David Gergen is DEAD TO ME !
David Gergen, political insider who advised four presidents of both parties, dies at 83
David Gergen, who served as a presidential adviser to four presidents of both parties and educated generations of Americans about leadership and civic engagement, has died. He was 83.
Gergen was the founding director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and a longtime political analyst for CNN. His son, Christopher Gergen, confirmed the death occurred Thursday and said the cause was Lewy body dementia, a brain disease that causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s.
Gergen was a legendary figure in Washington and beyond who brought insider knowledge and used his media platforms to promote responsible leadership. A CNN spokesperson said he was “always happy to share his wisdom and his spotlight with others.”
“A political scholar who served four presidents of both parties, an adoring father and dedicated husband, a senior statesman in every sense of the word, and a tireless educator. But above all else, David was a relentlessly kind and warm person,” the spokesperson said, adding that “our staff, contributors, and audiences are better informed because of his towering influence.”
He began his political career in the Nixon White House and later wrote that “before he self-destructed, Nixon was among the best of modern presidents.” He served as communications director on two occasions, first to Gerald Ford and then to Ronald Reagan. Ten years later, after a stint running US News & World Report and his first contract with CNN, he returned to the White House as a counselor to Bill Clinton.
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | July 14, 2025 3:13 AM
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I did a search with his name and nothing came up.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | July 13, 2025 10:00 PM
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Oh shit, Lewy body dementia. Bad way to go
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | July 13, 2025 10:01 PM
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Here's the thread about him that mentions his death (toward the end.) But you're right that there was no thread specifically about his passing.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | July 13, 2025 10:03 PM
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One less bothsiderisms spouter.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | July 13, 2025 10:08 PM
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I always admired his comb-over.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | July 13, 2025 10:10 PM
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I enjoyed when he visited MSNBC as a guest in the studio. He seemed to know his stuff.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | July 13, 2025 10:21 PM
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I had a job in college that required that I watch the news. No one wanted to watch the MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour on 13. So they left it for me! It was proclaimed boring. I actually enjoyed it.
Gergen was frequently on the show with Mark Shields and they would politely spar about Reaganism. Gergen was my foe in those because he was a Republican, but he seemed like a nice man and Shields’ friend.
Later, when republicans became more extreme, he didn’t join the slide into autocracy/plutocracy and I appreciated that. 83 is a good run but I’m sorry to read he went in a bad way (I know nothing about that illness).
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | July 13, 2025 10:39 PM
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I always liked the considered and thoughtful way he gave his commentary.
I for one will miss him. RIP.
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | July 13, 2025 10:44 PM
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[quote] Gergen was frequently on the show with Mark Shields and they would politely spar about Reaganism. Gergen was my foe in those because he was a Republican, but he seemed like a nice man and Shields’ friend.
There was actually a time in this country where both sides of the aisle actually got along while sticking to their guns. That was during the 80s, and Ronald Reagan made sure that was how Washington was going to work. They could argue in the chambers, but then everyone shared a laugh and went for pizza and a beer after work.
Everything changed in the 90s when Clinton won, and Newt Gingrich did not want the GOP working with him or with dems. He created something called 'Contract with America, and the plan was to make him a one-termer (like Bush 41)'. He caused a lot of trouble and friction with the two parties - purposely. Then Karl Rove got into the act when Bush 43 won, and bad went to worse for the past 25 years.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | July 13, 2025 11:00 PM
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Susan Dey would prefer not to get into politics unless it's Donald Trump falling down dead. Then she's all for it.
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | July 14, 2025 12:20 AM
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Robin Williams' diagnosis with Lewy Body Dementia is what led him to commit suicide.
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | July 14, 2025 12:36 AM
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I always liked Gergen. You could tell he was from North Carolina from his Southern drawl. Charlie Rose and John Edwards have the same, telling accent.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | July 14, 2025 2:55 AM
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Another moderate fence-sitter gone.
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | July 14, 2025 3:13 AM
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