Cliff Arnebeck
Encyclopedia
Cliff Arnebeck is the Chair of Legal Affairs Committee of Common Cause Ohio
and a National Co-Chair and attorney for The Alliance for Democracy.
Together with AfD founder Ronnie Dugger, Cliff Arnebeck launched the Ohio Honest Elections Campaign.
Born in 1945 in Washington, D.C., Arnebeck is the son of an officer in the Bureau of Finance of Post Office Department . Arnebeck graduated with a B.A. Wesleyan University
in 1967 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School
in 1970. He was a summer intern at Ohio Bell in Cleveland, Ohio, and after he graduated from Harvard first worked for Ohio Bell in Cleveland and then worked in the legal department for American Electric Power Company before joining the Jones, Day law firm in Columbus, Ohio.
Disenchanted with corporate legal work, he began his private practice in Columbus. From his days as student government president in high school, he had an abiding interest in politics and did some volunteer legal work for the Ohio Republican Party. In 1990 unimpressed by the 12 term congressman Chalmers Wylie who represented his district, Arnebeck challenged him in the GOP primary. Wylie solicited the help of then president George H. W. Bush
who made a television ad for Wylie who then won the primary by a wide margin. Stung by the party establishment rallying around an incompetent congressman (Wylie didn't stand for reelection), Arnebeck joined the Coalition to End the Permanent Congress founded and led by Lionel Kunst, a Kansas Democrat and uncle of the comedian and soon to become senator Al Franken
. Kunst inspired Arnebeck to forget about party labels and instead search for a means to shake up the entrenched political system.
He advised the legal team representing the Coalition at the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington in its successful challenge to stop congressmen using the franking privilege to saturate residents of new drawn districts which they did not actually represent prior to the next election. Like many others frustrated by the political gridlock preventing changed, he was a leader in the Ohio campaign for Ross Perot
's failed 1992 Presidential bid. Appalled by the micromanagement of the campaigh by Perot's staff in Houston, Arnebeck eventually challenged its legitimacy in a Washington press conference before the election In 1996 Arnebeck decided to challenge the political establishment by running for Congress as a Democrat against Wylie's successor, GOP Congresswoman Deborah Pryce. and once again lost by a large margin. Disturbed at what he perceived as the behind the scenes manipulation of the political system, he filed a suit and successfully challenged the Ohio Chamber of Commerce's financing of the campaign in 2000 to defeat Justice Alice Robie Resnick, a Democrat.
Unsuccessful as a candidate, Arnebeck realized that his vital role in reshaping American democracy was as legal watchdog during elections. The handling of the 2004 presidential election by the state Republican administration prompted Arnebeck to represent groups challenging the legitimacy of the state's vote count. Receiving no support from the Democratic Party, the suit failed to focus national attention on the vote count in Ohio. The lawsuit, known as "Moss v. Bush
", was eventually dismissed by the court. Ohio's Secretary of State filed a motion for sanction against the plaintiffs, alleging that the claim in Moss v. Bush was meritless, did not meet the standards of evidence required by law, and was brought only for partisan political purposes. but that move to impose sanctions on Arnebeck failed. Since then Arnebeck has focused on the fraudulent use of computers in counting votes, a main issue in the 2004 suit, as the major threat to American elections. When the former Bush campaign operative Michael Connell
died in a 2008 small plane crash in Ohio after being deposed by Arnebeck in his on-going suits on the 2004 election, Arnebeck has led an effort to link Karl Rove and others in the Bush 2004 campaign to the crash.
Common Cause
Common Cause is a self-described nonpartisan, nonprofit lobby and advocacy organization. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican former cabinet secretary under Lyndon Johnson, as a "citizens' lobby" with a mission focused on making U.S. political institutions more open and...
and a National Co-Chair and attorney for The Alliance for Democracy.
Together with AfD founder Ronnie Dugger, Cliff Arnebeck launched the Ohio Honest Elections Campaign.
Born in 1945 in Washington, D.C., Arnebeck is the son of an officer in the Bureau of Finance of Post Office Department . Arnebeck graduated with a B.A. Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1967 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1970. He was a summer intern at Ohio Bell in Cleveland, Ohio, and after he graduated from Harvard first worked for Ohio Bell in Cleveland and then worked in the legal department for American Electric Power Company before joining the Jones, Day law firm in Columbus, Ohio.
