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JFK Honored; Steinem Co-Founded Ms. Magazine

Aired November 20, 2013 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there. I'm Brooke Baldwin, with you today from Washington, for this special edition of CNN NEWSROOM.

In his inaugural address here, the late president, John F. Kennedy, implored a new generation to pursue public service. Just a short time ago, four Americans, each of whom answered Kennedy's challenge, paid tribute to his life and memory -- President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama. In their own ways, all are icons. And all are older now than Kennedy was when 50 years ago this Friday the young president's life was cut short by an assassin. These are pictures from Arlington National Cemetery, the grave site of John F. Kennedy.

There you see the image from moments ago, the president, the first lady there, the Clintons, plus members of the Kennedy family, all paying tribute to the late President John F. Kennedy who was struck down in Dallas 50 years ago this Friday.

Also today, here in Washington, President Obama honored 16 people with the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Kennedy, in fact, established that award 50 years ago. Much more on that in a moment. And we'll be speaking live to one of the recipients.

But first, I want to begin with more on the wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. So with me now from Cambridge, Massachusetts, another American who answered Kennedy's call, David Gergen, CNN's senior political analyst and an adviser to four previous presidents.

So, David Gergen, nice to see you today. Let's just begin with those images we just played here on CNN. What are your thoughts as we witnessed that moment at Arlington?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, in many ways, you know, when Kennedy was inaugurated, he said it was the passing of the torch. And I think today we saw the passing of the torch to a new generation. And it was a generation that is very closely tied to President Kennedy. You know, of course, President Obama was born during the Kennedy presidential years.

But Bill Clinton was especially close to him. Remember, he met him at Boys (ph) State. And there's this fantastic picture of Kennedy reaching out and touching the fingers of Bill Clinton. It was almost sort of like God touching Moses on the Sistine Chapel, certainly from Clinton's point of view. That was a very inspiring moment for Bill Clinton. And he modeled much of his life and he answered the call to service. And when he became president -- Larry Sabato from the University of Virginia has just published a book about the Kennedy legacy and how it's influenced various presidents. And it turns out, Bill Clinton was more influenced than anybody else, with the exception of Lyndon Johnson. He talked about him more, he referred to him more than anybody else. He wrapped himself in the Kennedy mantel because he was -- he's such a strong believer in what Jack Kennedy represented.

BALDWIN: As you talk, David, about the influences and as of the preverbal passing of the torch, can you articulate what the Kennedy legacy is today?

GERGEN: Well, it had an enormously shattering effect upon our -- this earlier generation of which I was a part. I was in the university library when it happened and -- as a student. And it - I think at first there was a sense of a loss of innocence. But over time, Kennedy has come to represent an idealistic approach to public policy. It was sort of almost a west wing approach to public life. And that is, that politics could be noble, even though it has its darker moments and darker sides, politics is a noble undertaking. Public service is a noble undertaking.

President Kennedy, you remember, began the Peace Corps. It was that call to service that he frequently issued that brought so many people into public life. We have a whole wave of people now retiring from civil service in Washington who first came in because of President Kennedy. And it was -- he made the call that a Bill Clinton answered. So I think that call remains. So people still wear buttons, you know, saying, "ask not" from a famous line from his inaugural address. And there -- the new generation that -- of today, I think, is entering Kennedy's call in ways that we haven't seen for a long time. There's an outburst of idealism and a desire for service on college campuses across the country with the new millennial generation.

BALDWIN: Absolutely. Absolutely. That philanthropic nature.

David Gergen, I want to come back to you. But I would like to go to our senior White House correspondent, Brianna Keilar, who's standing by.

And, Brianna, just listening to David Gergen talking about the enormous influence specifically of John F. Kennedy on Bill Clinton, can you tell me just the intricacies of these White House arrangements with the Clintons to be there at Arlington today? And do we know why the Clintons?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is fascinating. We have been told by a source familiar with the arrangements that it was actually President Obama's idea not just to have the Clintons to Arlington Cemetery for the wreath laying, but this source tells our White House producer, Rachel Streitfeld, that it was also President Obama's desire to have Clinton here today for the Medal of Freedom. You mentioned, Brooke, that this was something that President Kennedy established.

