Lawrence Lessig is the rare political luminary who transcends partisanship. It’s not that he’s not a filthy progressive at heart; it’s that he thinks the only way to achieve a progressive agenda in this country is by removing the influence of money from Congress — a goal that, in itself, has broad popular support across party lines. He outlines the problem, and how he thinks we should address it, in this talk to the Reboot Democracy conference in Bend, OR.
I don’t know if calling a Constitutional Convention is a realistic goal, but I agree with Lessig that’s it’s probably our best shot of fixing the system.
The Song of Achilles
Post Office
The City & The City
The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, #3)
The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2)
He starts out complaining about the health care bill. Ok, Lessig’s a libertarian — but why are there so many progressives that don’t like this reform? They got something very close to universal care, which ends some of the worst practices in health insurance, initiates exchanges that are *better* than the original “public option” — and it takes a major step toward reducing cost. (I recently realized this in a discussion in the medical ethics class I’m teaching, when we went over what’s in the health care bill — outlined here — though the discussion itself was impartial, of course.)
Progressives are mad about near-universal coverage being implemented through a mandate when it doesn’t provide a publicly financed plan. We see it as a corporate handout, and even if that’s not the spirit, it’s certainly the effect.
Where do you get the information that the exchanges are better than a public option? Every projection I’ve seen asserts that the reform as it exists now will not significantly drive down premiums.
You’re right, though, that it’s a step in the right direction, and it’s likely that the same premiums will buy better coverage.