Tag Teaming the Press, James Mueller's lively account of the evolution
of the press relations of Bill and Hillary Clinton, begins with the
couple's earliest student political activism in the sixties and
continues through Hillary's run for the White House in 2008. Based
largely on interviews with the journalists who covered them, the book
explains how the most powerful political couple in America learned to
handle the media-an indispensable skill for the twenty-first century
politician. Mueller shows that the Clintons honed that skill through
years of interacting with journalists_as campaign workers, as
candidates, and as candidates' spouses. He also makes clear that it is
the latter category that makes the Clintons unique among American
political couples. At various times in their more than 30 years in
politics, Bill and Hillary have fulfilled a number of roles for each
other in dealing with reporters, including lightning rod, bad cop, good
cop, and schmoozer. Mueller examines each of these roles and discusses
how the Clintons played them-sometimes winning, sometimes losing, but
always well worth watching. Written in an engaging style but based on
thorough research, Tag Teaming the Press is a valuable resource for
students of media and politics and an informative read for anyone who
cares about American democracy and the role the press plays in it.