Republic, Lost

How Money Corrupts Congress - and a Plan to Stop It

By: Lawrence Lessig

Narrated by: Lawrence Lessig

Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

In an era of ballooning corporate campaign expenditures, unleashed by the Supreme Court in Citizens United, trust in our government is at an all time low. More than ever before, Americans believe that money buys results in Congress - and that our Republic has been lost.

Using examples that resonate as powerfully on the Right as on the Left, Republic, Lost not only makes clear how the economy of influence defeats the will of the people, but offers cogent strategies to correct our course - from a constitutional convention to a Regent Presidency.

A onetime friend of Barack Obama, Lessig, a professor of law at Harvard, is as critical of the president and the Democratic Party as he is of Republicans. Both have allowed the core institution of our democracy to become little more than a shill for the most powerful moneyed interests in our Republic.

America may be divided, argues Lessig, but we must recognize that corruption is our common enemy, and we must find a way to fight against it.

©2011 Lawrence Lessig (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Every VOTER must read this!!

If you could sum up Republic, Lost in three words, what would they be?

This is the truth how Congress works. (I was was a Congressional staffer for 30 years.)

A good listen about money in politics

Lessig will reach down and rattle the soul of every person that wants a government of the people, for the people, and by the people. The book was as dry as the topic it covers but hammering through it, along with his politics, reveal a great ending with a grain of hope for our future.

Excellent Review of President Obama 1st Term

What did you love best about Republic, Lost?

This is a truthful evaluation of the Obama presidency to date. It is written by a close friend, a liberal Democrat and very smart cookie (Harvard Professor). He very bravely sticks to the facts. He draws a startling distinction from the program promised by Mr. Obama in his campaign and what was delivered to the country.

The facts are stunningly in their impact to the thoughful reader, Democrat, Republican or Independent.

Hearing the truth is pretty shocking when it is broken down into specifics.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The first two hours of the Lessig presentation are so compelling you can not turn it off.

WOW, knowledge, insights and potentials

The wisdom and information in this book is second to none. just finished it and going back for a listen to grasp even more. thank you for your humility, wisdom and goal for better democracy.

Must-Read, even if the narration isn't great all the time

The subject is really important and this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how laws are approved and why there is no real legitimacy to them.

That said, the narration isn't the best feature of the author and his solutions do not touch on the subject of hidden influences on Congress and how to stop "hidden lobby" (I'm sorry, english is not my first language so I don't know if this is the correct way to say it).

So if campaign funding does stop being made by companies (as recently happened in Brazil), what's stopping them of buying policy makers and congressmen with hidden and untraceable bribes if we don't have some kind of full disclosure of the assets of anyone in the aforementioned positions?

If we don't have that or something really close to it there's really no way to believe in the legitimacy of any law or in democracy in general as there will always be the threat of interest groups with money capturing them.

Sad but true

Until the money is out of politics we have lost the Republic. And until we the people wake up it will stay that way.

A well thought out look at corruption in America

These are good people forced to do what they can in a terrible system. That's the message I picked up from this book and it was strangely heartening. Far from demonizing any one political viewpoint or depicting all law-makers as greedy, self-absorbed, cheats and liars, Lessig instead describes a system where any person, regardless of intentions, will be forced to play the same terrible game that has been played up until now.

Perhaps the only real downside of this book is that the 'plan to stop it part' is, by his own admission, is improbable. On the other hand, it's a plan and it's the best I've heard so far.

Highly recommended for anyone trying to understand why our government acts the way it does.

Well read and easy to understand the concepts.

Great book that goes into well founded evidence on the decay of our Republic via money in politics.

Revamping "K" St.

The old system is not working. Lawrence Lessig gives good explanation on how Congress Senate, and Lobbyists, works. Instead of focusing an election every 4 years, how about revamping our Constitution and let the citizens decide on what is best.

This is a requirement read for reform for change, and not rely on a single candidate that we elect into the office. No matter who we vote for, the process is always the same with empty promises. Our country is base on democracy, but yet, there is no voice from the people.

Instead of four "more" years or four "new" years, we should restructure the process of doing business on "K" Street.

How sad but really true !

A well written book on the reason why our government is so dysfunctional. If your usual answer is to always blame the opposing political party and never your own, you will dislike this book. He does make suggestions how to try to overcome the corruption of government by money. However it seems to me based on the many years of corruption leading up to this past years (2016) presidentional campaign that both major political parties have become so corrupted and its backers so power hungry that I have lost hope that the ellectorate is able to see that voting for either party is voting for ever growing corruption in our government.