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Lessig For Congress?
luge writes "With the unfortunate passing of Congressman Tom Lantos, parts of Silicon Valley and San Francisco will be holding a special election in June to send a replacement to Congress. Given the area, it would be great to have someone who is both tech- and policy-aware fill the seat — and it looks like that just might happen. Lawrence Lessig has apparently bought 'change-congress.com.' A 'Draft Lessig' group is forming on Facebook, featuring some of Lessig's old co-workers at Harvard and Jimmy Wales, among others. No word from Lessig himself yet, but he's been increasingly vocal about politics of late. If it happens, it would be a huge step forward for the representation of technology in Washington."
I doubt he'd be electable in a state which contains a large percentage (if not the largest) of content providers.
If only for what he, himself says is the greatest failure of his career. Interestingly, it isn't covered in the Wikipedia article about Lessig. But you can blame his lack of skill on the rediculously long copyright terms the music labels enjoy, as the SCOTUS said that "limited" means whatever Congress says it means.
I hope I'm not trashing the wrong lawyer...
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
He doesn't sound like the most ideal candidate, but then what politician ever is?
+1 IDisagreeSoHeMustBeATrollOrAnAstroturferOrAShill
I was tempted to say, "you must be new here". But that certainly isn't the case, given your ID - you've been a member at least a few years. Then, I was tempted to say, "you must not come here often". But 141 comments (mediocre though it may be) is a counter indicator to that as well. Thus, I have settled on one of two possibilities; either you have YRO posts at -5, or you don't RTFAs. Lessig comes up all the time here - or at least, he did until he switched "causes" away from copyrights. Anyway, not knowing who he is isn't necessarily bad; I'm just shocked.
Quite unusual, considering that the FSF is at odds with Creative Commons, specifically their NonCommercial and NoDerivatives licenses.
Unreasonable copyright and denial of intellectual freedom for the sake of corporate profit is a form of corruption in my book.
EvilCON - Made Famous by
Have you seen some of ESR's antics? Kudos to him for co-founding the OSI, but he's not the kind of person I'd like to see representing my district (assuming I lived in Silicon Valley of course).
Well, behind all the used-car salesmen and small-town accident attorneys is a fairly capable and educated bureaucracy. The fact is that if the people doing the driving are incompetent enough to only do what's most popular, you are getting the will of the people. The problem is that the PEOPLE are stupid. So, in times when the political institution is particularly weak, the bureaucracy takes over (such as after 9/11), and they have all sorts of plans to control the media, and vicariously the politicians (since they only do what's most popular).
Proof of this is readily available when you look at documentation of the CIA's activities in the early 60's. That is what happens when you give a bureaucracy carte blanc and no oversight. They invaded a country. Of course, 9/11 had some of the same effects as nuclear cold war--it instilled fear in the public, which means they are apt to press their politicians to give up power in favor of the bureaucracy. Thus we have wiretapping, prison camps, torture, etc, all existing outside of the normal decision-making process. The worst part is that the bureaucracy is run by the president. He's the chief executive and the president of all the departments and sub-departments of the bureaucracy. Congress can only make the laws that govern this body, and the judicial can only rule when a suit is brought. Thus, they have unlimited power until they get caught.
Heady stuff, no wonder people want to be president so badly.
I agree, however, that having some intelligence in the Congress would provide some leadership to the people who need it most. The problem is, all the stupid people wouldn't like him and he'd be voted out. People seem to prefer people who think at their own level, apparently.
Cool! Amazing Toys.
(e.g. Ted Stevens' "internet = series of tubes")
Why does everyone pick on him for this bit of his comment? It's the only bit that actually makes sense. A series of tubes is a perfectly good analogy for the internet. It is essentially a series of interconnected conduits, and if one of them gets clogged up it will slow down the whole system.
Lessig, assuming he runs and is elected as a Democrat, would provide a massive counterweight to the Republican's Adam Putnam (R-FL) on technology issues, not to mention any other current Reps living off the largesse of the intellectual propery community (RIAA, MPAA, Business Software Alliance, etc.).
I hope he runs. We need more legislators with practical life experiences who are not only experts in particular disciplines, but know enough about legal or scientific methods to form intelligent opinion based on facts on other subjects instead of voting the way the polls or campaign contributors tell them to.
TLR
A man no more knows his destiny than a tea leaf knows the history of the East India Company
I had a little correspondence with Mr. Lessig before and was impressed. He seems to be a person who actively is seeking the truth of matters in our society. I would vote for him without doubt.
Lessig comes up all the time here - or at least, he did until he switched "causes" away from copyrights.
Not so. He was pretty clear about the fact that he feels copyright is a symptom, and the corruption disease must be tackled in order to advance rational copyright law which balances the needs of creators and consumers. He has not turned his back on copyright reform, but taken what he sees as the only viable path to the goal.
Stop-Prism.org: Opt Out of Surveillance
Lets face it. He'd fit in a lot better in the Judicial Branch...
Badass Resumes
Lessig has no chance in Lantos' district. He would not be the Democratic nominee, that would most likely be Jackie Speier, and she is a lock to win the seat. She will win by at least 60%.
Lessig will have a better chance if he tries for Anna Eshoo's seat when she retires, but he would have a lot of work to do to win a Democratic nomination out of the blue. In this area, there is a very active and strong Democratic party infrastructure and the path to that seat is usually via the state assembly/senate or San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
If Lessig really wants in to congress, he should run for local office first.
Congratulations. You've invented a new power broker! How long do you think it would take for the position to get politicized? Think about it. You would could ask anyone anything and they have to answer. You could gain access to political plans. Leak info at inconvenient times. Get phone records for calls to non-spouses. Make it look like someone isn't being completely honest and you've effectively kicked them out of federal government and politics. Not that any of this is bad because no-one should have anything to hide. And of course we can count on the IG not to be corrupt. It's just everyone else in Washington who is corrupt. Boy, I bet McCarthy would have loved this job.