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Speaking for Myself
by Sarah Huckabee Sanders


(Click for Amazon book review)

BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:

Sarah Huckabee Sanders's book is filled with references to "Air Force One" and meeting the president of China and name-dropping "Jared" in photos and "Ivanka" on a first-name basis too (they traveled together to the South Korea Olympics, pp. 124-6) -- yeah, we know, you were there -- now what are the issues upon which you're running for governor? For example, she writes "Air Force One is a plane like no other in the world...an Oval Office in the sky" (p. 7) -- but look at our thin selection of issue excerpts!

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running for governor of Arkansas -- the governorship once held by President Bill Clinton and then by Sarah's father, presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Sanders loves citing insider materials about Governor Huckabee too -- like this one: "[In] the Governor's Mansion... on more than one occasion I came downstairs to a group of strangers on a tour or there for an event in my PJs!" (p. 22-23).

But this isn't a campaign book -- it's a memoir of her time in the White House as President Trump's press secretary. Sanders held that position for two years, and according to this book, that's her primary qualification for running for Governor. It's also a memoir of her childhood in the Arkansas Governor's mansion -- where she speaks on behalf of her father, instead of speaking on behalf of the President. And it's her story -- as a wife and mother while working in the Trump administration – "the first mom to ever serve as White House press secretary" (p. 197) -- but it's just biography, not campaign stances.

We agree that Sanders is well-qualified to run for governor -- and the frontrunner for the Republican nomination next year -- but we wish she would tell us more about where she stand on the issues -- her economic views, her social views, her local views on Arkansas issues. Any issues would do -- America and Arkansas are well-aware of Sanders' Trump credentials, but this book focuses entirely on laying out those credentials.

The politics behind Sanders is a stark contrast of two major camps of the Republican party: the faith-based Republicanism of Mike Huckabee, vs. the loyalty-based Republicanism of Donald Trump. Astute observers might recall that Mike Huckabee ran against Donald Trump in the Republican primary of 2016 -- presenting a moral evangelical alternative to Trump's bombastic television persona. Which camp is Sanders in? Clearly, "both." She embraces her evangelical roots, but she equally embraces her role as Trump's formal mouthpiece.

This book was written in preparation for her gubernatorial run -- published in September 2020, and she announced her candidacy in January 2021, just four months later -- just enough time for a book tour. The final chapter of the book discusses her plans for running for Governor, including discussion with President Trump about his supporting her candidacy (p. 251). But there's no clue about her gubernatorial campaign platform.

The title of this book is "Speaking for Myself," to contrast Sanders officially speaking for Trump as Press Secretary. So, speak for yourself! She doesn't -- and we're disappointed. This book is great for Arkansas voters who like to see how one of their own handled herself inside the Beltway -- but there's not much here for voters who want to hear what she thinks for herself.

-- Jesse Gordon, OnTheIssues editor-in-chief, May 22, 2021