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Is ‘Deez Nuts’ a big deal? The role of satirical candidates in the 2016 election

By Ryan Hiles

A professor named Lawrence Lessig at Harvard Law teaches economics and ethics. He has no previous experience in government or in being elected. But Lessig, as of last week, is running for president.

Lessig isn’t running on grandiose declarations and hollow promises. He’s not pretending he knows how to stabilize the Middle East or Wall Street. He’s a different kind of candidate on purpose, because Lessig is running for the presidency as a protest candidate.

The reason, though, for the gawking at his candidacy is that Lessig has already announced that if elected, he plans to pass one piece of legislation.