This is a very detailed chapter 1 review that offers recommendation in deciding to buy and read the book. This is not an example of jumping to conclusions. In books, the first chapter often sets the stage for the entire book.
Positives & Strengths of the Chapter
This chapter opens up with one of Martin Luther King’s greatest quotes “We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools”. I will return to her use of that quote later. Mrs. McEnany engages in a very personal and deeply revealing emotional appeal regarding how she felt and how she had to handle one of the tragic events of our generation: The Killing of George Floyd, and the riots that occurred afterward. She potently talks about how she and her family had received threats, and detailed how she and her family had to address them. It really gave me a huge sense of what a press secretary goes through in the job. I knew being press secretary was likely an emotionally difficult and taxing job. But, Mrs. McEnany details this intimately.
You will be able to have an understanding for her anxiety and fear that she writes about on that. This surge of empathy that Mrs. McEnany causes made me think about some of the other press secretaries who worked during the Trump administration. Did they go through similar or the same issues? Did they go through the same barrage of insults, personal attacks and threats? Most likely. But, I also thought about the current press secretary- Jen Psaki. No doubt she had been receiving personal attacks and maybe threats as well.
Anyone who states “who cares about Jen Psaki, she currently works for the worst President ever” is doing exactly what Mrs. McEnany also attempts to address in this chapter- the problem of partisan disposition. If you are willing to have empathy and support for McEnany during her time as press secretary, why can’t that same courtesy be given to Psaki? Why can’t the same be given to all of the secretaries who worked in the Trump administration, and for those who will work that difficult role for now on? I will be the first to hold myself accountable. I also criticized Mrs. McEnany when she was in the role. She words in this chapter had me not only see and understand the other side, it made me re-evaluate myself. I trust it will do the same for others regarding the poison of “partisan disposition”, both for liberals and Trump supporters alike.
Not surprisingly, Mrs. McEnany defends former President Trump about how he handled it. She refutes strongly the media’s claims about how Trump felt about the killing. While those explanations were of no surprise to me, it reminds me of how important it is to read and listen to other points of view regarding important events and everything in general. One of my favorite classical liberals is John Stuart Mill. Oh course he believed in some things I absolutely detest, but I agree with Mill on one thing specifically: All possible points of view and perspective must be allowed a voice in a civil discourse enlightened society (paraphrase). This means- Mrs. McEnany and other Trump loyalists should be allowed a voice, and should be allowed to present that voice. So on that end, this is an excellent chapter for anyone who is committed to remaining objective and desires to understand all possible perspectives of an event or events. It’s clear Mrs. McEnany presents the message that she believed George Floyd’s killing at the time was a great injustice (I trust she still does). However, she talks about her sheer determination to make sure the record was set straight for former President Trump. One notable part of the chapter is her perspective about a false claim made by the New York Times regarding Trump not speaking about the George Floyd killing. Mrs. McEnany assertively states that was false and provides her eyewitness account that Trump called what happened to Floyd a tragic injustice.
She details how she worked with her staff in communicating their point of view on that. Mrs. Enany provides an intimate approach to her role as a press secretary called “Offense Only”. According to her, “Offense Only” in dealing with the White House Press core involves significant proactive preparation, which includes a large amount of information. Mrs. McEnany details how she attempted to address a nation which at the time was stirring into chaos. She details one specific rioting incident where the St.John’s Church was burned down to the ground. She potently informs the readers of how she used that burning as a very strong attempt at trying to get the American people to realize that rioting and looting behavior, specifically burning a church in which the leaders supported the Civil Rights Movement was not the answer for handling injustices like the Killing of George Floyd. Reading that really gave me a profound respect for Mrs.McEnany.
Towards the end of the chapter, Mrs. McEnany details other horrible incidents in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing, reports of police officers and veterans also being killed. She talks about how President Trump met with some of the family members of the slain officers and veterans and highlights a very intimate moment where she saw a mother clearly grieving. She writes about how she went to the mother and emotionally comforted her as best she could. It was clear that Mrs. McEnany noted that moment energized her resolve in doing the press briefings during that horrible period. All of this was important to her in refuting the claims by the press that no messages of sympathy was given by the Trump administration. This was another powerful message detailing the importance of listening to the other side on things.