And it really just speaks, I think today, to this iconic imagery in a way that you're seeing, so much nostalgia because you have these different generations, as you heard David Gergen mentioning. You have obviously President Kennedy being honored. And you also have Bill Clinton, who cast such a long shadow for so many Democrats. President Obama there today, and also by Clinton's side, his wife Hillary Clinton, who at this point is considered the front runner in the Democratic pack, even though she hasn't said she's throwing her hat in the ring for 2016. It's sort of, I guess, if you will, this different - I guess sort of a legacy in a way that you're seeing play out today here in the Washington area.

BALDWIN: Uh-huh. Brianna, thank you.

And, David Gergen, you told me the story of where you were when you heard the news. And you talk about the -- wanting to answer the call to service as one legacy of President Kennedy. But I'm curious, you know, sitting here in Washington, this is such a city divided, just politically, but is there something, do you think, that people of all political stripes, in addition to answering that call to service, that everyone could learn from?

GERGEN: Well, I thought the Medal of Freedom ceremony today was one of those rare special moments in which we pulled back from the day-to-day brawling of Washington and recognize and honor people from all walks of life in America. It's notable, I think, that President Kennedy called it the Medal of Freedom because that was such an important concept to him.

But this is a uniting kind of experience and it reminds us, we can have that. And as I was watching this today, Brooke, you know, you thought it was almost like, if you were in London, this would be the queen knighting various people. So we'd have Sir Bill and Madam Oprah, maybe.

But that -- there has that - there's a symbolism about bringing people together periodically that I think really helps. And it's also important to - what -- you know, President Kennedy was the first television president. And his assassination changed television. It became a much more universal way of understanding and seeing things. And his assassination drew us around on national hearth and we were all together.

And I think now we're going through these memories of his assassination and this memorial week we're having. And I do think that there's something that reminds us, even amidst all of our huge differences now, sharp differences, that there are moments and there are reasons why, you know, we still are one people.

BALDWIN: Why we should be coming together, especially on weeks like this.

GERGEN: Yes.

BALDWIN: David Gergen, thank you so much.

GERGEN: Thanks, Brooke. Thank you.

BALDWIN: And Brianna Keilar for us at the White House, really appreciate it.

Three gunshots 50 years ago, and America changed forever. Please watch "The Assassination of JFK" tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

And as David Gergen was just discussing, not only are we remembering the anniversary of JFK's death, but this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. So significant here because President Kennedy established this award back in 1963 when he signed the executive order for the nation's highest civilian honor. And when you look at the list today, this year here, the 50th anniversary of honoring these exceptional individuals and the recipients, it's pretty impressive. So let me just run down this list here.

First you have former President Bill Clinton. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Music legend Loretta Lynn and Arturo Sandoval. Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks. And feminist author Gloria Steinem, also founder of "Ms. Magazine." And President Obama, he said that the Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives, really, to enriching others. And here's just a sampling from this morning's ceremony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He doesn't stop. He's helped lead relief efforts after the Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake. His foundation and global initiative have helped to save or improve the lives of literally hundreds of millions of people. And, of course, I am most grateful for his patience during the endless travels of my secretary of state. So I'm grateful, Bill, as well, for the advice and counsel that you've offered me on and off the golf course, and most importantly for your life-saving work around the world, which represents what's the very best in America. So, thank you so much, President Clinton.

Early in Oprah Winfrey's career, her bosses told her she should change her name to Susie (ph). I have to pause here to say, I got the same advice. They didn't say I should be named Susie, but they suggested I should change my name. People can relate to Susie. That's what they said. It turned out, surprisingly, that people could relate to Oprah just fine. In more than 4,500 episodes of her show, her message was always, you can, you can do and you can be, and you can grow, and it can be better.

