You wrote: “Daschle, of course, is the most innocent in this guilty system.”

How do you know this? There is no evidence for the assertion in this post and, in fact, there is counter-evidence: the fact that the voters of S.D. kicked him out of office. Also, Daschle had known for six months that he owed back taxes (according to media reports) — and yet he chose not to pay them until his nomination was in the hopper. This behavior suggests something other than innocence.

I do not think it is humanly possible to take $2 million from a lobbying firm over the course of two years and then be able to be “unbiased” in a new job where those very same people want access. Not Humanly Possible.

I agree with you that public financing of elections is an idea whose time is long overdue. I am not convinced, however, that it will solve the Golden Revolving Door problem. Daschle is not running for office — so his ride through the money circuit is not for advertising dollars and consultants, it’s for his own pocket.

I also believe that grammatically, systems are not corrupt, people are. So I completely reject the good guy caught in corrupt system argument, otherwise known as nazi defense (acknowledging that here I invoke godwin’s law). If Prof Lessig is really describing the “corruption” problem as poor “innocent” senators caught in a corrupt system they are a victim of, “requiring” the intervention of outsiders to fix it, and absolved of the personal responsibility owed to their constituents, then I wish he’d at least quote me a federalist paper or a reading from Locke that would help me understand what political theory of responsibility he is working from!

I think ‘schlemiel’ is a better fit for what this post reveals about Professor Lessig. If you want to go with the penis overtones, then ‘putz’ would be OK too.

Even so, the bigger point is that the system is the problem. But Prof Lessig’s usefulness in advocating for changes to that system is deeply undercut by what he reveals about his grasp of it here.

You’re a self delusional pathetic asshole. Daschle’s wife is a lobbist and was a lobbist when Daschle was senate majority leader.
You seriously need your head checked because you’re a real schmuck.

If you are willing to accept the idea of “good souls in a bad system” then what incentive are you offering for people to change the system? Are you ever going to draw *any* line in the sand????

This is all just very disappointing…

This sounds like a great opportunity for the Change Congress and maybe the Sunlight Network. Since tax returns are often published by politicians, could your movement host rollups of that data? It would become more apparent where the sources of income are so that citizens could better judge conflicts of interests. If folks could add notes as to where they had seen a politician accept a junket/gift/etc. it would also help folks like Dachle avoid forgetting about taxes.

I must admit I was struck speechless after reading this.

First it was the offhanded “of course” thrown in there, a tact often use when no legitimate argument is available. But of course he is an innocent and upstanding individual and the proof is left as an exercise for the reader! Does the “of course” really add anything substantial to your argument, beyond assuring me that you think it is obvious? I’d suggest you respect your readership and present the references or arguments that make you believe this.

Next, a corrupt politician takes advantage of the corrupt system to earn millions and he is described as “the most innocent in this guilty system”? Don’t get me wrong, the system is certainly culpable and I could believe that his corruption is a symptom rather than a cause if you were to make such an argument. But it almost comes across as if you are suggesting that he is an injured party in this situation, taken advantage of by the cruel forces of K Street. Or, perhaps you meant that Daschle and the system are both black as sin, but if you hold them up in the sun you’ll notice he’s a few shades lighter. Whatever the actual argument, you may want to clarify it. Quickly.