Disenchanted with corporate legal work, he began his private practice in Columbus. From his days as student government president in high school, he had an abiding interest in politics and did some volunteer legal work for the Ohio Republican Party. In 1990 unimpressed by the 12 term congressman Chalmers Wylie who represented his district, Arnebeck challenged him in the GOP primary. Wylie solicited the help of then president George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
who made a television ad for Wylie who then won the primary by a wide margin. Stung by the party establishment rallying around an incompetent congressman (Wylie didn't stand for reelection), Arnebeck joined the Coalition to End the Permanent Congress founded and led by Lionel Kunst, a Kansas Democrat and uncle of the comedian and soon to become senator Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
. Kunst inspired Arnebeck to forget about party labels and instead search for a means to shake up the entrenched political system.
He advised the legal team representing the Coalition at the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington in its successful challenge to stop congressmen using the franking privilege to saturate residents of new drawn districts which they did not actually represent prior to the next election. Like many others frustrated by the political gridlock preventing changed, he was a leader in the Ohio campaign for Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
's failed 1992 Presidential bid. Appalled by the micromanagement of the campaigh by Perot's staff in Houston, Arnebeck eventually challenged its legitimacy in a Washington press conference before the election In 1996 Arnebeck decided to challenge the political establishment by running for Congress as a Democrat against Wylie's successor, GOP Congresswoman Deborah Pryce. and once again lost by a large margin. Disturbed at what he perceived as the behind the scenes manipulation of the political system, he filed a suit and successfully challenged the Ohio Chamber of Commerce's financing of the campaign in 2000 to defeat Justice Alice Robie Resnick, a Democrat.
Unsuccessful as a candidate, Arnebeck realized that his vital role in reshaping American democracy was as legal watchdog during elections. The handling of the 2004 presidential election by the state Republican administration prompted Arnebeck to represent groups challenging the legitimacy of the state's vote count. Receiving no support from the Democratic Party, the suit failed to focus national attention on the vote count in Ohio. The lawsuit, known as "Moss v. Bush
Moss v. Bush
Moss v. Bush was a lawsuit filed by 37 Ohio voters challenging Ohio's certified electoral college votes in the 2004 U.S. presidential election. It was filed on 13 December 2004, and dismissed at the plaintiffs' request following the acceptance of Ohio's votes by the U.S. Congress and Senate on...
", was eventually dismissed by the court. Ohio's Secretary of State filed a motion for sanction against the plaintiffs, alleging that the claim in Moss v. Bush was meritless, did not meet the standards of evidence required by law, and was brought only for partisan political purposes. but that move to impose sanctions on Arnebeck failed. Since then Arnebeck has focused on the fraudulent use of computers in counting votes, a main issue in the 2004 suit, as the major threat to American elections. When the former Bush campaign operative Michael Connell
Michael Connell
Michael Louis Connell was a high-level Republican consultant who was subpoenaed in a case regarding alleged tampering with the 2004 U.S. Presidential election and a case involving thousands of missing emails pertaining to the political firing of U.S. Attorneys...
died in a 2008 small plane crash in Ohio after being deposed by Arnebeck in his on-going suits on the 2004 election, Arnebeck has led an effort to link Karl Rove and others in the Bush 2004 campaign to the crash.
Multimedia
- American Dream Radio: Cliff Arnebeck, lead counsel for the voters law suit in Ohio which seeks to reverse the election outcome because of widespread voting irregularities. He explains about the law suit (as opposed to the recount), discusses some of the voter suppression tactics used, and talks about the expected course of the legal wrangling. Dec. 19, 2004 at 9:25 AM(audio)
- Pacifica radio: Cliff Arnebeck explains how the Ohio vote was rigged (audio)
- C-SPAN video: Cliff Arnebeck, National Co-Chairman for the Alliance for Democracy and counsel in a lawsuit challenging the presidential election in Ohio, discusses the legal challenges to the 2004 vote in Ohio. 12/2/2004: WASHINGTON, DC: 30 min. (video, rm)
See also
- 2004 United States election voting controversies2004 United States election voting controversiesDuring the 2004 United States presidential election, concerns were raised about various aspects of the voting process, including whether voting had been made accessible to all those entitled to vote, whether ineligible voters were registered, whether voters were registered multiple times, and...
- Moss v. BushMoss v. BushMoss v. Bush was a lawsuit filed by 37 Ohio voters challenging Ohio's certified electoral college votes in the 2004 U.S. presidential election. It was filed on 13 December 2004, and dismissed at the plaintiffs' request following the acceptance of Ohio's votes by the U.S. Congress and Senate on...
- Moss v. Bush