StillyRiverSage brought us a link to a video by Lawrence Lessig. Now, I've received this bit of hope in the email from him:

Just about 10 months ago, I published an essay in The Nation. The original title of that piece was "The Tyranny of Tiny Minds." (Some thought the title, however valid, was too inflammatory. The actual title as published is "How to get our Democracy Back.")

My argument, Twitter length, was that Obama had betrayed a fundamental promise of his administration: That he would, in his words (from the campaign) "take up the fight" to "fundamentally change the way Washington works."

As Obama had explained to us,

"unless we're willing to challenge the broken system in Washington, and stop letting lobbyists use their clout to get their way, nothing else is going to change."

His campaign, he promised us, was not:

"just about ending the failed policies of the Bush years; it's about ending the failed system in Washington that produces those policies. For far too long, through both Democratic and Republican administrations, Washington has allowed Wall Street to use lobbyists and campaign contributions to rig the system and get its way, no matter what it costs ordinary Americans."

And as he wisely – perhaps, presciently – warned, "if we're not willing to take up that fight, then real change – change that will make a lasting difference in the lives of ordinary Americans – will keep getting blocked by the defenders of the status quo."

It seemed to me obvious in February, 2010, that Obama hadn't "take[n] up that fight." It seemed obvious as well that the consequence of his betrayal would be the trouncing that he and his party received yesterday. It makes me enormously sad to see this trouncing, because I, like many, believe in the changes that "keep getting blocked by the defenders of the status quo" – Obama, it seemed, included.

But "hope" may well have returned. As I was climbing on a plane this afternoon, I listened to the President's press conference. One line caught my attention. In answering a skeptical reporter's question, Obama said:

"We were in such a hurry to get things done, we didn't change how things get done."

Finally. Recognition. If you read this with bits of his interview on The Daily Show, there is reason to hope that "Obama the Reformer" is finally back. Those "tiny minds" – who thought that the only way to make Washington work was to work with Washington the way it always has worked – have left. And perhaps, just maybe, the President has again remembered what he told us two and a half years ago: That the "reason I'm running for President is to challenge that system."

So let him begin today, with the help of all of us, Democrats and Republicans alike. "How things get done" is the problem. We need to find a way to focus America on that problem, and build the political will to change it.

FixCongressFirst.org.

You can help in this by helping us map the plan that will spread this lesson to enough Americans, both supporters of Obama and not. The plan is here. The campaign begins today. Join us.

Lawrence Lessig
Co-Founder, Fix Congress First

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I have to say, so far, I am impressed and do intend to work with this organisation.

kat