And speaking of game-changers, disrupters, there's a young girl named Gloria Steinem, who arrived in New York to make her mark as a journalist, and magazines only wanted her to write article like "how to cook without really cooking for men." Gloria noticed things like that. She's been called a champion noticer. She is alert to all the ways, large and small, that women had been and, in some cases, continue to be treated unfairly just because they're women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: There she was on the dais at the White House. And we will be talking live with Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Gloria Steinem in just a moment. Stay right here. You are watching CNN.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I would like to do is invite our honorees to just sit there and let all of us stand and give you a big round of applause.

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BALDWIN: What a proud moment there inside the White House just a couple hours ago today as President Obama honored 16 Americans with the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. So just to put this in perspective, this is the nation's highest civilian honor. It is awarded to individuals who have broken barriers, who have made significant impacts on our nation. And I should tell you that this ceremony is especially significant this year because it comes during the 50th anniversary of the year the medal was established by President John F. Kennedy. And one of today's recipients, certainly no stranger to making history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gloria Steinem has been at the forefront of the fight for equality and social justice for more than four decades. Instrumental to a broad range of initiatives and issues from establishing "Ms." magazine and "take our daughters to work day," to pushing for women's self-empowerment and the end to sex trafficking. She has promoting lasting political and social change in America and abroad. Through her reporting and speaking, she has shaped debates on the intersection of sex and race, brought critical problems to national attention, and forged new opportunities for women in media. Gloria Steinem continues to move us all to take up the cause of reaching for a more just tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Trail blazing author, editor, feminist activist Gloria Steinem. She has traveled the world speaking out about issues of gender and social equality. Back in 1972, she cofounded, you just heard, "Ms." magazine, where, as editor, she helped change how women thought about themselves. And this morning, the president of the United States calling Steinem a champion noticer. Said because of her work, more women are afforded the respect and opportunities they deserve. Gloria Steinem joins me live right now with that Medal of Honor right around her neck that at the White House.

Ms. Steinem, it is truly an honor to have you here with me. Thank you so much.

Let me begin with this. You know, once upon a time, certain Americans probably considered you public enemy number one. I mean they -- some perceived you as this threat to societal order. And here you are at the White House. What was it like up there on that dais when you received the medal? GLORIA STEINEM, MEDAL OF FREEDOM HONOREE: You know, I'm going to have to think about it for a long time to fully understand the feeling because, first of all, it's (INAUDIBLE) so many medals are given in war time. (INAUDIBLE) it came from a president that especially gives it meaning, that has been a champion of reproductive freedom as a fundamental human right and himself has broken barriers. And finally, it's very clear that this is a movement medal. You know, this is for an entire movement. So, you know, it could not possibly be more meaningful to me.

BALDWIN: As a movement medal and given everything that you have achieved really in your lifetime, you know, reading about you and knowing who you are, you have said, Gloria Steinem, that America was not ready to elect a woman president in 2008. Times may be changing come 2016. Do you think that might happen?

STEINEM: Yes, I think so. I didn't -- not that I'm omniscient, but I did not think that the country was ready in 2008 because I think so many of us are raised as children by women that we come to associate female authority with childhood and we don't -- we aren't necessarily able to picture it and trust it in public life. But I do think that the efforts of huge, huge numbers of women who have taken the risk and the -- you know, just the adventure of getting out there and showing that women must be in authority, otherwise we've neglected half our talent, and that means that we are accustomed now to understanding that women can be in authority. And also, that men can be in child rearing, can be nurturing, can -- you know, this is the deepest revolution.

BALDWIN: Yes. I would like to get to men in just a moment with you, Gloria Steinem. But first you mentioned, you know, women in roles of authority. And in preparing for this, I really -- actually the name that came to my mind was Marissa Mayer, Yahoo!'s CEO, right? She has made headlines recently, especially for this. we have the picture of her, this provocative spread in "Vogue" magazine. You know, some saying she should not be maybe as sexy as she appeared here. What kind of persona should a female CEO embody today?

