
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to truly protect the Constitution of the
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United States not just repel an invasion
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but protect the more subtle gutting of
19:46
our entire system of constitutional law
19:48
through the equivocating of words and
19:50
their meanings in such a way as to
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render null and void the jurisdictional
19:53
responsibilities of each Lance of the
19:55
legislature will you as president Ascent
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either directly or through the default
19:59
of Silence to the common practice of
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promising far more than your oath
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actually promises in the
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Constitution will you speak up when
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accused of financing something that you
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had no power to finance in the first
20:15
place or as an example will you admit to
20:18
your jurisdictional limits and refuse to
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put the military anywhere in the world
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where there's not a specific
20:23
authorization or either a declaration of
20:27
war
20:30
will you speak up as a president of the
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United States when Congress finances all
20:35
kinds of expenditures without ever
20:37
delivering the bill to your desk for a
20:39
signature or will you like so many
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presidents that have preceded you look
20:44
away and ignore an unconstitutional bill
20:47
but give it Authority as if it was
20:50
signed properly I would simply remind
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you tonight that there's more to this
20:56
oath than simply
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words really the foundation of the kind
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of questions we ought to hear during an
21:03
election season should focus on what a
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president will raise their right hand to
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put a hand on the Bible and swear
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invoking the Judgment of God on their
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personal life and every part of it to
21:15
the whole world that ought to be our
21:18
focus in fact the last phrase is to
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defend the Constitution the power given
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to the president to defend the
21:26
Constitution is is called The
21:30
veto will you as a presidential
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candidate let the American people know
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why you veto every bill that breaks the
21:37
Covenant of compatibility required for
21:39
any law to be
21:41
constitutional many say how can I veto
21:43
the whole bill when part of it is good
21:46
you veto the whole bill by vetoing the
21:48
whole
21:55
bill will you do your duty and fulfill
21:57
your Oath by requiring the highest
21:59
percentage of two-thirds of the Congress
22:01
to pass every unconstitutional law over
22:03
your presidential veto I guarantee that
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if a president had the courage to be
22:07
like a veto President Andrew Jackson or
22:10
to be like a president that would veto
22:12
every single bill that was
22:13
unconstitutional publicly putting it on
22:15
the newspapers in the newspapers and on
22:18
television it would be a way to educate
22:20
the American
22:22
people I would remind you that tonight
22:26
as constitutional law lovers
22:28
constitutional Scholars lovers of
22:30
Liberty lovers of patriotism that we
22:33
have actually had presidents of the
22:34
United States in our past that kept
22:36
their oath of office at least to a much
22:39
higher degree than the ones we're used
22:41
to seeing today they're often forgotten
22:44
though and now so infrequent that the
22:45
fog must be cleared before we can see
22:48
the greatest presidents in our history
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yes there were some recent ones who paid
22:52
much more attention to their oath such
22:55
as Ronald Reagan or Calvin kulage or
22:56
Grover Cleveland just to name a few but
22:59
I want to remind you that by and large
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the first seven presidents of the United
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States took their oath seriously and
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were neither intimidated nor even cared
23:08
whether they were popular or not this is
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because they understood the Constitution
23:12
defines every Power they have it's a
23:15
neglect in these duties that has made
23:16
our present government more than 100
23:19
times larger than the governments they
23:21
governed in the first seven presidential
23:24
terms may we once again see by by the
23:28
grace of God the courage of a George
23:29
Washington who declared neutrality in
23:32
relation to a foreign war rather rather
