Howard Rich: Difference between revisions
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{{POV|date=February 2008}} |
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'''Howard Rich''' is a [[libertarian]], who has made his mark as real estate developer in [[New York City]]. |
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Mr. Rich is a contributing writer to the [[website Townhall.com]]http://townhall.com/columnists/HowieRich |
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Rich's political activity is focused on [[voter intimidation]]<ref>http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Group_targets_liberal_donors.html?showall</ref> and financing [[ballot initiative]]s in numerous states. Issues include restrictions on [[regulatory taking]] and [[eminent domain]], [[term limit]]s for judges and legislators, and state spending limits modeled after [[Colorado]]'s [[Taxpayer Bill of Rights]]. |
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Rich holds (or has held) leadership positions with the following organizations: [[Americans for Limited Government]], the [[Cato Institute]], [[SocialSecurityChoice.org]], and [[U.S. Term Limits]].<ref>[http://www.stealthpacs.org/agent.cfm?agent_id=445#2 StealthPacs.org | Selected Affiliations of Howard Rich<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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==History== |
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Rich has financed numerous initiatives since 1992. |
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2006 has been called a "breakout year" for Rich's financial involvement in states' initiative processes; Rich spent over $15 million to back measures in 14 states in 2006.<ref>{{cite news |
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|author=Hogan, Dave and Betsy Hammond |
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|title=N.Y. cash colors Oregon ballot |
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|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/115474653084000.xml?oregonian?lcpltop&coll=7 |
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|work=The Oregonian |
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|date=August 5, 2006 |
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|accessdate=2006-12-26 |
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}}</ref><ref>[http://www.howierichexposed.com/updates.php#1203-maine HowieRichExposed.com], citing Wall Street Journal article, below.</ref> Of the 35 measures he backed, |
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only one passed.<ref>[http://www.howierichexposed.com/updates.php#1116-success Howie Rich from New York City<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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==Controversy== |
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Rich is not known to seek out public attention,<ref> |
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{{cite news |
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|author=Cooper, Christopher |
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|title=How Mr. Rich Spreads The Republican Word |
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|url=http://users1.wsj.com/lmda/do/checkLogin?mg=wsj-users1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB116286042216815062.html%3Fmod%3Delection_primary_hs |
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|work=The Wall Street Journal |
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|accessdate=2006-12-21}}</ref> but he has received it nonetheless. |
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Initiative petitions backed by Rich have run afoul of state law in Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. In five cases, state courts or elections officials have disqualified or modified initiatives or declared thousands of signatures invalid due to fraudulent signature-gathering techniques or constitutional problems.<ref>{{cite news |
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|author=Dennison, Mike |
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|title=Election 2006 / Initiative ruling stands |
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|url=http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/10/27/news/mtregional/news08.txt |
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|work=Missoulian |
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|date=October 27, 2006 |
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|accessdate=2006-12-26 |
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}}</ref> |
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State officials and other interested parties in various states have taken notice of the influence of out-of-state money into the ballot initiative process, and are working to protect systems originally designed for a more populist purpose.<ref>{{cite news |
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|author=Florio, Gwen |
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|title=State officials push overhaul of initiative process |
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|url=http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/NEWS01/612190303/1002 |
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|work=Great Falls Tribune |
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|date=December 19, 2006 |
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|accessdate=2006-12-26 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |
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|author=Hogan, Dave and Betsy Hammond |
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|title=N.Y. cash colors Oregon ballot |
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|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/115474653084000.xml?oregonian?lcpltop&coll=7 |
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|work=The Oregonian |
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|date=August 5, 2006 |
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|accessdate=2006-12-26 |
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}}</ref> |
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In 2006, Governors [[Ted Kulongoski]] (of [[Oregon]]) and [[Brian Schweitzer]] (of [[Montana]]) challenged Rich to debate legislation he had backed in each of their states, but Rich did not accept.<ref> |
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{{cite news |
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|author=Dennison, Mike |
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|title=Governor wants CI-97 debate |
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|url=http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/09/09/news/state/45-gov.txt |
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|work=Billings Gazette |
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|date=September 9, 2006 |
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|accessdate=2006-12-21 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |
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|author=Editorial |
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|title=Spotlighting Rich |
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|url=http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/08/31/ed.edit.m48debate.0831.p1.php?section=opinion |
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|work=Eugene Register-Guard |
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|date=[[August 31]], [[2006]] |
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|accessdate=2006-12-29}}</ref> |
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On October 15, 2008, fillmaker [[William Friedkin]] wrote an entry on the [[Huffington Post]] website responding to a letter he received from an organization called "Americans for Limited Government Foundation" and signed by Rich as the putative chairman. The letter claimed that Rich had been targeted by "a new left-wing organization" and that Rich and his organization would now monitor supporters of such groups in response. The letter stated that since Friedkin was "a donor to one or more of these organizations" his name would be tracked in connection with future illegal activity by other groups they were tracking, and even seemed to threaten to attempt to link Friedkin to criminal actions such as voter fraud. Friedkin responded on the site with an open letter challenging the assertion that he was a supporter of such "left-wing organizations" other than a contribution to a single Democratic Presidential candidate and attacking Rich's seeming attempt to suppress political debate and dissent. The letter went on to mention both positive and negative things Friedkin found on various internet postings about Rich, and closed with an apparent comparison of Rich's techniques to [[Joseph McCarthy]] by quoting the famous [[Joseph Welch]] line "Sir, have you no shame?" |
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<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-friedkin/right-wing-intimidation-h_b_135015.html</ref> |
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== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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* {{cite web |
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|url=http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/238/ |
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|title=Taking the Initiative |
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|work=NOW with Bill Moyers |
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|publisher=PBS |
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|date=[[September 22]], [[2006]] |
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}} |
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* [http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/115612893156170.xml&coll=7&thispage=1 Oregonian story, August 2006] covers Americans for Limited Government |
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*{{cite news |
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|author=Editorial |
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|title=That's no on 9 of 10 |
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|date=[[October 20]], [[2006]] |
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|url=http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/10/20/ed.edit.measures.1020.p1.php?section=opinion |
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|publisher=Eugene Register-Guard |
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}} |
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* [http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/116019692198730.xml&coll=7 Oregonian story, October 2006] covers Citizens in Charge, and their TaBOR-related public records requests in 7 states |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rich, Howard}} |
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[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:People from New York]] |
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[[Category:Direct democracy activists]] |
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[[Category:American politicians]] |
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{{US-politician-stub}} |
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