Criticisms for Chapter 1
Mrs. McEnany points out in this chapter what she called “partisan disposition”. She talks about how she approached White House press question. She states how she and her team fully prepared for responses and counters to the questions. She expresses how many of the questions were aimed for “gotcha” moments. She sets on the message of counterattacking the liberal (left) messages. While this is obviously expected when it comes to the argument of the other perspective, it causes some level of disappointment for me. Before buying and reading this, I read some of the other reviews. Some reviews noted how great it is to read a book that is not so “partisan” and “attack filled political bias”. However, some parts of this chapter in my view more than contributes to the very same partisan political biased narratives that you would see and read in both pro-Trump and anti-Trump books.
Mrs. McEnany definitely does her part in the ever escalated anger and rage between Trump loyalists and Anti-Trump conservatives and liberals and former associates. Before the part about comforting the woman, I started feeling like this chapter is another biased hit piece. Many people wonder why President Biden doesn’t talk much. This leads to great criticism, but Mrs. McEnany in fact details why President Trump was guilty of the same thing. She quotes Jared Kushner when he said that nothing Trump says will change the mind of the media and the press. If he is right, could that not be the reason President Biden doesn’t talk much? If she has been critical of Biden for doing that on her current job on Fox News, then we have a partisan contradiction.
Another big criticism for this chapter involves her talk about David Dorn the slain former police chief who was killed in a riot in St. Louis checking his friend’s Pawn Shop. She and her team got Trump’s permission to talk about Dorn’s life, including Trump instructing to tweet something honoring his life. Mrs. McEnany writes about how she presented it to the press along with paying respects to George Floyd. She details what she believed was the problem at the time: If people focused on acknowledging loss where ever it occurs instead of taking sides, things would be better (McEnany, 2021 page 19). The problem I had after reading those parts was this: Was the acknowledgement of Dorn’s killing done in the hope of getting the country to come together and stop rioting and looting from injustice? Or was it done as part of McEnany’s own brand of partisan disposition? It made me take a second look of the thesis of her chapter, and it makes me continue to wonder if this chapter was simply another presentation of partisan disposition? I wrestled with this question as well: “If I continue to read this book, will it simply be another partisan disposition that only achieves more division instead of encouraging all sides to come together?” Will this book really reinforce the importance of applying Martin Luther King’s potent quote, by encouraging both the right and the left to come together? Or will this book reveal additional information suggesting Martin Luther King’s second part of the quote is not only true, but getting worse (perish as fools).
Well, after gauging all thoughts, I think will continue to read this book all the way, then I will decide. This book is a great read for getting the other side’s perspective and getting to know Mrs. McEnany on a more personable framework and one will get this just from reading chapter 1. Chapter 1 delivers this very well. I look forward to reading what leads McEnany’s sheer determination and proactive approach to her personal and professional beliefs.
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And it is in viewing one another through the eyes of Christ that we can heal our divisions.Highlighted by 143 Kindle readers- “The opposite for courage is not cowardice, it is conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.”Highlighted by 110 Kindle readers
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After Reading the 5star Amazon reviews.Decided to purchase this as a gift and it has exceeded all expectations I have learned things about Kayleigh, that have enlightened me surprised me and educated me.Shame on anybody that tries to knock her down a peg or two based on who she has worked for.Her educational resume and background and her Christian integrity move her to the top of my list as an author and a wonderful human being.Hoping besides commenting on politics that someday she enters the arena as she seems to have a public servant heart at the very core of her being.Kayleigh if you ever happen to read Amazon reviews Lord bless you and your family Hebrews 11:6
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After Reading the 5star Amazon reviews.
Decided to purchase this as a gift and it has exceeded all expectations I have learned things about Kayleigh, that have enlightened me surprised me and educated me.
Shame on anybody that tries to knock her down a peg or two based on who she has worked for.
Her educational resume and background and her Christian integrity move her to the top of my list as an author and a wonderful human being.
Hoping besides commenting on politics that someday she enters the arena as she seems to have a public servant heart at the very core of her being.
Kayleigh if you ever happen to read Amazon reviews Lord bless you and your family Hebrews 11:6
Decided to purchase this as a gift and it has exceeded all expectations I have learned things about Kayleigh, that have enlightened me surprised me and educated me.
Shame on anybody that tries to knock her down a peg or two based on who she has worked for.
Her educational resume and background and her Christian integrity move her to the top of my list as an author and a wonderful human being.
Hoping besides commenting on politics that someday she enters the arena as she seems to have a public servant heart at the very core of her being.
Kayleigh if you ever happen to read Amazon reviews Lord bless you and your family Hebrews 11:6
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