An Open Letter to Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Treat reporters like I as a newspaper reporter treated your dad when he was a nobody

This photo, from White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' Twitter account, shows her with President Donald Trump.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Press Secretary
The White House
Washington, D.C.

Dear Sarah,

I knew your father, Mike Huckabee, long before you were a gleam in his eye. I also knew him before he—and definitely you—became household names.

I am sure your father and mother must be proud of you—all grown up with a husband and three children and functioning as press secretary in The White House. You fill a very important position in our great country. You are a extremely crucial person in this nation right now.

I was religion editor of The Houston Chronicle, the largest newspaper in Texas at that time, when your father got his early job—as the PR person for Evangelist James Robison. Your dad would come to my office at the Chronicle to deliver his press releases for Rev. Robison. As you know, your dad is a likeable fellow and a good conversationalist. I always enjoyed his visits and allowed him to stay longer than I did most PR types.

I treated your dad with the utmost courtesy and respect.  I had no idea who he would become or what position his daughter ultimately would hold. I knew only that he had a job to do and I wanted to help him do it to the best of his ability.

Many people at that time did not like the man for whom your dad worked. Mike told me James loved a story I wrote for the Chronicle about him. The headline said, "Evangelist James Robison: God's Angry Man". My readers thought I described James accurately and were amazed that I would be so blunt. Mike's publicity about James even picked up the title "God's Angry Man".

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, the father of White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, started his career delivering press releases for Baptist evangelist James Robison, whom I once labeled "God's Angry Man", a moniker Robison and Huckabee liked.

James preached Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, but James was such a firebrand that many people found it difficult to see Jesus in him because of the anger that seemed to exude from every pore of his being and overflowed from pulpits where he preached. He said he was reflecting God's anger. I was glad when years later he changed dramatically, reportedly due to some personal failures. When I see James today on TV, he's not the same "angry man" I knew decades ago. That's good!

After those initial contacts, I followed your dad's career with growing fascination. I knew he was a "riser" in Baptist circles, but I, like many others, didn't see what was beyond the horizon for him. I was  surprised when Mike left the pastorate in Arkansas to first run for the U.S. Senate and then governor of Arkansas and finally President of the United States. You, of course, by then were along for the ride. I even visited your father one time at his office in the capitol in Little Rock, partly just to reassure myself that the Mike Huckabee I knew years earlier was indeed the Gov. Mike Huckabee occupying the same office that President Bill Clinton had once filled before moving on to the White House.

Even though I never met you, I enjoyed hearing and reading stories about your family while you were growing up—including the ones about when your mother and father both went on those extreme diets and took up healthy eating and lifestyles—and also when your family moved out of the Arkansas governor's mansion and into a manufactured home while the mansion was being restored. That must have been a fascinating way for you and your brothers to grow up!

Houston Chronicle reporter Louis Moore on assignment in Moscow about the time that he first met Sarah Huckabee Sanders' father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

I was pleased when, at a national book-publishers convention about a decade ago, I was able to introduce Governor Huckabee to my own daughter, a college professor who loves her students and anguishes when some—due to poor public school education and lower economic status—don't do well in her classes. Many of these students are from poor Latino and African-American families. Like her parents, our daughter, who is only slightly older than you, believes ALL people in America deserve through education an equal opportunity and chance at success.

When your dad first ran for President of the United States, he had no bigger fan than me. I wanted to arrange a meet-and-greet for him at my home here in Garland, TX, but my Republican friends here discouraged me because they didn't believe Mike had a fighting chance and tried to convince me that by the time we could set up a Huckabee event here, he would have pulled out of the race. When he did emerge briefly as a front runner, I found it extremely difficult to reach him and invite him to our community—and my nay-saying Republican friends here were embarrassed by their original negativity and were of little help.

Louis Moore to Sarah Huckabee Sanders: I want you to succeed, but that's not happening right now because you are angering too many Americans as well as allies overseas. (Internet photo)

Sarah, I tell you all this because I have every reason to want you to succeed.  I want you to be the very best you can be at your job.

