It’s high time we had our first true Free Culture candidate for public office. Who better than the movement’s founder and hero? I have no reason to believe he’d actually do it, but I think we should send a message to Lawrence Lessig that we’ve got his back if he were to run for the Congressional seat that the sad death of Cong. Lantos has opened up in California. Prof. Lessig happens to live there. It’d be the perfect way to take his message of anti-corruption, and pro-creativity, to the seat of US power.
The special election is April 8. I’ve set up a Facebook group (join us, and please invite others!) and a DRAFT LESSIG web site to aggregate would-be supporters for a run. I will be delighted to hold a sign for him in sunny California between now and election day if he were in fact willing to take on the challenge.
The Daily Kos had the rumor of it a few weeks ago. My friend JZ has more…
[…] John Palfrey » Blog Archive » DRAFT LESSIG larry lessig for congress? (tags: lessig government copyright culture blogpost) […]
Congrats – TechCrunch picked up this story, http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/15/facebook-group-wants-to-draft-lessig-for-congress/
I had never heard of Lessig before, and I’m glad that I now have the opportunity to learn.
Hey — good idea!
I actually painted Lessig’s portrait (he didn’t sit for me, I just painted from a picture). Check it out:
http://flickr.com/photos/lauriapple/1995916455/in/set-72157600443391148/
[…] episode: a Facebook group drafting Professor Lessig for a recently vacated Congressional seat. Says John, "It’s high time we had our first true Free Culture candidate for public office." The […]
Thanks to share your FB group.