Open Access in the 2008 Election?

18 months out from the 2008 Presidential election and we have seen a number of "YouTube moments," but none have provided the fatal blow to a campaign.  Instead, just as in 2006, they have amplified existing perceptions of candidate's faults.  Brief video clips may not define a campaign, but the candidates have been quick to respond, and in some cases participate directly.

As Berkman Center Executive Director John Palfrey recently told the Mercury News, "individuals have a much greater role in telling (the) story" and that leads to a fear among campaigns of loosing control of the spin, which can be disastrous.

The options to control online content have been limited mainly to campaign websites and videos submitted by the campaigns to user-generated and social networking sites, but Larry Lessig wants to change that.  He has asked both the Democratic and Republican National Committees to release this season's political debates with a creative commons license.

Here we could have broad reproduction of a facilitated debate for constituents to watch even if they miss the TV broadcast.  Of course the possibility of mash-ups and remixes frighten those seeking to control the spin, but as Lessig notes, just because we do not like some political speech, does not give us legitimate reason to regulate it.