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in memoriam: duer Cliff Arnebeck
i was replying to a post tonight and came across an old post from cliff back in 2013. his profile shows he hasn't posted here since 2016 but was still a member of du. then i found his obituary and a wonderful piece written about him and the work he did for election integrity. here is the obit and the opinion piece.
Clifford O. Arnebeck Jr. Obituary
Clifford O. Arnebeck, Jr.
Died December 28, 2022
NORTHPORT – Clifford Otto Arnebeck Jr., 77, of Northport, passed away Wednesday, December 28, 2022, at home.
Clifford was born January 15, 1945, in Washington, D.C., the son of Clifford Sr. and Anne Marie (Fowler) Arnebeck.
Clifford grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. He graduated from Wesleyan University and then Harvard Law School, where he met Sibley Johnson, who would become his devoted wife of fifty-two years. They were married on November 28, 1970, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
He began his legal career in Ohio, first with Ohio Bell in Cleveland and then Ohio Power Company in Canton. In subsequent private practice, he was a partner at Jones Day’s Columbus office and then Of Counsel at Chester Hoffman & Wilcox in Columbus. In 1990, he established a small law firm, Arnebeck & Christiansen, and later a solo practice, which enabled him to focus on his passion for election protection work.
He entered politics in 1990, serving as counsel for the State Senate Republicans. Also that year, he ran and lost a primary challenge to a long-serving incumbent Congressman in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. He later served as cochairman of the Coalition to End the Permanent Congress. In that role he promoted term limits and ultimately prevailed before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in a lawsuit disputing the constitutionality of taxpayer funded mailings by congressional incumbents to voters they would represent as a result of redistricting. In 1996, he was the Democratic Party nominee to the U.S. House of Representatives in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District.
In 2006, he prevailed in a lawsuit contesting the Chamber of Commerce’s financing of a 2000 campaign to defeat an Ohio Supreme Court Justice. He also spearheaded a challenge to the legitimacy of Ohio’s vote count in the 2004 presidential election and became a vocal activist in safeguarding election integrity, especially concerning electronic voting machines. A reflection on his contributions can be found at “In Memoriam: Clifford O. Arnebeck, Democracy Warrior,” Columbus Free Press, 3 January 2023, https://columbusfreepress.com/article/memoriam-clifford-o-arnebeck-democracy-warrior.
He will be remembered for his sense of adventure, his singing voice, and his faith, which inspired him to sometimes attend multiple Sunday services of various denominations.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth (Eagles) of Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, and Sarah (Hoskins) of Northport, Michigan; his brother Robert (Leslie Kuter) Arnebeck; and beloved grandchildren, Charlotte, Claire, and James.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, William Arnebeck.
A celebration of Clifford’s life will be announced in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Common Cause Ohio, PO Box 20799, Columbus, OH 43220, which carries on the fight for election integrity, and Hospice of Michigan, 10850 E. Traverse Highway, Traverse City, MI 49684.
https://www.martinson.info/obituaries/Clifford-O-Arnebeck-Jr?obId=26812255
and this wonderful piece written by bob fitrakis
In Memoriam: Clifford O. Arnebeck, Democracy Warrior
Cliff Arnebeck, who could pass for Clark Kent, transformed himself into Superman as he came to our rescue in times of democratic crisis. I first encountered Cliff when I was campaign manager during Tom Erney’s 1990 run for Chalmers Wylie’s 15th district congressional seat. Cliff also ran against Wylie in the Republican primary. I planned a series of debates where Wylie failed to attend but Cliff always showed up. Cliff was one of the most honest and forthright speakers I’d ever heard. He shared the same democratic values put forth by the Erney campaign. He wanted to get rid of the “permanent Congress” that dominated U.S. politics. We became political friends and allies on key issues.
snip
Cliff and I were two of the four attorneys who challenged the 2004 Ohio presidential election results. He was one of the original attorneys who heard the public’s testimony in hearings we held all over the state about election irregularities. As a result of the numerous election complaints, US Representative John Conyers called congressional hearings in Washington DC and Columbus, where Cliff and I testified. Conyers issued a long report on the irregularities causing the election results to be challenged in the US House and Senate.
snip
Starting in 2005, Cliff shared an office with the Columbus Free Press and independent media center. We continued to collaborate on election integrity activities including books, articles, conferences, radio shows, movies, hearings, election protection, speaking engagements and more lawsuits. Cliff and I took testimony from Michael Connell, the Bush family and Karl Rove’s IT guru responsible for the system that flipped votes in 2004, just prior to his untimely death in a small plane accident. Cliff was a tireless advocate for election reform and exposing political corruption. He represented me in court several times in my lawsuits to prevent election rigging in the state.
snip
Ultimately, Cliff began as a corporate Harvard lawyer who gave up much of his fiscal well-being to fight for democracy. Cliff passed away in December 2022 in Michigan of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
https://freepress.org/article/memoriam-clifford-o-arnebeck-democracy-warrior
and this is the link i posted from a thread he started in 2013 titled: How Karl Rove fixed the FBI investigation of his theft of the 2004 Presidential election in Ohio
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10022560634
16 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
He should be on the DU memorial page
of Clifford O. Arnebeck, orleans
And the Tribute from Bob Fitrakis.
☮️🌺🌻🕯️🕊️💜
that 2004 challenge. My BFF and I donated to that effort at the time.
Rest in power, Cliff. You left a legacy of fighting for our democracy. 