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Congress, the Culture, and Christian Voting
(1992-2006)
David Barton
©2007
I. On many current cultural and pro-family issues, polling numbers show that public support is
high, but voting numbers show that the support in Congress is much lower. For example:
A. Prohibiting federal courts from removing “Under God” in the Pledge
1. Public support: 91%, 1 thereby giving it public bi-partisan support (approximately
28% of the nation identifies as Republican, 33% as Democrat, and 38% as third-
party or independent 2)
2. In the vote on HR 2389 (Pledge Protection Act of 2006, introduced by Rep. Todd
Akin of Missouri), only 60% of House Members voted for it 3 – certainly much
lower than the 91% of the nation that supports it
3. In that vote, 96% of Republicans voted to preserve “under God” from the hands
of activist judges, but only 19% of Democrats did so 4
4. The measure passed the House but was not taken up by Senate 5
B. Permitting public displays of the Ten Commandments
1. Public support is at 76%, 6 thereby giving it public bi-partisan support
2. In the vote on The Aderholt Amendment in which Rep. Robert Aderholt’s (of
Alabama) bill, HR 1501, “The Ten Commandments Defense Act,” was inserted as
language within another bill), only 57% of House Members voted for it 7
3. 93% of Republicans voted for the Ten Commandments amendment but only 27%
of Democrats 8
4. That measure passed the House but was not taken up by Senate 9
C. Authorizing faith-based programs
1. Currently, in government-run prisons (state or federal), the average recidivism rate is
68% 10(meaning that 68% of inmates, within three years of their release from prison,
will commit a crime that will place them back in prison); however, in faith-based
prisons (currently operating in about a dozen states 11) such as the ones in Texas, the
recidivism rate is only 8% 12 (a rate that is 88% lower than government-run prisons).
Consider the effect of this not only in reduced spending and crime but also in
strengthening the family, sinc