Peter Daou

Peter Daou (born 1965) is a Lebanese-American political strategist, activist, and author who has advised major political figures, including Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.[2][3] He was described by The New York Times as "one of the most prominent political bloggers in the nation." The Washington Post said that his early work in digital politics helped innovate "a whole new way of campaigning."[4][5][6]

Peter Daou
Born1965 (age 54–55)[1]
Beirut, Lebanon
EducationAmerican University of Beirut
New York University
Political partyIndependent (after 9 May 2020)
Democratic (until 9 May 2020)

Early life

Daou was born and raised in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War.[7] At 15, he was conscripted by the Lebanese Forces, a Christian militia, and underwent three years of military training alongside his schooling.[8] He attended the American University of Beirut, and amid ongoing strife in Lebanon, moved to New York to study philosophy at New York University.[9][10]

Career

Music

During the 1990s, Daou was a producer and keyboardist, appearing on hundreds of remixes and recordings by artists including Björk, Frankie Knuckles, Miles Davis, Mariah Carey, and Diana Ross. A jazz pianist, he produced three #1 Billboard Club singles and was signed to Columbia Records and Universal Music Group. He toured the U.S. and Europe, and was featured in Vibe, Spin, Billboard, and Time.[11] Daou also formed The Daou, a New York City-based dance music group.[12]

Politics

Daou was an online communications adviser to the John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign. He led Hillary Clinton's digital operation in her 2008 campaign and was an outspoken Clinton advocate in 2016.[13]

During the 2020 primaries, Daou penned a widely-shared op-ed for The Nation in which he implored Democrats, progressives, and leftists to table their 2016 differences and avoid a fight over the candidacy of Bernie Sanders.[14] In November 2019, he appeared on the Sanders campaign "Hear the Bern" podcast in support of the #NotMeUs movement.[15] In March 2020 he explained on The Intercept his support for Bernie Sanders and insights gained from past experience working for the Democratic Party’s establishment.[16]

In 2019, Daou and his wife, Leela, became advisors to the progressive congressional campaigns of Lindsey Boylan (NY-10), Lauren Ashcraft (NY-12), Rebecca Parson (WA-06), and Melanie D'Arrigo (NY-03).[17]

Media

Daou served as the chief executive of Shareblue Media and the co-founder of the media platform Verrit, which was shut down in 2018.[13][18]

Daou and James Boyce claimed to have performed a founding role in the Huffington Post and said they were shut out of any profits from its sale to AOL. A suit was filed in 2010 by Daou and Boyce, which was settled in 2014.[19]

Daou is the author of Digital Civil War: Confronting the Far-Right Menace.[20][21]

References
  1. Klion, David (3 December 2019). "What Happened to Peter Daou?". The New Republic. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  2. Walters, Joanna (28 December 2017). "Vanity Fair under fire for urging Hillary Clinton to quit politics and knit instead" – via theguardian.com.
  3. Klion, David (2019-12-03). "What Happened to Peter Daou?". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  4. Hernandez, Raymond (27 June 2006). "A Well-Known Political Blogger Is Hired by the Clinton Campaign" – via nytimes.com.
  5. Vargas, Jose Antonio (4 May 2007). "Meet the OPOs" – via washingtonpost.com.
  6. "Peter Daou Discography".
  7. Klion, David (2019-12-03). "What Happened to Peter Daou?". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  8. "Rebuttal to Those Who Distort My Childhood War Experience".
  9. https://peterdaou.com/
  10. Klion, David (2019-12-03). "What Happened to Peter Daou?". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  11. "Hillary Clinton's political strategist Peter Daou was once a serious house music producer". Mixmag. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  12. "The Secret House Music Career of Peter Daou, Controversial Verrit Creator and Clinton Adviser". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  13. Horowitz, Jason (22 September 2016). "Inside Hillary Clinton's Outrage Machine, Allies Push the Buttons" – via NYTimes.com.
  14. Daou, Peter (2019-04-23). "I Was Bernie's Biggest Critic in 2016—I've Changed My Mind". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  15. Hear the Bern Episode 34 | Turkey Talk with Bernie and Peter Daou, retrieved 2019-12-03
  16. "Super Tuesday: Which Side Are You On?". About. The Intercept. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  17. McAuliff, Michael. "Democratic challenger to Rep. Jerry Nadler's seat raises more than quarter of a million dollars". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  18. Logan, Bryan (4 September 2017). "Hillary Clinton promoted a news website 'for the 65.8 million' — here's what its founder says it's all about" – via businessinsider.com.
  19. Bercovici, Jeff. "Huffington Post Founders Settle Lawsuit Over Its Origins".
  20. Kaiser, Charles (2019-05-19). "Digital Civil War review: a stark call to save American democracy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  21. "Peter Daou, "Digital Civil War: Confronting the Far-Right Menace" (Melville House, 2019)". New Books Network. 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
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