David Gergen and Douglas Brinkley gushed over President Barack Obama during a panel discussion on Wednesday's CNN Tonight. Gergen played up the Democrat's defense of the media during his final press conference, and later claimed that Mr. and Mrs. Obama "didn't have a big scandal in eight years. That's very rare." Brinkley touted how "the press/media loves Barack Obama right now," and contended that "what's helping Barack Obama's legacy with the press is Donald Trump....By comparison, he's like St. Augustine up there talking to the flock." [video below]
USA Today's Kirsten Powers countered by spotlighting the chief executive's hostile actions towards the press: "I do think its worth reflecting a little bit on President Obama's legacy and how he interacted with the media — which really wasn't very good....Jill Abramson, the former executive editor of the New York Times, said this White House was the most secretive White House she had ever dealt with. They waged a war on whistle-blowers."
Anchor Don Lemon introduced the topic of the outgoing president's relationship with the media by underlining that "Donald Trump has been so critical of the press; and today, President Barack Obama held his final news conference — began it with a full-throated defense of the press." After playing a clip of the politician's remarks, Lemon turned to CNN Politics executive editor Mark Preston for his take. Preston first pointed out the host's own words from moments earlier: "I want to go back to what you said about it feels like it's the end of an era. And I got to tell you what: in some ways, it is, of course, because...we all experienced something very historic."
The editor continued by noting how Obama vowed to "speak up when he sees the core values of America at stake — whether that's systemic racism — you know, whether that is an effort to try to stymie the free press....He says he won't get involved in every little tax fight; but unlike other past presidents that we've seen, I think that Barack Obama is not going away."
Lemon replied by asserting, "I thought that was a direct message to the incoming...administration who's saying they may move the press corps away from the White House — and he spoke to that directly." Gergen underlined that "having the press there actually makes the White House staff more honest. It makes them more accountable. If you weren't there, you would feel like, you know, we can get away with this kind of thing."
Powers then chimed in with her counter-points. Predictably, Gergen and Brinkley defended President Obama by pointing at President-Elect Trump's battles with the media:
KIRSTEN POWERS, USA TODAY COLUMNIST: I do think its worth reflecting a little bit on President Obama's legacy and how he interacted with the media — which really wasn't very good...the White House Correspondents Association repeatedly complained to them about the lack of access. Jill Abramson, the former executive editor of the New York Times, said this White House was the most secretive White House she had ever dealt with. They waged a war on whistle-blowers, which was really — remember the whole thing with the Justice Department — you know, seizing phone records of journalists and—
GERGEN: But don't you think those things look rather small by comparison to what we're seeing—
POWERS: Well, I — actually, the thing is, I think it does affect your ability to have a principled criticism of it when you behave that way. And it started with the Bush administration; and then, it—
LEMON: I was going to say — but doesn't every administration have an adversarial relationship with the press?...
POWERS: They have an adversarial relationship; but since the Bush administration, it has been getting worse. And if you talk to White House — longstanding White House reporters, they will tell you, with the Bush administration — and then, they would actually say that the Obama administration was worse than the Bush administration in many ways, in terms of access and transparency.
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: What's helping Barack Obama's legacy with the press is Donald Trump—
POWERS: Yeah, exactly (laughs)—
LEMON: By comparison—
BRINKLEY: By comparison, he's like St. Augustine up there talking to the — the flock (panelists laugh)—
POWERS: So true.
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Brinkley also added some praise for Mr. Obama's main spokesman: "I think Josh Earnest has been a very good press secretary for the second term. He ranks as one of the better ones." He then stated that "the press/media loves Barack Obama right now...if 60 percent of the American people have an approval rating of Barack Obama, the press seems to have about an 80 percent approval rating of him right now."
Near the end of the segment, Preston acknowledged that "Barack Obama and Michelle Obama oftentimes went around the mainstream media. They would go to celebrity-type magazines; celebrity-type TV shows to deliver their message....They put out their own news briefing every week on YouTube. So, they understood how to manipulate the media." Gergen interjected his claim that "they didn't have a big scandal in eight years." Lemon gushingly replied, "Isn't that amazing? Class — a very classy family."
The transcript of the relevant portion of the panel discussion on the January 18, 2017 edition of CNN Tonight:
DON LEMON: Donald Trump has been so critical of the press; and today, President Barack Obama held his final news conference — began it with a full-throated defense of the press. Let's listen to that.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: You're not supposed to be sycophants. You're supposed to be skeptics. You're supposed to ask me tough questions. You're not supposed to be complimentary, but you're supposed to cast a critical eye on folks who hold enormous power; and make sure that we are accountable to the people who sent us here. And you have done that. And having you in this building has made this place work better.