Unfortunately, that's not what is happening right now. You know without my telling you that most people trained in journalism (as I am), most Democrats, many Independents, and even many Republicans are not pleased with your performance. They see you as a politician blindly defending a President who is at best puzzling. In doing so, you come across as angry, defensive, and hostile to the news media. Some now are even labeling you as dishonest. That hurts me almost as much as I know it hurts you.

Yes, you have every reason to be upset with your critics. The political environment today is mean and ugly. Many people, including your Big Boss in the White House, are responsible for this mood. But don't be a victim of it. You are on the public stage modeling for many young women and men how to be a leader and what it means to be a role model. You are one of the few millennials and professional women in this President's inner circle.

You are definitely not the first press spokesperson in the White House—Republican or Democrat—to face a less-than-friendly press corps. Nor will you be the last one. Reporters by their very nature believe it is their job to ferret out the real story—the real news and not what some self-serving political leader claims to be the truth. We journalists are trained to ask the difficult questions to find out what the facts in any given situation really are. I would have it no other way, because I've seen how deception, half-truths, and outright lies can do to harm to our wonderful country.

Please allow me to give you some friendly advice: Treat all members of the news media like I treated your father—with respect, courtesy, and decency. Let them do their jobs. Don't take personally anything someone says about you—or the President. Don't strike back. Show grace under fire! Remember that The Fourth Estate is an important part of our country's freedoms. Just like the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court, members of the news media are real people who make mistakes sometimes but who deserve your forgiveness, appreciation, and respect. They care deeply for our country and for the principles of truth and freedom for which our country stands.

I was once in the press room in the West Wing when former President Jimmy Carter was the occupant of the White House. I remember vividly how vicious I thought the press—particularly females in the press corps—were about First Lady Rosalynn Carter. I admired the way Mrs. Carter turned a deaf ear to all her critics. She went about her business as graciously as any Southern-bred lady could or would.

Perhaps you should give Mrs. Carter a call to find out how the former President is doing these days and in the process ask her how she held up so elegantly with so many yapping at her heels in that day. In doing so, you will show citizens of this great nation what true servant leadership is all about.
 
You surely realize part of the anger you face today is because so many are not pleased with the performance of your boss, the present occupant of the Oval Office. They see him more like many saw your dad's first employer—angry and throwing torches at many, many people and institutions.

I am displeased with the way this President treats women, Latinos, and other ethnic and religious minority groups in this country. He needs to cease his inappropriate and inflammatory words and adopt the words of Jesus that your father used to preach from his pulpits in Arkansas: "So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12 NIV)

And his Twitter account needs to be deleted. He needs to let you do your job and not let Twitter be the spokesperson for this administration! He's probably having a ball with all the turmoil he's stirring up with Twitter, but it needs to stop. You're the one who can make that happen! Tell him it's your job to share news from the White House, including his comments on various topics. His job is to lead this country, not divide it.

I wish you would turn your attentions away from disagreements with CNN and other bonafide media outlets to helping this President do better at his job than he is currently doing. To many of us he appears reckless and careening out of control. You can help dispel that image and help him do a better job at what he was elected to do—not by arguing but by actions which are always better than words!

Former Presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is the father of White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. (Internet photo)

At the same time, I'm pleased with some of the things this president has done that I have long advocated—for instance, direct face-to-face talks with North Korean leaders and better relations with the Russian people.  Help him concentrate on issues like these and not angry fights with people, including members of the news media, who are citizens of the United States of America and our friends overseas.

What we need in this country are leaders willing to work together for the common good, not leaders sowing discord everywhere they go and with every word they say—or tweet.

With the mid-term elections now over, it is even more imperative that you help this President do a better job than he is doing right now.  The country is badly divided. Our country is facing an extremely difficult time ahead. You have the power in your hands to help somewhat diffuse the difficulties facing us.

