Harvard professor, Obama aide fight super PACs by creating a super PAC
Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig launched the Mayday PAC earlier this month with the goal of ending the domination of big money in campaigns.
Lessig says that the group wants to "spend big money to end the influence of big money."
A Harvard law professor plans to limit the amount of big money influencing politics—ironically, with his own political action committee (PAC).
Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Harvard Ivy, launched the Mayday PAC—the “super PAC to end all super PACs”—at the beginning of the month, calling for contributions from those on both sides of the aisle who believe that Congress is more responsive to outside groups with an endless supply of cash rather than the average American.
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He plans to match smaller monetary donations with larger contributions from his wealthier supporters, who he has declined to name.
“Yes, we want to spend big money to end the influence of big money,” Lessig said in a launch video. “Ironic, I get it, but embrace the irony.”
Watch: Lessig launches his Mayday super PAC
Lessig’s advisors include Bill Burton, who served as a White House aide and created the main super PAC that backed President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. Burton and members of the Global Strategy Group are tasked with calculating how many members of Congress they need to bring about true reform as well as convince voters for 2014.
Lessig plans to utilize his super PAC in the upcoming 2014 midterm elections if he can raise $12 million by June.
“Once we hit our...targets, the money raised is turned over to professional campaigners, who will craft interventions in targeted districts to make fundamental reform the issue in that campaign — and to make the reform candidate the winner,” the PAC’s website proclaims.
This isn’t the first campaign finance reform project Lessig has spearheaded. He is also credited with starting the New Hampshire Rebellion, a project where a group of people walk the length of the state in order to convince voters to curb the amount of big money in politics.
Professor Lessig did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Via L.A. Times.
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