Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday will release his book, “The Courage to be Free,” to much anticipation ahead of his expected plunge into the 2024 presidential race. But it’s not the first time DeSantis has dabbled in authorship to jumpstart his political ambitions.
As a little-known Navy prosecutor on the cusp of a bid for a Jacksonville-area congressional seat, DeSantis in 2011 released the audaciously titled “Dreams from Our Founding Fathers.” He has joked that the book – from an obscure publisher that mostly dealt in children’s titles and a thriller series produced by a middle school principal – received little acclaim and was “read by about a dozen people.”
Unlike most entries in the political genre, it’s not a memoir and its autobiographical content is sparse. Rather, it’s a lengthy critique of Barack Obama’s political ascent and presidency, affixed on the hypothesis that the policies and philosophies of the country’s first Black executive diverged dramatically from the “enduring truths that the Constitution’s creators relied upon when they framed America’s foundational document.” It litigates the case by contrasting the then-president’s beliefs and background (pulling often from the Democrat’s own best-selling 1995 autobiography, “Dreams from My Father”) with the writings of the Founding Fathers.
It’s an instructive window into DeSantis’ governing beliefs, which at times seem to collide with his current leadership style but may soon inform his platform as he seeks higher office. It shows the early seeds of his disdain for the media, strongly suggests Christianity is foundational to the Constitution and demonstrates his early willingness to buck establishment forces in his own party.
As was the time, the book also serves as a full-throated defense of the tea party movement while eviscerating the Affordable Care Act,…
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