On Wednesday’s CNN Tonight, host Don Lemon took the extraordinary step of conceding that Hillary Clinton made mistakes during the election that she won’t acknowledge, but it didn’t sit well with CNN political analyst and American Urban Radio Networks White House correspondent April Ryan as she vehemently defended Clinton.
Referring to Clinton’s Wednesday interview with Anderson Cooper, Lemon admitted that he “looked up at the interview and there were I could point to probably three or four interviews that I did at Trump Tower that looked very similar, soft lighting, you know, and the setting and 50 or more probably from other networks.”
He used this observation to make this argument about Clinton’s disastrous lack of media access:
Hillary Clinton didn't do that during the election. Donald Trump would call them up and say can you do an interview, can we come to Trump Tower and he would say, yes. Hillary Clinton didn't do that during the election. He flooded the zone. She picked and chose who she wanted to do an interview with and she didn't think you were substantial enough figure or did not, you know, want to-do it. She just would -- she wouldn't do it. That's her fault. That's not the media's fault who she's blaming.
He went on to note that Trump gave interviews to ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, and even ones to Lemon himself.
“Donald Trump was on every single person who pretty much asked him for an interview which was a smart. And fought back when there were huge accusations against him. And he fought back. Listen, I have to give credit where credit is due....Hillary Clinton never, ever did that. She was too safe. She didn't hit back at him as much as she could have during the debates. That's her fault. That's not anybody else's fault but hers,” he added to Ryan’s chagrin.
Ryan muttered “wow” before both complaining that she didn’t interview Trump and defending Clinton:
RYAN: Well, let me say this. Hillary Clinton, I'm not going to say she played it safe. I'm going to say she played it the way it had been played before. Donald Trump came in like a bull in a China shop and just took it over. He changed the game and, you know, she and other people kept saying, you know, he’s not going to win, he is not going to win, but he won.
LEMON: Okay, but that's the point, April. She's playing it in a time that no longer existed.
RYAN: And it was not expected. So she played — she played the game the way it used to be played.
LEMON: Exactly.
RYAN: She played the game the way it used to be played and not only that, James Comey changed the game, too.
LEMON: Absolutely. Listen, that's all truth.
Lemon made clear that he agreed with Ryan about Comey and the like but that doesn’t absolve her from any responsibility like “read her opponent” and the electorate itself.
Nonetheless, Ryan couldn’t accept that:
LEMON: Why can't you just say that I did not run a good campaign. I ran a campaign that could have been run four years ago or eight years ago —
RYAN: People view — Don — people —
LEMON: — but not in that time.
RYAN: — political machines, successful political machines looked at this new, I don't know what you want to call them, this new candidate, this maverick. This novice who didn't have government experience coming in and he was stumbling and bumbling and talking about people, talking about size and how it mattered. And making a mockery of people in debates. But people looked at him as though he is not going to win. They under estimated him and the power of reality TV and entertainment in this sphere. That is what she had to go up against. She wanted to stay true and wanted to be that reassuring soul that you knew that you could count on. It didn't work with Donald Trump.
Later, Lemon ruled that Trump had a litany of pitfalls that he created, but “he took them head on” while Hillary Clinton didn’t. Ryan was livid at this notion of personal responsibility, repeatedly declaring that “[a]s a woman, she couldn’t.”
Lemon seemed exasperated and paused the debate for Ryan to explain herself:
LEMON: Wait. Whoa, whoa. Why not, April?
MICHAEL ISIKOFF: It is not what she did.
LEMON: Why not?
RYAN: You know. Women are held to a different standard in politics.
LEMON: That is true. In all field, but you could go on.
RYAN: Let me say — yeah, but, in politics I remember when she ran against Barack Obama the first time. They were talking about we don't want you to sound shrill. We want you to sound — we want you to say — keep your voice — It was so many different things that she had to worry about. And in this interview with Anderson Cooper, we saw she was laid back and wasn't worried about being upbeat and gentle yet kind but strong. She was herself and there’s a difference for women in power versus an everyday person or a man. She had to be this woman, wasn't shrill, who wasn't trying to be boisterous or be over his head.
