Lawrence Lessig for Congress

Lawrence Lessig, founder of the Creative Commons and brilliant legal theorist, could be running for Congress.  If I lived in his Bay Area district--which has a vacant seat because of the death of Holocaust survivor and US Congressman Tom Lantos--I'd vote for Lessig. At my very first Medical Library Association meeting in 2003, Lessig gave a mesmerizing speech--with his trademark of one word per slide, white text on black--that left the audience both enriched and enthralled.

Lessig is not necessarily a Democrat, contrary to what people may think. One of the lesser-known parts of his biography is his law clerkships for Richard Posner and Antonin Scalia--two stalwart conservative justices.  Perhaps Lessig has moderated his views; or perhaps he finds harmony between old-fashioned conservatism and his new-fangled ideas  about fostering creative expression online.

Whatever the case, Lessig is a fascinating enigma.  It would be interesting to see him in Congress, even for just a few months.  I hope he runs, and I hope he wins.