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American Morning

Interview With Michigan's First Couple

Aired January 17, 2003 - 08:14   ET

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

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


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: She has been in office less than three weeks and already Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is a rising star in the Democratic Party. Granholm's biggest supporter, though, is her husband, Daniel Mulhern. The consultant with degrees from Harvard and Yale is putting his own successful career as a consultant on hold to help take care of the governor and help raise their three children.
And Michigan's first couple joins us this morning from the governor's residence in Lansing.

Good morning to you both.

Congratulations.

GOV. JENNIFER GRAHNOLM (D) MICHIGAN: Good morning.

Thank you.

DANIEL MULHERN, GRANHOLM'S HUSBAND: Good morning, Paula.

GRANHOLM: Thank you.

ZAHN: So, Governor, I know you're just about two weeks into the job now. You've gotten a lot of national attention throughout your race, "Newsweek" calling you brainy and blond and calling you the Democrats' secret weapon.

Tell us how the first couple of weeks are going.

GRANHOLM: Well, despite that, because I think that's a bit ridiculous since I've just gotten in office for two weeks, the first couple of weeks have been great. I've, we have in this state, like many other states, we're experiencing an enormous budget deficit that we're trying to grapple with. But we will have progress despite the deficits.

ZAHN: And I know you're trying to make light of all these flattering things that are being said to you, but you probably know you have an unlikely ally in conservative columnist George Will. We know that you can't run for president because you were born in Canada. But he's saying that is a darned good reason to change the constitution to allow you to run for president some day.

GRANHOLM: Well, I don't know if he was really referring to me. Probably not. But I appreciate the notion. But frankly I'm kind of relieved that that's not the case, because we have a big job to do here in Michigan. Here, I've got a much better ally in the man that's sitting next to me.

ZAHN: Well, let's talk to that man right now.

Daniel, your wife has said some very nice things about you in public. During her inaugural address she referred to you as her utterly selfless husband.

What made you decide to go ahead and stop the consulting business and stay at home?

MULHERN: Well, this is just a huge challenge for Jennifer and for the people of the State of Michigan and we're partners. And I thought the best thing I could do is to make it my number one priority to be behind her, to support her, care for her and to support my kids. So it's really just a huge moment, I think, for people in Michigan, and it's a huge moment for us and I wanted to be there.

So I loved my work. I was, I hope, pretty good at it. But this is just a shift. It's still leadership, just in a different domain.

ZAHN: I know you're not so comfortable with the titles first spouse, first husband, and you actually recently held a forum on not well defined roles for men in this country, particularly those who hold down untraditional roles. What did you learn from that experience?

MULHERN: Well, the most powerful learning at the end of it, Paula, we had a panel of 15 men from a couple of young fathers trying to do it on their own, a couple of widowers, some guys like me, married to very public powerful women.

The biggest lesson in the end was that it wasn't about sacrifice, even as Jennifer described me, but this incredible opportunity that men have in this era that our fathers didn't have because of the economic and social expectations that were laid on them. So we have an opportunity to truly celebrate, as Americans, what's happening, that the world has opened to women. And as spouses that it's open to our wife.

I mean I'm sitting next to the most talented leader I think I've ever seen, and I've been an executive coach, worked with a lot of people. To be able to savor and celebrate that success is extraordinary. And I have a relationship with my children that's, you know, that I wouldn't trade for a million dollar job, to be president of Microsoft. I don't care what, I wouldn't give it away. I just wouldn't. So...

GRANHOLM: See what I mean? Isn't he the greatest?

ZAHN: Well, that is so nice to hear.

MULHERN: So, you know, that...

ZAHN: I know that that will be empowering for a lot of men out there that have made that same decision. In closing, Governor, we know that it is a challenge for both of you to maintain privacy for your children. But let's talk politically just for a closing question, what you think is the single biggest political challenge that lies ahead for you.

GRANHOLM: Well, clearly, for me in the immediate future, it is grappling, like so many other governors are grappling, with the economic woes of these states. We were all hoping to see some federal relief. That apparently is not coming. So we just hope that all of these governors who are grappling will be able to provide the basic services to our citizens and not have to cut things that really are painful.

ZAHN: Well, it's so nice for both of you to take a little time away from your own children this morning to be with us.

Governor Jennifer Granholm, again, congratulations.

GRANHOLM: Thank you.

ZAHN: Daniel Mulhern, I hope you know how -- I'm trying to think of what the word is -- you're setting a new bar for men out there. Are you a little bit nervous about the standard your setting here?

GRANHOLM: It's the greatest.

MULHERN: I'm not setting a standard. I'm living like a lot of normal people in two family households who are trying to make it work. And just trying to celebrate it, learn from it, move on. So if I can help in that, boy, I'm happy to do that, Paula.

ZAHN: We wish you both the best of luck.

Thank you again for joining us this morning.

