Muller on Clinton's presidential run: 'You go, girl!' Posted June 6, 2008

In commentary aired on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition," journalism professor Judy Muller (pictured) pays tribute to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, saying that although Clinton didn't win the Democratic primary, her tenacity and work ethic serve as an inspiration to women.

Muller's piece, titled "Despite loss, Clinton's success a stride for women," argues that Clinton's real victories were in the day-to-day activities of her campaign. Muller expresses admiration for Clinton's ability to get up "every single day to hit the seemingly endless campaign trail, managing to somehow look fresh, and energized, and at the top of her game." Even though Muller says she supported "another candidate," she drew inspiration from Clinton's performance in the debates and in the many primaries, finding a little piece of her subconscious "whispering 'You go, girl!'"

This enthusiasm, Muller explains, comes from an earlier period in her career, during the 1984 presidential election. As a CBS reporter covering the Democratic convention that year, Muller recalls an emotional moment she shared with a fellow female journalist when Geraldine Ferraro took the stage at the Democratic convention as the first female vice-presidential candidate from a major political party. "The moment transcended politics," Muller says, hoping one day to have a similar experience when the first woman president is sworn in on Inauguration Day.

Muller later spoke with NPR in a June 19 broadcast about presidential hopeful Barack Obama's wife Michelle and whether they are trying to create a softer image of her.

"I think the idea that they're out to create a softer image has been created somewhat by the mass media, starting with the New York Times yesterday," Muller said. "And in fact on The View Barbara Walters held up the interview and read it to her and said, 'Is this what's going on?' And I think she kind of laughed at that. She said 'I am who I am.' I think she handled it well."

In addition to her time at CBS News, Judy Muller has worked at ABC and NPR, earning an Emmy Award and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for her work.

Commentary on Clinton
Piece about Obama 
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