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Who is Peter Lewis?
Accuracy In Media ^ | December 3, 2003 | Arne Steinberg

Posted on 12/03/2003 1:51:25 PM PST by walford

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Who is Peter Lewis?

By Arne Steinberg


December 3, 2003


Billionaires Peter Lewis and George Soros have each pledged $10 million to America Coming Together, a newly formed political organization designed to defeat President Bush in the next presidential election. But who is Peter Lewis, the less well known of these two money men?

A billionaire, Lewis is the chairman and chief executive officer of Progressive Corporation, the fourth-largest U.S. personal auto insurer, which insures high-risk motorists who can’t get insurance anywhere else. Stories in the media depict Lewis as a philanthropist who has given $50 million to the Guggenheim Museum in New York and $55 million to his alma mater, Princeton University. But what are they leaving out? A leading U. S. business reference manual, Hoover’s Handbook of American Business l999, actually described Lewis in print as "a functioning pot-head."

Lewis, who proudly describes himself as "half screwball, half businessman," showed up at a meeting with a Cleveland City Council president wearing a Lone Ranger outfit. His house features an elaborate series of paintings of Chinese communist Mao Tse-tung by Andy Warhol. But most significant is the fact that this self-described "screwball" has tried to change America to suit his own tastes. The anti-drug group, National Families in Action, says that Lewis has "contributed heavily to the destruction of thousands of America’s children" by promoting the medical marijuana hoax and leading kids to believe that "pot is OK."

That’s a reference to the fact that Soros and Lewis have helped bankroll the campaign to legalize pot, featuring a slick public relations effort that falsifies the dangerous nature of marijuana and presents it as "medicine." Since 1991, Lewis has contributed $5 million to the ACLU to fight drug laws, and he has made large contributions to drug "legalization" campaigns in Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Utah, Florida, Maine, and Massachusetts.

Not one of the recent news reports on Lewis mentioned that on a trip to New Zealand three years he was arrested and admitted to three charges of importing drugs after customs officers found two ounces of hashish and 1.7 ounces of marijuana in his luggage. Of course, Lewis said he was carrying the drugs for "medicinal purposes." The Washington Times reported that the incident "sparked a political furor after the charges were dropped and his identity was suppressed by a court in New Zealand." New Zealand Judge David Harvey dropped the charges and invited Lewis to watch the challenger rounds for the America’s Cup yacht race while in New Zealand and to "enjoy the fresh air." The judge had issued a suppression order against the release of Lewis’ name, stating, "The consequences of publication would far outweigh the crime."

Lewis has been heavily involved in U.S. Democratic Party politics for years. He started by working as the Ohio finance chairman for George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign. "I did it essentially because I hated Richard Nixon," Lewis said. He is a close friend of Senator Ted Kennedy, who uses Lewis’ accommodations to "relax" when in Cleveland.

Arne Steinberg is an occasional contributor to AIM and can be reached at aimeditor@yahoo.com



(Excerpt) Read more at aim.org ...


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aclu; autoinsurance; democrat; guggenheim; mao; marijuana; nixon; peterlewis; princeton; progressive; soros
Protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, the Left has plenty of filthy rich individuals who are willing to bankroll disproportianate influence in the name of The Cause.
1 posted on 12/03/2003 1:51:25 PM PST by walford
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To: walford
Ted drops by to relax in Cleveland? Gimme a break. He's there to Parrrtay!
2 posted on 12/03/2003 1:57:13 PM PST by Thebaddog (Scratch the itch.)
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To: walford
This is good news. Maybe he will siphon off all weak-minded Democratic votes.

Should be a clean-sweep from now on.

3 posted on 12/03/2003 2:03:25 PM PST by Luke (u)
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To: Thebaddog

4 posted on 12/03/2003 2:20:49 PM PST by walford (Dogmatism swings both ways)
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To: walford
Good info. Thanks.

Haven't seen much from Mr. Steinberg lately. One of his last pieces posted on FR was this little gem from the archives:

ABU JIHAD: A 'THOUGHTFUL TERRORIST?'

5 posted on 12/03/2003 2:38:22 PM PST by Al B.
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To: walford
Who is Peter Lewis?

I thought you meant Peter Lewis, founding member of Moby Grape. It's all about Rock and Roll to me.

6 posted on 12/03/2003 3:46:45 PM PST by Zevonismymuse
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To: walford
I don't think he's chairman and CEO any longer..
7 posted on 12/03/2003 6:55:30 PM PST by a_Turk (Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice..)
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To: walford
Great Article! btw - I remember the thread on freerepublic about the "name withheld" multi-millionaire who got busted in New Zealand... Speculation was rampant to say the least.
8 posted on 12/03/2003 7:32:59 PM PST by jungleboy
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To: walford
PLEASE don't even consider Progressive Insurance! This guy is a major SCUMBAG!
9 posted on 12/03/2003 7:42:24 PM PST by NYC Republican
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