David Mendell

Last updated

David Mendell is an American journalist who wrote for the Chicago Tribune until the summer of 2008. Mendell was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and lives in Oak Park, Illinois. During his time with the Tribune, Mendell covered the Columbine High School shootings and riots in Seattle spurred by meetings of the World Trade Organization. Mendell began covering Barack Obama on a regular basis in 2003, during Obama's U.S. Senate campaign. [1]

While covering the 2004 U.S. Senate race in Illinois, Democratic candidate and state comptroller Daniel Hynes accused Mendell of alluding in an article that Hynes' wife, Christina, was sexually attracted to Barack Obama; in the January 24, 2004 story, Mendell discussed Obama's personal charm and wrote, "Obama grabbed the hand of Christina Hynes...and then kissed her cheek prompting her to flush and smile broadly." The reference to Christina Hynes was changed in subsequent Chicago Tribune editions to "a supporter of an opponent." [2]

Mendell wrote the biography Obama: From Promise to Power , which was published in 2007. In writing the book, Mendell utilized both the first-hand research from Mendell's original reporting, as well as a wide range of interviews with Obama's aides, mentors, political adversaries and family. [3] The National Review called Obama: From Promise to Power "the single best source of background information on our new president." [4] In February 2008, Mendell received an NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Work in the Biography/Autobiography category for the book. [5]

Mendell took a buyout from the Tribune in the summer of 2008. [6]

Related Research Articles

2004 United States Senate elections Part of the U.S. elections held November 2, 2004

The 2004 United States Senate elections were held on November 2, 2004, with all Class 3 Senate seats being contested. They coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House election, as well as many state and local elections. Senators who were elected in 1998, known as Senate Class 3, were seeking re-election or retiring in 2004. This was the third consecutive election for Senate Class 3 where the Democrats either broke even or lost seats. This also marked the first time since 1980 in which a presidential candidate from either party won with coattails in the Senate. As of 2021, these are the last elections held during a Presidential election year in which the Republicans made a net gain of seats. Furthermore, this was the most recent election in which a Senate party leader lost reelection.

John Clemens Ryan is an American former investment banker and politician who was a candidate in the 2004 U.S. Senate race in Illinois. In 2000, he retired as an active partner at Goldman Sachs to teach at Hales Franciscan High School, a private Catholic high school in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood.

Barack Obama 44th president of the United States

Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician, author, and retired attorney who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the United States. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004. Outside of politics, Obama has published three bestselling books; Dreams from My Father (1995), The Audacity of Hope (2006) and A Promised Land (2020).

2004 Democratic National Convention U.S. political event held in Boston, Massachusetts

The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts for president and Senator John Edwards from North Carolina for vice president, respectively, in the 2004 presidential election.

Daniel Hynes

Daniel W. Hynes is an American politician, formerly serving as the Illinois Comptroller.

Roland Burris American politician and attorney

Roland Wallace Burris is an American politician and attorney who is a former United States Senator from the state of Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party.

<i>Dreams from My Father</i> Book by Barack Obama

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995) is a memoir by Barack Obama that explores the events of his early years in Honolulu and Chicago until his entry into Harvard Law School in 1988. Obama originally published his memoir in 1995, when he was starting his political campaign for the Illinois Senate. He had been elected as the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review in 1990. According to The New York Times, Obama modeled Dreams from My Father on Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man.

2004 United States Senate election in Illinois Election

The 2004 United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald decided to retire after one term. The Democratic and Republican primary elections were held in March, which included a total of 15 candidates who combined to spend a record total of over $60 million seeking the open seat.

Antoin Rezko is an American businessman. He was a fundraiser for Illinois Democratic and Republican politicians. After becoming a major contributor to Rod Blagojevich's successful election for governor, Rezko assisted Blagojevich in setting up the state's first Democratic administration in twenty years and as a result he was able to have business associates appointed onto several state boards. Rezko and several others were indicted on federal charges in October 2006 for using their connections on the state boards to demand kickbacks from businesses that wished to engage in dealings with the state. While the others pleaded guilty, Rezko pleaded not guilty and was tried. He was found guilty of 16 of the 24 charges filed against him and on November 23, 2011, he was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison.

Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. (1936–1982) and Stanley Ann Dunham, known as Ann (1942–1995).

Illinois Senate career of Barack Obama

Barack Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2005, when he was elected to the United States Senate. During this part of his career, Obama continued teaching constitutional law part time at the University of Chicago Law School as he had done as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004.

United States Senate career of Barack Obama Overview of Barack Obamas United States Senate career

The United States Senate career of Barack Obama began on January 3, 2005, and ended on November 16, 2008. He resigned his seat in the U.S. Senate upon being elected President of the United States. Obama won the seat in an election against Alan Keyes who replaced Republican Primary election winner Jack Ryan.

Bill Ayers 2008 presidential election controversy

During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, controversy broke out regarding Barack Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a former leader of the Weather Underground, a radical left organization in the 1970s. Investigations by CNN, The New York Times and other news organizations concluded that Obama did not have a close relationship with Ayers.

Andy Martin American politician

Anthony Robert Martin-Trigona, usually known as Andy Martin, is an American perennial candidate who has never been elected to office, running as both a Democrat and a Republican.

Public image of Barack Obama

Barack Obama, who was elected as the 44th President of the United States, has elicited a number of public perceptions regarding his personality and background. As the first African-American President of the United States, his race and culture played a prominent role, both positively and negatively. His relative youth has alternately resulted in his being praised for his freshness and criticized for his inexperience. His temperament and demeanor have been praised for perceived unflappability, but criticized for a perception of lacking emotional attachment.

Chris Lu U.S. government official

Christopher P. Lu is a Chinese American attorney and political advisor who served as the United States Deputy Secretary of Labor. He is the current nominee of President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform. He has also been nominated to serve as alternative representative to the United Nations General Assembly during his tenure as Representative for Management and Reform. He previously served as Assistant to the President and White House Cabinet Secretary for United States President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as well as the co-chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Lu graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and from Harvard Law School, where he was a classmate of Obama's.

2000 Illinoiss 1st congressional district election

The 2000 United States House of Representatives election for the 1st district in Illinois took place on November 7, 2000 to elect a representative from Illinois's 1st congressional district for the 107th United States Congress. Incumbent Democratic Representative Bobby Rush faced a primary challenge from Illinois Senator and future President Barack Obama. Rush defeated Obama 61 percent to 30 percent, with other candidates combining for the remaining nine percent. Rush later defeated his Republican opponent, Raymond Wardingley, 88 percent to 12 percent, ensuring his reelection. Subsequent to this election, Obama was elected to the Senate in 2004, and later elected President in 2008.

<i>Obama: From Promise to Power</i>

Obama: From Promise to Power is a 2007 political biography, written by David Mendell, of Barack Obama from his childhood to the announcement of his candidacy for president of the United States. The book focuses on Obama's fast rise from obscurity to the national stage, portraying it not as an unplanned phenomenon but rather as the result of a carefully crafted and calculated plan by an ambitious man. Mendell, a Chicago Tribune reporter, had covered Obama since the beginning of his campaign for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. The book utilizes both first-hand research and a wide range of interviews with Obama's aides, mentors, political adversaries, and family.

2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address

The keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention (DNC) was given by the Illinois State Senator, United States senatorial candidate, and future President Barack Obama on the night of Tuesday, July 27, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts. His unexpected landslide victory in the March 2004 Illinois U.S. Senate Democratic primary made him a rising star within the national Democratic Party overnight, and led to the reissue of his memoir, Dreams from My Father. His keynote address was well received, which further elevated his status within the Democratic Party and led to his reissued memoir becoming a bestseller.

Barack Obama served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. Before his presidency, he served in the Illinois Senate (1997–2004) and the United States Senate (2005–2008).

References

  1. Mendell, David. David Mendell (official site). Retrieved on 2009-02-18.
  2. Mendell, p. 219-222
  3. Mendell, David (14 August 2007). Amazon.com: Obama: From Promise to Power: David Mendell: Books. ISBN   978-0060858209.
  4. "All I want for Christmas...". National Review . 2008-11-26.
  5. "Winners of the 39th NAACP Image Awards" (PDF) (Press release). National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 2008-01-08. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  6. "More Trib Losses". 18 August 2008.

Bibliography