Lawrence Lessig will run for President ... if ...

[MH1]

he gets $1 million in crowdfunding by Labor Day.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/11/9132665/lawrence-lessig-presidential-campaign-finance-reform-equality

Harvard professor and outspoken political activist Lawrence Lessig is now exploring a bid for the White House. In a Tuesday announcement, Lessig told reporters that he's prepared to take on Democratic presidential hopefuls by making campaign finance reform his core platform. Instead of relying on wealthy donors, however, he is crowdfunding his campaign online, and will officially run if he raises $1 million by Labor Day. His hope is to dismantle corruption in Washington by making citizen equality the central pillar of his presidency.

...

Lessig says that, if elected, he will "hack" the system by serving as a referendum president, one who will focus his energies solely on passing the Citizen Equality Act. That act will undo political corruption by changing how elections are funded, guarantee the right to vote, and end partisan gerrymandering. After achieving all this, he'll step down, paving the way for his vice president to finish his term.

On his blog, Lessig writes:

In no plausible sense do we have a representative democracy in America today. That fact shows itself in a thousand ways — from #BlackLivesMatter to billion dollar SuperPACs, and none more profound than the deep sense that most Americans have that their government is not theirs. "The system," as Elizabeth Warren puts it, "is rigged." And the fundamental challenge for our democracy today is to find a way to fix that rigged system.

But iunfortunately, as this Gawker article succinctly notes:

http://gawker.com/lawrence-lessigs-ideas-are-correct-important-too-bori-1723388005

Lessig is absolutely right in his beliefs and he is doing the ever-unappreciated work of pushing for the sort of systemic change that is both absolutely necessary if we ever hope to have a well-functioning and fair democracy, and too boring for the general public to give a shit about. So let’s hope a more popular candidate steals his ideas.

Still, I think I might chip in a few bucks to his campaign. I would ****LOVE **** to have Lessig on the debate stage with Hillary, Sanders, and O'Malley. (At least in a debate about making our democracy actually work.)

As for other candidates stealing his ideas, each of them have already included some bits in their platform. But the difference is, there is absolutely no doubt that Lessig really means it when it comes to comprehensive electoral reform.

Lessig for President: https://lessigforpresident.com/

[MH1]

1. Also, Chris Hayes is about to interview him.

(well, sometime in the show tonight, if I heard correctly)

[MH1]

4. On NOW. nt

[virtualobserver]

8. no one would vote for someone who planned on stepping down

[MH1]

9. Ah, you're no fun.

I really think his point is to get these ideas and concepts heard and possibly get people to understand just a little bit more about the corruption in our system and how it hobbles any chance of real progress on any issue.

But, that said, the VP would be key in that case because what you would be voting for is Lessig until his act gets passed; then the VP takes over. So really the VP is the president on everything else (I would assume) and Lessig just birddogs his corruption issue until it's done, then he goes away.

Could it possibly work? Probably not, but neither has anything else that has been tried lately, right?

[virtualobserver]

11. I'm sorry

I do think that he would be a good addition to the race.....especially during the debates.

[PoliticAverse]

2. Aren't most of his positions already encompassed by Sanders? n/t

[MH1]

3. Apparently Lessig feels Sanders' platform is not comprehensive enough. nt

[MH1]

5. Your question is being directly addressed on Chris Hayes show now. nt

[bobbobbins01]

6. He's only running on one position

And yes, Bernie already covers it, so I'm not really seeing the point except to be a spoiler.

[MH1]

7. I think it is to bring attention to what he feels is THE most important issue.

Lessig feels that the corruption in our system is SO BAD that it undermines absolutely every other progressive position on absolutely every issue. He says that if he is in the debates then he will show on EACH and EVERY issue why it ties back to the fundamental issue that he is running on.

I think he has a very good point.

I also think very favorably of Lessig and would really love to have him involved in some debates.

Would I vote for him in a primary? Well for me that is most likely to be a purely academic question because the nominee will very likely be decided before I get to vote. So that gives me the luxury and the freedom of not really taking sides. Frankly if it comes to it and the nominee is already decided, I may just vote for Lessig anyway even if I have to write him in. If the nominee is not decided at that time then of course I'll vote strategically so as to vote for the best of the plausible nominees.

[PoliticAverse]

10. I don't see him making the Democratic debates cut. n/t

[daybranch]

12. Other than his having a PAC I see no difference than Bernie, just less positions stated.

maybe he is the progressive Hillary, just avoiding discussing anything that is contentious. does not sound politically astute in this day coming of put up or shut up on a myriad of important issues.