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David Gergen was an American political commentator and advisor who served in the administrations of four U.S. presidents, providing insights and guidance on various political matters. Born on May 9, 1942, in Massachusetts, Gergen held significant roles in both Republican and Democratic administrations, showcasing his ability to navigate the political landscape across party lines. He was also a professor of public service at Harvard University, where he influenced a new generation of leaders. In addition to his academic work, Gergen was a senior political analyst for CNN, contributing to public discourse on current events until his passing on July 10, 2025.
As -- again, I think white suburban voters are going to find the speech enormously appealing. And they will have a -- we have seen these fiery speeches -- fiery speeches now by the minister. But, when you look at Barack Obama speaking, you…
It was the best speech of this campaign by anybody, eloquently and thoughtfully addressing the issue of race, and also showing us a great deal about Barack Obama as a leader.
I think if he acts aggressively, as he did tonight to address it, and then moves on, Anderson, because we have spent our whole week on all these kind of issues.
I think that will help a lot. But I do think -- I hope, in the next segment, we can come back to understanding that there's a discourse, there's a conversation in the black community.
It's going to allow his rivals to feed off a lot of perceptions about what Michelle Obama said about her lack of pride in America until this campaign and other statements.
I think, if he acts aggressively, as he did tonight, to address it, and then moves on, Anderson, because we have spent our whole week on all these kind of issues.
I think he should be given the benefit of the doubt on that, Anderson.
I want to salute Mary Berry for her -- Mary's been an enormous advocate for civil rights in the country, so I respect her view.
I think it brings race and gender to the front of the conversation where -- and you know, I think it is very distracting.
I think Barack Obama had every reason to go after these comments, because they're so reminiscent of what we were hearing just after New Hampshire and going into the South Carolina primary.
It is intended. It's very clearly intended to diminish the candidacy of Barack Obama, and it was offensive because it was injecting race as a way to diminish him.
I think two things can be said about -- in a positive way about Geraldine Ferraro. First, she has also said about herself that she would not have been the vice presidential candidate, had she not been a woman.
Politicians like David Gergen
