Rootstrikers
| Founded | April 2011 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Lawrence Lessig |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Focus | Reducing the corrosive influence of money in politics |
|
Area served
|
US (nationwide) |
Rootstrikers is a self-described nonpartisan grassroots activist organization run by Demand Progress and created by Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig and political activist Joe Trippi (a Democratic campaign worker and consultant) for the purpose of fighting political corruption in the United States and reducing the role of special interest money in elections. According to Lessig, the idea is not to hack at the branches of the problem but rather focus on its root, which Lessig views as a corrupt campaign finance system, and hence he named the organization rootstrikers.
Rootstrikers was founded in April 2011. In November 2011, Rootstrikers, previously known as Change Congress and Fix Congress First, became a project of United Republic, a non-partisan 501(c)(4) organization. In September 2012, Rootstrikers reorganized under the umbrella of Fund for the Republic, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to challenging the influence of money in American politics. As of July 2013, Rootstrikers became a project of Demand Progress, an organization cofounded by Aaron Swartz, an internet activist. The organization plans to use technology to help engage people.
The name "Rootstrikers" is based on a quote from the first chapter of Henry David Thoreau's book Walden: "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root". In December 2011, Lessig appeared on The Daily Show starring Jon Stewart and suggested that the public needs to strike at the root of money in politics; Stewart advised Lessig "You need a better term than rootstriker." Lessig credits the line quoted above from Henry David Thoreau's book Walden for inspiring the name.
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