Lessig and Nader

Lessig may be running for Congress. It looks like he has to file his papers tomorrow, so we should know soon if it's really happening. California's 12th congressional district isn't exclusively Silicon Valley, but it definitely includes enough nerds to make it perhaps the only place in the country that would choose a congressman who is known mostly for crusading for Creative Commons and against increased copyright protection. And that's good--having just one person in the House who understands technology and cares about these issues could have a dramatic impact on the regulation of technology and digital rights.

On the other hand, adding nothing new, Ralph Nader is running for president. This was cute back in 2000 when both candidates ran as moderates, right after having a moderate president, and the good economy and rise of transnational corporations stupidly caused some to believe that politics was no longer very important. But now it sounds like his stated objective is to even the playing field between Obama and McCain. Nader seems to say, Isn't it unfair that, while McCain has Huckabee to force him to the right on issues that are clear losers in a general election, Obama only has Hillary, who is slightly to the center of him? Doesn't Obama deserve a kooky activist on the left to criticize him and hopefully force him to be pro-Palestinian, anti-business, and anything else that will hurt his chances in a general election?

By the way, this is not Nader's third run at the presidency, it's his fourth (at least). (I voted for him in 1996--I was 18, Clinton had a huge margin in my state and I didn't care for him, and I thought it would create some pressure for campaign finance reform, which seemed like a good idea at the time.) Four runs or more is LaRouche territory.