STEINEM: Whoever she is, there are no shoulds (ph). You know, I mean we're supposed to be -- we're most creative and most trustworthy when we are our authentic selves. It is not, needless to say, about biology or about race. It is about consciousness. So you can have women who are against, as we saw with Sarah Palin, the issues that the majority of women support, and you can have members of racial or other ethnic groups that are - so, you know, it's not a condition of birth. It's a condition of consciousness. And when the consciousness goes together with the experience, so people know what it's like to grow up in this country and be treated as a female human being, to be treated as a person of color or a gay person or a transgender person, you know, then it's truly glorious because you have the expertise and the authenticity coming together.

BALDWIN: Just going to let that truck roll right past you, so I want to hear you.

What about, though, what we women are doing wrong? Because maybe a lot has changed when we talk about the potential for a female president in the last eight, you know, or so years. But when it comes to the business world, when it comes to media, home, Hollywood, what do you think is still holding women back in 2013?

STEINEM: Well, obviously, you know, how long do we have? You know, I mean we still don't even have equal pay for equal work. If we did, there would be $200 billion more in the economy. Women of color are doubly discriminated against, many times women. And, you know, I hardly know where to begin about what's holding us back. And, of course, we have to be able to decide when and whether to have children. And there are many state legislatures not controlled by the majority but by special interests who are trying to take that away.

But when you have a front lash, you have a backlash, you know? I mean there are a lot of people who, when they think about a leader or a decision maker, can only see a white guy who's heterosexual. You know, they're - I mean they're threatened by this.

But the good news is that the majority of Americans support it. The majority of Americans just need to take back our state legislatures. Most Americans don't know who their state legislators are. We have to pay as much attention to the states, at least, as we do to Washington.

BALDWIN: Final question, and then I'll let you go and marinate in this Medal of Honor that's around your neck. But, men. I know that we have talked a lot about men and paternity leave in recent history and also the fact that many of them aren't taking the time that they need. That there is perhaps a stigma that they should not do that. What needs to change?

STEINEM: Well, obviously, we need -- it needs to be parental leave taken by both men and women. We have a good example in Sweden and other European countries. But in a deep sense, unless children grow up when they're little knowing that men can be loving and nurturing, just as women can, they replicate these limited roles as they grow up. They think if they're men, they can't be loving and nurturing. They must be in authority or in control. And if they're women, they have to be. They can't be -- you know, it's so, so important that we both see women in authority outside the home and men inside the home, so we finally get to a place where we can use all of our very unique, individual human talent and see ourselves as human beings. You know, in old -- many, many old languages, didn't even have he and she. Human beings were human beings.

BALDWIN: Right. Yes.

STEINEM: So we're trying to get there again. So we can see both the uniqueness of the individual and the shared humanity of us all.

BALDWIN: We are getting deep here, but I appreciate it. Gloria Steinem, thank you so much, and, again, congratulations.

STEINEM: Thank you. Thank you.

BALDWIN: Other news today. Once the target of so many late-night laughs, George W. Bush finally got a chance to return a few barbs himself last night on the late -- "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." While the former president mostly stays out of the spotlight lately, he said he made a special exception for Leno.

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JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": I was actually pleasantly surprised you accepted our invitation.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Only because of you.

LENO: Well, thank you. That's very kind. That's very kind.

BUSH: I mean, you're about to head out to pasture.

LENO: Yes.

BUSH: Just wanted to see what you look like before you got to the gate.

LENO: Well, thank you. That's very kind. (INAUDIBLE). Now, I know you've avoided talking policy for the last six or seven years. Explain why.

BUSH: I don't think it's good for the country to have a former president criticize his successor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Laura Bush later joined her husband. The conversation turned to his recent heart complication.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: When the president had that heart scare, how scary was that?

LAURA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY: It was scary.

LENO: Yes.

L. BUSH: It was very scary.

LENO: Yes.

L. BUSH: But --

G. BUSH: I wasn't as scared.

LENO: Was it -- you had Obamacare?

G. BUSH: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The former president also had a gift for Leno. Painted him. Apparently the president's been spending some time with, you know, some brush and some paint. What do you think? President Bush has taking up painting ever really since leaving the White House.

And this. Was it a one hit wonder or a one hit disaster? Another blow for Toronto's crack-smoking mayor. Find out why TV executives pulled the plug on Mayor Ford's brand new TV show.

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