Mike and Janet Huckabee with daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders

You, Sarah, are in a unique position in this country to help.  Like Queen Esther in the Old Testament—whom you must have studied during Sunday School and Vacation Bible School when you were growing up in a Baptist pastor's home,—". . . who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  (Esther 4:14 NIV)  

Being born a Baptist pastor's daughter first, being reared a politician's daughter second, and now being a person in an extremely unique political role in our nation, I want you to know that we pray for you that you will have the courage of Esther, the faith of Mary, and the leadership skills of Phoebe.

Seize the moment and do what you know is right, not what is politically expedient. Build bridges, practice forgiveness, show us that you truly understand the role of the Fourth Estate, and lead like the country depends on you. In many ways it does.

Cordially,

Louis Moore
Garland, TX

THOSE TWO WORDS MAMA TAUGHT—"BE NICE—APPLY TO RELATING TO CANDIDATES/POLL GREETERS AT VOTING SITES

Unlike the last time we passed down the walkway to enter the Richland College Garland Campus to vote, it wasn't my name on the ballot, nor were my representatives outside passing out my campaign material. But lessons learned in the May 2018 election made me a better voter—and poll visitor.

I have now voted in the fall elections. Unlike the last time I stepped onto the Garland campus of Richland College to cast my vote, my name is not one of those on the ballot. Likewise, my campaign signs are not among those in the sea of signage lining the driveway to the ballot box. And neither I nor my campaign workers are among the poll-greeters that extend their hands on my behalf as voters pass down the walkway to enter the building.

Today I voted as an average citizen, just as curious as anyone about the outcome of this mega turnout in these county, state, and national races.

My wife, Kay, wears  her "I voted" sticker from the last election. "I voted" stickers had run out after we visited the polling place yesterday, a sign of the huge turnout for this election.

But my experience as a voter has been forever changed by my campaigning for Garland Mayor during the spring of 2018. I've now been on the other side of the equation; the veil has been lifted on how it all works. As I've mentioned before, it was an educational, exhilarating time—one of the most fulfilling periods of my adulthood.

I'll have to be honest, however. The period that began with early voting in late April and ended at the second the polls closed at 7 p.m. on Election Day demonstrated some Garland citizens at their worst. Never have some Garlandites had an opportunity to exhibit classlessness quite as much as that portion of the election—and I'm not talking about the election outcome and who won/lost. Standing outside the polling places and observing human behavior showed a totally unnecessary, abject boorishness of lots of our citizenry—and for what?

In a previous column, I stated that the gift to Garland in the spring 2018 elections was that citizens gained experience in how to conduct themselves during CONTESTED local races, something of an anomaly in Garland because many officeholders now are elected or reelected unopposed. I believe it is more than just an accident of history. I mentioned that the more experiences local citizens have with contested races, the more skilled they'll become at such activities as conducting unbiased candidate forums, issuing endorsements, and other parts of the process.

A sea of signage greets voters that drive into the Richland College Garland Campus to cast their votes.

As I have reported, elections in Garland typically are run by a tiny group of voters—what I call the "2-Percenter Club" of insiders (a.k.a. gatekeepers), with only candidates on the ballot that have been blessed by insider endorsements. Garland citizens lack experience in proper decorum when a race, in fact, (as it should) does draw several opponents. Citizens' lack of sophistication—and good manners—in this area never shows up quite as much as it does in behavior at the polling sites.

Because of this, I'm compelled to share some pointers for voters when they arrive to exercise their constitutional right. These guidelines can be summed up in two words—the same words that your Mama taught you from toddlerhood on—"Be Nice!"

