I may be known in tiny corners of the tubes of the Internets, but I am not well-known to the American public generally. Our only chance to make this issue [campaign finance reform] central to the 2016 presidential election was to be in those debates. But last week we learned that the Democratic Party has changed its rules for inclusion in the debate, and under the new rule, unless we can time travel, there’s no way we can qualify… The party won’t let me be a candidate. I can’t ask people to support a campaign that I know can’t get before the members of the Democratic Party.
— Harvard Law professor turned temporary presidential candidate Larry Lessig, formally withdrawing from the race. In his final campaign video, he promised to keep up the fight against big money in politics even though the Democrats won’t let him play in their reindeer games.