Dan, many years ago — I mean, like 30 or 40 — George Will observed that a congressional staff takes on the characteristics of the boss. If the boss is obliging and folksy, the staff tends to be that too. If the boss is highhanded and rude, the staff tends to be that too. Surely this applies in fields beyond politics.
I couldn’t help thinking of it when watching the video of President Obama’s press secretary you linked to. I had never seen him in action: snide, sniffy, supercilious, insulting. Perfect.