Larry Lessig’s campaign to run as the “Referendum President” & restore representative democracy | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Larry Lessig is running for president as a referendum candidate, aiming to pass one law to address political corruption before stepping aside for the vice president to take over.

Key Insights

• 🛄 Lessig's referendum candidacy is aimed at addressing the deeply corrupted political system in the US.
• 🤑 He believes that politicians are not addressing important issues due to their reliance on raising money from a small group of wealthy donors.
• 💔 Lessig's plan to crowdfund his campaign and pass one law to tackle corruption and inequality shows his commitment to fixing the broken system.
• 🤩 The internet and technology industry could be the key to Lessig's campaign, as he has support from intellectuals and technologists who respect his work.

Transcript

Read and summarize the transcript of this video on Glasp Reader (beta).

Questions & Answers

Q: What is Larry Lessig's plan as a referendum candidate?

Lessig plans to pass one law to address political corruption and inequality in the US before stepping aside for the vice president to become president.

Q: How does Lessig propose to address the deep corruption in the political system?

Lessig wants to crowdfund his campaign in order to have a mandate to tell politicians to address the corruption and inequality issues in the system, as they would be more likely to listen to the voice of the people.

Q: Has Lessig faced any opposition or criticism for his presidential bid?

While some people, particularly supporters of Bernie Sanders, feel that Lessig's platform overlaps with Sanders', there has not been much opposition from the Democratic Party. However, as a referendum candidate, his approach is seen as radical.

Q: Has anything like Lessig's referendum candidacy been done before in US politics?

No, Lessig's plan for a referendum presidency is unique and has not been done before. However, there have been instances of politicians using their celebrity status to draw attention to certain issues, but Lessig's approach is more focused on fixing the political system.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Larry Lessig is running for president as a referendum candidate to address the deeply corrupted political system in the US.

• He plans to pass one law to tackle political corruption and inequality before stepping aside for the vice president to take over.

• Lessig believes that the current system is not working, with politicians focusing on raising money instead of addressing the issues that the public cares about.