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"I'm In": Lawrence Lessig Confirms White House Run
In a race that's been full of surprises, campaign finance reform advocate announces he's hit fundraising goal
Sep 07, 2015
Campaign finance reform advocate Lawrence Lessig on Sunday confirmed that he would run for U.S. president in 2016, announcing that the exploratory committee he formed in August had hit its $1 million fundraising target by its Labor Day deadline.
Lessig made his statement on ABC's This Week during an interview with host George Stephanopoulos.
"I'm in, George," he said. "I'm running to get people to acknowledge the elephant in the room, right. We have to recognize we have a government that does not work."
As he explained in August, Lessig will run on a platform that targets campaign finance--and, if elected, would step down as soon as Congress passed a package of pro-democracy reforms.
"I want to run to be a different kind of president," Lessig wrote for the Huffington Post last month. "'Different' not in the traditional political puffery sense of that term. 'Different,' quite literally. I want to run to build a mandate for the fundamental change that our democracy desperately needs. Once that is passed, I would resign, and the elected Vice President would become President."
It's the latest development in a race for the White House that has proven to be full of surprises, with the rapid rise of Sen. Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side and Donald Trump on the Republican.
"This stalemate, partisan platform of American politics in Washington right now doesn't work," Lessig said on Sunday. "And we have to find a way to elevate the debate to focus on the changes that would actually get us a government that could work again, that is not captured by the tiniest fraction of the 1 percent who fund campaigns and make it impossible for our government."
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Campaign finance reform advocate Lawrence Lessig on Sunday confirmed that he would run for U.S. president in 2016, announcing that the exploratory committee he formed in August had hit its $1 million fundraising target by its Labor Day deadline.
Lessig made his statement on ABC's This Week during an interview with host George Stephanopoulos.
"I'm in, George," he said. "I'm running to get people to acknowledge the elephant in the room, right. We have to recognize we have a government that does not work."
As he explained in August, Lessig will run on a platform that targets campaign finance--and, if elected, would step down as soon as Congress passed a package of pro-democracy reforms.
"I want to run to be a different kind of president," Lessig wrote for the Huffington Post last month. "'Different' not in the traditional political puffery sense of that term. 'Different,' quite literally. I want to run to build a mandate for the fundamental change that our democracy desperately needs. Once that is passed, I would resign, and the elected Vice President would become President."
It's the latest development in a race for the White House that has proven to be full of surprises, with the rapid rise of Sen. Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side and Donald Trump on the Republican.
"This stalemate, partisan platform of American politics in Washington right now doesn't work," Lessig said on Sunday. "And we have to find a way to elevate the debate to focus on the changes that would actually get us a government that could work again, that is not captured by the tiniest fraction of the 1 percent who fund campaigns and make it impossible for our government."
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
Campaign finance reform advocate Lawrence Lessig on Sunday confirmed that he would run for U.S. president in 2016, announcing that the exploratory committee he formed in August had hit its $1 million fundraising target by its Labor Day deadline.
Lessig made his statement on ABC's This Week during an interview with host George Stephanopoulos.
"I'm in, George," he said. "I'm running to get people to acknowledge the elephant in the room, right. We have to recognize we have a government that does not work."
As he explained in August, Lessig will run on a platform that targets campaign finance--and, if elected, would step down as soon as Congress passed a package of pro-democracy reforms.
"I want to run to be a different kind of president," Lessig wrote for the Huffington Post last month. "'Different' not in the traditional political puffery sense of that term. 'Different,' quite literally. I want to run to build a mandate for the fundamental change that our democracy desperately needs. Once that is passed, I would resign, and the elected Vice President would become President."
It's the latest development in a race for the White House that has proven to be full of surprises, with the rapid rise of Sen. Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side and Donald Trump on the Republican.
"This stalemate, partisan platform of American politics in Washington right now doesn't work," Lessig said on Sunday. "And we have to find a way to elevate the debate to focus on the changes that would actually get us a government that could work again, that is not captured by the tiniest fraction of the 1 percent who fund campaigns and make it impossible for our government."
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