1. Unless you're grievously pressed for time (as in a dire emergency) go down the line of candidates or their representatives. Don't avoid them. Shake the hand of each one and give them a smile. No matter what it looks like, this is not an easy job for them. By greeting them, you're NOT committing your vote either way (unless you know they're getting your vote. Then certainly quietly tell them, if you feel comfortable. That'll make their day.) But you don't have to reveal your choice to anyone. What you do once you're at the voting machine is nobody's business but yours. Thank the candidates for running. Each person has sacrificed time with his/her family, job, leisure, sleep, etc., to be a candidate for public office. They've put themselves out there for people to take potshots at. Granted, they're freely making this choice, but except for the rare narcissist, they're doing it for the citizens—for the love of city, county, state, or nation. Some of the candidates in the current November elections have been at this for a LONG time. Our city election cycle ran from February to May; then we were done. Some of these candidates in the current races we began running into on the campaign trail late last year, and the election's not over yet. That's a lot of months to be at this energizing yet at times monstrously draining endeavor. The last thing they need is more negativity from voters at the polls.

Candidates and their representatives aren't there to invite rude behavior. Take a moment to walk alongside their stations, greet them with a "Hello", and proceed on to vote. You're not committing yourself to supporting them if you just extend a friendly greeting.

If you, as a voter, experience any kind of disrespectful behavior or abuse from a candidate or his/her poll-greeter, then by all means report it to the campaign headquarters or to an election official/poll watcher inside. If someone becomes overly pushy, then pleasantly wave them on and move along to your ballot box. But if all they're doing is greeting you and asking for your vote, just smile and say thank you. Or just smile, wave, and go on about your business. But don't avoid the lineup. It might be your first time to meet a real-live candidate in a local election. If the person does happen to win and you need the individual's help later, you can say, "I met you in line at the polls" as a point of reference.

I'll never forget meeting the affable Delores Elder-Jones in the Garland mayor's race in 2012. She was greeting voters at the polls outside the Richland College Garland Campus. Her warmth and genuine smile were like a ray of sunshine. She seemed sincerely glad to meet everyone with whom she shook hands. While Delores didn't get my vote in that election (a fact she already knows), she certainly won me over. I became determined to learn more about her and now seek her counsel and insight regularly. You never know where that one greeting will go. Don't miss the opportunity. You might make a friend for life.

2. For heaven's sakes, don't duck your head, avert your eyes, turn up your nose, hurriedly lock yourself in your vehicle, and speed off, burning rubber on the way. We saw this ill behavior more times than we'd like to remember. Unfortunately, some of these examples were seen among people we mistook as close friends—who did everything they could to avoid courteous behavior. What the heck? It's just an election! No one commits a crime by the simple act of running for office. I value courtesy more than I do a single vote in an election. What would be wrong with a friendly greeting on the way to the voting booth? A "hi—how are you?" and then move on inside. Does that really hurt anyone?

"Be Nice". Some poll visitors in our experience were super courteous and made the job easier. Last spring's election taught me a lot about how to conduct one's self when visiting an election site.

Again, you don't HAVE to vote for the person. Vote your convictions, but don't be rude. If your friend is running for office, and you don't think he or she is right for the job, you can still greet, wave, and shake hands. After all, Garland always has been and still is a friendly town. True friendship should transcend the outcome of an election. Don't burn bridges on the way to the ballot box, for goodness sake. Before long, the election will be over and everyone will return to the day-to-dayness of their lives. You may need to work with that candidate again in some other setting. Coalitions form and re-form as various issues arise. Don't leave such ill-will that civil behavior after an election becomes a challenge.

And, on occasion, if you take a minute to engage with a poll-greeter or candidate, you might actually learn something. My vote once was changed by a poll-greeter who made an extremely persuasive argument for his/her position just as I was about to enter and cast my ballot for the person's opponent. That last-minute conversation, aptly delivered, persuaded me. I never regretted my decision on that vote. But had that candidate not approached me and been open to answer questions, I would have voted wrongly.

Be kind this election season, listen up, and you might be glad you did.

Lineup of campaign signs are everywhere as one approaches the Richland College Garland Campus.