Lawrence Lessig for US president campaign!
Because of the importance, I’d like to check every single word he says.
Here’s the UNOFFICIAL script.
Note: I’m not sure but there might be some mistakes.
check the video!
Lessig 2016. Equal Citizens First. - YouTube
レッシグ先生のビデオを文字起こししました．
注記：間違いもあるかと思いますが，よろしくお願いします．
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In 1967, Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy entered the primary here New Hampshire to challenge his own party sitting president.
Because he feared the most important moral issue of the time - the Vietnam War - was going to be invisible in the election.
In four months McCarthy went from almost nothing in the polls to almost beating Lyndon Johnson in the primary.
And the one issue that no one wanted to talk about became the one issue that no one could ignore.
At the core of our democracy there is a basic inequality.
Not the inequality of wealth though that is a problem, or the inequality of speech is though something that a problem too,
but inequality of citizens.
Jefferson’s truth that “All are created equal"
has become
Orwell*1’s meme that "some are more equal than others”.
And with this change, the core commitment of a representative democracy has been lost.
This inequality shows itself in a thousand ways
it’s why we must even say “BLACK LIVES MATTER”
it's why Congress bends over backwards to benefit those who fund their campaigns
it’s why a huge proportion of us don't waste our time voting
it's why the system as Elizabeth Warren puts it “It’s RIGGED”
rigged to block the forms that most Americans would benefit from
riggs to help the very few those with the money to fund the politicians campaigns
We need to challenge this rigged system like McCarthy challenged the war
we need to make fixing it the first priority of the next president and next congress
because until it is fixed no sensible reform is even possible
yet though every major candidate in the Democratic primary for president has acknowledged this corruption so far every one of them just puts it to one side
as if without fixing the rigged system first we can get climate change legislation or same limits on guns
as if without changing the way campaigns are funded first we could perform Wall Street or take on the insurance company
as if this corruption were just a detail something to be sold "in the long run”
as if fixing democracy by achieving equality was something that could just wait
it can't wait
this must end now
we need a campaign that's more than yet another partisan squabble
we need a campaign for a referendum
a referendum that speaks our mandate clearly
and this inequality and corruption
give us a government free from the money
give us a Congress free to lead
So here's the idea we're gonna test a referendum President
a candidate two runs for president making a single promise
that if elected he would serve as long as it takes but only as long as it takes to pass fundamental reform to finally achieve citizen equality
once the reformist pass this president would step down
and the elected vice president will become president to fill out his term
the candidate is the referendum
the campaign is for that referendum
so I'm asking you
to help me crowdfund campaign for a referendum president
so we can give the next extraordinary president
whether Hillary or Bernie or Joe or someone else
a Congress that can represent us
and the Congress that is free to lead
and if we hit our funding target and the leading candidates
in the Democratic primary do not commit to making this fundamental reform the first priority of their administration
then I will enter the race as a referendum candidate
I would tie every issue in the campaign from climate change to student debt to this fundamental corruption
I would make citizen equality central to this election
and if this referendum won it’s mandate
would be as powerful as anything is possible within our political system
this would be the clearest peaceful rally for equal democracy in our lifetime
This won't be easy I get it
and no doubt there should be someone better than me
I have tried to recruit them and if someone better known credibly commits to make this run
I would happily step aside
this campaign is not about a person it's about a principle
and American principle that we must reclaim
that all are created equal and that a democracy must respect us all as equal
please give whatever you can
and more importantly
please share this as broadly as you can
because with the net we can change this election
if we do we will change every election that comes afterwards as well
this is a shot to make democracy possible
we need to take it NOW
