January 24, 2005

The Poll That Matters

By Congressman Joe Pitts

Citing poll numbers that showed the nation divided over his policies, some journalists are telling their readers and listeners that the 2004 election had not given President Bush a mandate.  I disagree.

The Constitution does not mention margin of error or sampling size, the figures we find in the fine print of today’s polls.  In 1789, the words “exit poll” did not exist.  The poll that matters, according to the Constitution, takes place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of every fourth November. 

On that day in 2004, George W. Bush received the highest number of votes ever received by a Presidential candidate in the history of the United States .  He was the first Presidential candidate since 1988 to receive a majority of the votes cast in an election.  If George W. Bush does not have a mandate this year, then Bill Clinton did not have a mandate for his entire eight years in office.  November 2, 2004 was all the mandate President Bush needs.

I thought about this as I watched the inauguration.  The ceremony signified more than an election victory.  Peaceful, democratic transitions of power – or in this case reaffirmations of power – are a rare thing in the history of the world.  For centuries power wars among the powerful few determined who ruled territory and people.  Monarchs maintained control with the military and vast family fortunes, passing their thrones and property on to sons and daughters.  Dictators controlled information and viciously suppressed opponents, passing power on to children or their favorite adviser.  Communist parties across the world claimed to vest power in the masses, but were only an updated version of despotism and terror, more efficient in their oppression.

America is different.  In 1789 our first President, George Washington, led our nation into the first great and enduring experiment in liberty.  Since then, power has passed from one person and party to another not based on title or military rank, but on the choice of the people.

This change in how government works did not come without a price.  The old system of violence and oppression had first to be completely expelled by the patriots of the American Revolution.  These men and women fought to gain our independence from England , not to establish a new aristocracy or ruling family, but to wrest power from a few in order to allow the people to govern.

This is what Father Denis Edward O'Brien, chaplain in the United States Marine Corps, meant when he said, “It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.”

The American soldier fought to allow the American civilian to have a say in his or her own government, a government chosen by the people and run by their elected representatives. 

When Ronald Reagan spoke at his inauguration he said that “human freedom is on the march” as he sensed the fall of communism drawing near.  He was right, but it was because he made a commitment to peace through strength.  When America signals that it is willing to fight for freedom, the world should know we are serious.

The theme of this week’s ceremony – celebrating freedom and honoring service – was perfect for where our nation is today: fighting to spread freedom.  President Bush has staked his legacy and the security of our nation on the line to spread freedom throughout the world.  Because of his leadership more nations are on the verge of peaceful democratic rule – freedom is on the march once again.

While Republicans across the nation celebrated victory this week, this week was about far more than the man at the podium.  Our freedom is not, and has never been, free.  We should never forget the price that was paid to get us here. 

Today, the American soldier fights to change the old system of violence and oppression in Iraq , Afghanistan , and elsewhere.  Their effort is not meant to build an empire or annex new colonies.  Our goal and their mission is to destroy long-standing oppression in these nations and allow the people in these parts of the world to join us at the table of liberty.

As it was 220 years ago, once again it will be the men and women of our armed forces who bring the blessings of peace and liberty to dark corners of the world.  We honor them for that.

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