[CNN Graphic: "Obama To Press: You Make Us Better"]
LEMON: Mark Preston, what did you read into that? Was he speaking to someone, or (laughs)—
MARK PRESTON: Well, I want to go back to what you said about it feels like it's the end of an era. And I got to tell you what: in some ways, it is, of course, because something very historic — we all experienced something very historic. But he also said during that news conference that he's going to speak up. He's going to speak up when he sees the core values of America at stake — whether that's systemic racism — you know, whether that is an effort to try to stymie the free press. And really telling as well: when — when he talks about protecting Dreamers — those children who were brought here illegally, but know nothing other than the United States as being their home. He says he won't get involved in every little tax fight; but unlike other past presidents that we've seen, I think that Barack Obama is not going away.
LEMON: No. I mean — and he's still very young when it comes to presidents.
I want to get to the Dreamers and all of that, but let's — can we talk about the press? Because I thought that was — that was a direct message to the incoming president, especially the incoming president — the administration who's saying they may move the press corps away from the White House — and he spoke to that directly.
DAVID GERGEN: Right; right — and I thought what was interesting was the central conclusion that he has reached about all this. It's not only that the press corps will stay there, because there are historic traditions and the First Amendment — but that he appreciates the fact that having the press corps in the West Wing of the White House seeing who's coming and going — but being able to interact with the White House staff and a lot of things — in the administrations I've served in — he drew the same lesson from it I did; and that is, having the press there actually makes the White House staff more honest. It makes them more accountable. If you weren't there, you would feel like, you know, we can get away with this kind of thing. But when you have to go out and answer questions every day; when you have regular news conferences, it forces the staff to look each other in the eye and say, we can't get away with this. Let's tell the truth.
LEMON: And you — they may think, in the beginning, that it's great if you can get away with everything; but in the end that ultimately undoes a lot of people, though.
KIRSTEN POWERS, USA TODAY COLUMNIST: Yeah. But I do think its worth reflecting a little bit on President Obama's legacy and how he interacted with the media — which really wasn't very good—
LEMON: No—
POWERS: And he — the White House Correspondents Association repeatedly complained to them about the lack of access. Jill Abramson, the former executive editor of the New York Times, said this White House was the most secretive White House she had ever dealt with. They waged a war on whistle-blowers, which was really — remember the whole thing with the Justice Department — you know, seizing phone records of journalists and—
GERGEN: But don't you think those things look rather small by comparison to what we're seeing—
POWERS: Well, I — actually, the thing is, I think it does affect your ability to have a principled criticism of it when you behave that way. And it started with the Bush administration; and then, it—
LEMON: I was going to say — but doesn't every administration have an adversarial relationship with the press?
POWERS: No—
LEMON: Bush was closed, and this was (unintelligible)—
POWERS: They have an adversarial relationship; but since the Bush administration, it has been getting worse. And if you talk to White House — longstanding White House reporters, they will tell you, with the Bush administration — and then, they would actually say that the Obama administration was worse than the Bush administration in many ways, in terms of access and transparency.
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: What's helping Barack Obama's legacy with the press is Donald Trump—
POWERS: Yeah, exactly (laughs)—
LEMON: By comparison—
BRINKLEY: By comparison, he's like St. Augustine up there talking to the — the flock (panelists laugh)—
POWERS: So true — yeah—
BRINKLEY: And it's —also, I think Josh Earnest has been a very good press secretary for the second term. He ranks as one of the better — better ones. So, the New York Times — its recent series; the Washington Post — the press/media loves Barack Obama right now. It's not — if 60 percent of the American people have an approval rating of Barack Obama, the press seems to have about an 80 percent approval rating of him right now—
LEMON: Yeah—
PRESTON: To Kirsten's point, though: let me — I would just add — is that the mainstream media — those here at CNN and the Associated Press and the New York Times — whatever they may be — Barack Obama and Michelle Obama oftentimes went around the mainstream media. They would go to celebrity-type magazines; celebrity-type TV shows to deliver their message. And also, their administration started at time when Twitter and instant feedback really came into full force; and they were able to command their own message. They put out their own news briefing every — every week on YouTube. So, they understood how to manipulate the media to get their message—
GERGEN: They didn't have a big scandal in eight years. That's very rare.
LEMON: Isn't that amazing? Class — a very classy family.