LEMON: I think that is people wanted, April. I think that’s what people wanted her to do.
What came next was classic, pro-Clinton liberal media bias, which is brush aside all the women who’ve accused Bill Clinton of rape and sexual harassment:
But people — some people — but when you go to the polls this is what she was listening to from those in her campaign and this is the same way she had to attack to Donald Trump and she would have done that when she was faced with those women that Bill Clinton had issues with. That would have been a big problem. So, she had to play it down the line.
Here’s the relevant transcript from September 13's CNN Tonight with Don Lemon:
CNN Tonight with Don Lemon
September 13, 2017
10:56 p.m. Eastern
DON LEMON: Well, Matt, it's interesting sitting there having lived through it and covered both campaigns. I wasn’t on the campaign trail with him, and then just watching these interviews. And that, you know, I looked up at the interview and there were I could point to probably three or four interviews that I did at Trump Tower that looked very similar, soft lighting, you know, and the setting and 50 or more probably from other networks. Hillary Clinton didn't do that during the election. Donald Trump would call them up and say can you do an interview, can we come to Trump Tower and he would say, yes. Hillary Clinton didn't do that during the election. He flooded the zone. She picked and chose who she wanted to do an interview with and she didn't think you were substantial enough figure or did not, you know, want to-do it. She just would -- she wouldn't do it. That's her fault. That's not the media's fault who she's blaming.
(....)
LEMON: Donald Trump was on Fox. Donald Trump was on NBC. Donald Trump was on MSNBC. Donald Trump was on ABC. Donald Trump was on CBS. Donald Trump was on every single person who pretty much asked him for an interview —
LEWIS: And it's interesting —
LEMON: — which was a smart. And fought back when there were huge accusations against him. And he fought back. Listen, I have to give credit where credit is due. I'm sure initially he didn't want to do an interview with me because my last interview with him was on the night that Bin Laden was killed. And we had a huge back and forth about the birther issue and so, I spoke with him. My producer spoke with him. My booker spoke with him and we talked about it and there I was doing interviews with him. Hillary Clinton never, ever did that. She was too safe. She didn't hit back at him as much as she could have during the debates. That's her fault. That's not anybody else's fault but hers. April?
RYAN: Wow.
LEMON: It's the truth.
RYAN: Well, first of all, Don, I didn't get any -- well, wait a minute. I didn't get an interview with Donald Trump. I asked and I continued to ask and I haven't gotten one yet. So you are wrong on that piece. But let me tell you where you are right.
LEMON: Well, not exactly but go on. Go on. I take your point.
(....)
RYAN: So there was couple of things I do agree.
LEMON: And don't get me wrong.
RYAN: Yes.
LEMON: Listen, she has some very legitimate gripes and concerns.
RYAN: Yeah.
LEMON: And she should be able to tell her story. You know, the FBI, the James Comey piece —
RYAN: Exactly.
LEMON: — and all of that. But still, she didn't read her opponent and her folks didn't read it, as well, and the situation. She just simply didn't do it. Why can't you just say that I did not run a good campaign. I ran a campaign that could have been run four years ago or eight years ago —
RYAN: People view — Don — people —
LEMON: — but not in that time.
RYAN: — political machines, successful political machines looked at this new, I don't know what you want to call them, this new candidate, this maverick. This novice who didn't have government experience coming in and he was stumbling and bumbling and talking about people, talking about size and how it mattered. And making a mockery of people in debates. But people looked at him as though he is not going to win. They under estimated him and the power of reality TV and entertainment in this sphere. That is what she had to go up against. She wanted to stay true and wanted to be that reassuring soul that you knew that you could count on. It didn't work with Donald Trump.
(....)
LEMON: Donald Trump had huge headwinds and a lot of it was of his own creation as well, but — he — he — he took them head on. So, as she said, look, if instead of Bernie Sanders saying I'm sick of hearing about your damn e-mails. why didn't she say I'm sick of talking about my damn e-mails. There is nothing in the e-mails, can we move on. And she was — yes.