GRANHOLM: Thank you.

MULHERN: Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 17, 2003 - 08:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: She has been in office less than three weeks and already Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is a rising star in the Democratic Party. Granholm's biggest supporter, though, is her husband, Daniel Mulhern. The consultant with degrees from Harvard and Yale is putting his own successful career as a consultant on hold to help take care of the governor and help raise their three children.
And Michigan's first couple joins us this morning from the governor's residence in Lansing.

Good morning to you both.

Congratulations.

GOV. JENNIFER GRAHNOLM (D) MICHIGAN: Good morning.

Thank you.

DANIEL MULHERN, GRANHOLM'S HUSBAND: Good morning, Paula.

GRANHOLM: Thank you.

ZAHN: So, Governor, I know you're just about two weeks into the job now. You've gotten a lot of national attention throughout your race, "Newsweek" calling you brainy and blond and calling you the Democrats' secret weapon.

Tell us how the first couple of weeks are going.

GRANHOLM: Well, despite that, because I think that's a bit ridiculous since I've just gotten in office for two weeks, the first couple of weeks have been great. I've, we have in this state, like many other states, we're experiencing an enormous budget deficit that we're trying to grapple with. But we will have progress despite the deficits.

ZAHN: And I know you're trying to make light of all these flattering things that are being said to you, but you probably know you have an unlikely ally in conservative columnist George Will. We know that you can't run for president because you were born in Canada. But he's saying that is a darned good reason to change the constitution to allow you to run for president some day.

GRANHOLM: Well, I don't know if he was really referring to me. Probably not. But I appreciate the notion. But frankly I'm kind of relieved that that's not the case, because we have a big job to do here in Michigan. Here, I've got a much better ally in the man that's sitting next to me.

ZAHN: Well, let's talk to that man right now.

Daniel, your wife has said some very nice things about you in public. During her inaugural address she referred to you as her utterly selfless husband.

What made you decide to go ahead and stop the consulting business and stay at home?

MULHERN: Well, this is just a huge challenge for Jennifer and for the people of the State of Michigan and we're partners. And I thought the best thing I could do is to make it my number one priority to be behind her, to support her, care for her and to support my kids. So it's really just a huge moment, I think, for people in Michigan, and it's a huge moment for us and I wanted to be there.

So I loved my work. I was, I hope, pretty good at it. But this is just a shift. It's still leadership, just in a different domain.

ZAHN: I know you're not so comfortable with the titles first spouse, first husband, and you actually recently held a forum on not well defined roles for men in this country, particularly those who hold down untraditional roles. What did you learn from that experience?

MULHERN: Well, the most powerful learning at the end of it, Paula, we had a panel of 15 men from a couple of young fathers trying to do it on their own, a couple of widowers, some guys like me, married to very public powerful women.

The biggest lesson in the end was that it wasn't about sacrifice, even as Jennifer described me, but this incredible opportunity that men have in this era that our fathers didn't have because of the economic and social expectations that were laid on them. So we have an opportunity to truly celebrate, as Americans, what's happening, that the world has opened to women. And as spouses that it's open to our wife.

I mean I'm sitting next to the most talented leader I think I've ever seen, and I've been an executive coach, worked with a lot of people. To be able to savor and celebrate that success is extraordinary. And I have a relationship with my children that's, you know, that I wouldn't trade for a million dollar job, to be president of Microsoft. I don't care what, I wouldn't give it away. I just wouldn't. So...

GRANHOLM: See what I mean? Isn't he the greatest?

ZAHN: Well, that is so nice to hear.

MULHERN: So, you know, that...

ZAHN: I know that that will be empowering for a lot of men out there that have made that same decision. In closing, Governor, we know that it is a challenge for both of you to maintain privacy for your children. But let's talk politically just for a closing question, what you think is the single biggest political challenge that lies ahead for you.

GRANHOLM: Well, clearly, for me in the immediate future, it is grappling, like so many other governors are grappling, with the economic woes of these states. We were all hoping to see some federal relief. That apparently is not coming. So we just hope that all of these governors who are grappling will be able to provide the basic services to our citizens and not have to cut things that really are painful.

ZAHN: Well, it's so nice for both of you to take a little time away from your own children this morning to be with us.

Governor Jennifer Granholm, again, congratulations.

GRANHOLM: Thank you.

ZAHN: Daniel Mulhern, I hope you know how -- I'm trying to think of what the word is -- you're setting a new bar for men out there. Are you a little bit nervous about the standard your setting here?

GRANHOLM: It's the greatest.

MULHERN: I'm not setting a standard. I'm living like a lot of normal people in two family households who are trying to make it work. And just trying to celebrate it, learn from it, move on. So if I can help in that, boy, I'm happy to do that, Paula.

ZAHN: We wish you both the best of luck.

Thank you again for joining us this morning.

GRANHOLM: Thank you.

MULHERN: Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com