23:34
than making every single world problem
23:36
America's
23:38
problem and actually leaving the
23:40
policies of foreign policy to the
23:42
Congress rather than making them up
23:45
himself may we have once again the
23:47
courage of a John Adams who led us to
23:49
adopt the Treaty of Tripoli that
23:51
declared clearly the religious
23:52
motivation of the terrorists who were
23:54
attacking America in that day and
23:57
exposed the religion that inspired it
24:00
may we have once again the
24:01
Constitutional Mind of a Thomas
24:03
Jefferson who helped lead Congress to
24:05
adopt foreign policy meth measures that
24:07
could be labeled fair trade avoiding the
24:10
pitfalls of quote free trade by a
24:13
leveling the playing field in such a way
24:15
that we harm American workers and
24:17
avoiding the pitfalls of trading blocks
24:21
where we end up making everything very
24:23
easy for other blocks and help helping
24:26
America or forcing America America to
24:28
finance poorer Nations it's about time
24:31
we had someone in the presidential
24:34
office understand the economy and
24:37
understand constitutional money may we
24:39
have the Constitutional fortitude of a
24:41
James Madison who vetoed a bill on
24:43
February 21 1811 that would have given
24:46
taxpayer money to subsidize a certain
24:48
Church its denomination and its Ministry
24:51
when Madison vetoed the bill he said
24:53
this violates the First Amendment the
24:55
church was confused what are you talking
24:57
about about we just want the government
25:00
to finance the religion they say is the
25:02
origin of civil liberty but Madison
25:05
remind them if you take one dime of the
25:07
federal treasury you have violated the
25:09
first amendments because the United
25:12
States is to protect the right of
25:14
preaching the gospel but not provide the
25:16
funds to do
25:19
so may we have the wisdom of a James
25:22
Monroe who vetoed a bill he actually
25:25
favored but had no Constitution
25:28
authority to approve because it
25:30
allocated funds from the national
25:31
treasury to only benefit five states in
25:34
building a canal and thus it was
25:36
considered special welfare rather than
25:38
general welfare and James Monroe said I
25:41
am for the canal but I've stayed up all
25:44
night and haven't found one
25:46
constitutional authority to give it any
25:49
weight
25:52
whatsoever or what about John quinsey
25:54
Adams whose message on December 2 1828
25:57
did not simply protect the sovereignty
25:59
of Indian Affairs but specifically
26:01
commented on the need for private
26:03
Christian missionaries to bring the
26:05
gospel and help them improve their
26:07
internal character for he who receives
26:09
the gospel said John quinsey Adams is
26:11
more fit to embrace Republican
26:13
government than any other imagine that
26:16
encouraging the private sector to do
26:19
what they do best rather than another
26:21
excuse to pay for something out of the
26:24
national treasury finally would we ever
26:27
have the courage of an Andrew Jackson oh
26:29
it's I I like the man for several
26:31
reasons he has a lot of problems in some
26:33
parts of his character but I like the
26:35
some part of B imagine as president he
26:38
wore a
26:41
sidearm as
26:43
president in fact he's one of the few
26:46
presidents who knocked out a man ready
26:48
to kill him before he could fire his
26:54
gun but that's not the only reason I
26:56
like the guy
26:58
he was asked for foreign aid from
27:01
freeding Freedom Fighters in Texas who
27:03
wanted to defeat a true
27:05
Tyrant but instead he said I lament
27:09
because Andrew Jackson was always
27:11
looking for a
27:12
fight he said I I admit when he called
27:15
his best friend in Davey Crockett he
27:17
said you know I can't give any
27:20
constitutional approval to intervene in
27:23
another nation's battle because any
27:26
nation that wishes to be free has to
27:29
fight its own Revolution win it and
27:32
maintain a government before the United
27:34
States will interpose in any
27:41
way and so he sent Davy Crockett and the
27:44
private Sharpshooters to the
27:47
Alamo what do we say about these things
27:50
then and the true sovereigns of the
27:52
American people we must restore an
27:55
understanding of the oath of office
27:57
don't ever let it be diminished any
27:59
chance you have to ask a candidate what
28:02
are they going to do when they take that
28:03
oath because what most candidates
28:06
promise especially at the presidential
28:08
level where we see all the televised
28:10
non-
28:11
debates when you see that the issues
28:14
that are raised are very clearly focused
28:17
away from the
28:18
seword the
28:20
Constitution may we say let's put the
28:23
pressure on for any candidate whether we
28:26
like them or not to take their oath
28:29
seriously and if they take their oath
28:32
seriously we will restore the true
28:34
sovereignty in the United States of
28:45
America it is important on days like
28:48
this to remind ourselves we don't just
28:51
give rhetoric on the Constitution
28:54
repeating what many of us could repeat
28:56
over and and over again but what we do
29:00
is honor all those who would stand up
29:02
with conviction so I simply remind you a
29:06
politician is someone who studied the
29:08
art of how to remain
29:10
elected a Statesman is someone who's
29:12
committed to principal and willing to
29:15
lose an election but will never
29:17
compromise principal that's what we need
29:21
once
29:25
again
#Education
#Government

