Will Nutroots Nation live up to its poll info?

Or will it throw the “my Democrats right or wrong” switch in the voting lever in November?

Per a attendees’ poll from Netroots Nation, here’s the biggest concers:

Energy and global warming 19%
The growing gap between the rich and the poor 17%
Loss of constitutional rights 15%
The war in Iraq 11%
Corruption and special interests running Washington10%
Lack of affordable health care 9%
Other 8%
The federal deficit and government spending3%
High gas prices 2%
Lack of equal rights for gay and lesbian community2%

And, how does Barack Obama stand on these issues? Not a lot better than McCain.

B.O., like McCain, and like just about every member of the Republican-Democratic duopoly, has yet to use the phrase “Peak Oil.”

B.O. voted for the atrocious gutting of constitutional rights with the FISA amendment bill.

B.O. opted out of public campaign financing, at least raising an eyebrow on the special interests question.

B.O. will probably not get us to national health care, per Paul Krugman.

But, rather than vote Green or whatever, most attendees at Nutroots Nation will still pull the D lever in November, and never think otherwise.

Nutroots Nation 2008 – ACLU takes a pass on Pelosi

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has apparently came, spoken and conquered at Netroots Nation earlier today. Per my blogging yesterday, I’ve heard nothing of the ACLU or ACLU of Texas, convening a press conference, let alone a protest, about Passive Pelosi™ and her FISA vote, or other things.

Note: Note only had I e-mailed the ACLU of Texas from my personal e-mail account more than once, asking if it had plans for a news conference, if not a protest or rally, for Pelosi visiting Netroots Nation, I also used my editor's newspaper company e-mail address yesterday. I got no response to either my personal or editorial e-mails.

Then, to add to the hypocrisy value, I get this e-mail from the national ACLU this afternoon:

Did you know that Congress has signed away our right to privacy?

It’s true! By making FISA law, the President and Congress have made it legal for US agencies to spy on our text messages, email, and phone calls to people outside the US, without any cause, reason or warrant. Does that sound like a right to privacy to you?

Help the ACLU overturn FISA by sharing your message of support now!

Well, I pretty much told the ACLU what it could do with the e-mail.

To me, I think the ACLU is becoming like the Sierra Club vis-à-vis younger, smaller and, yes, less co-opted environmental movements.

Has the ACLU co-opted itself at times? Well, ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero teaching Fortune 500 companies how to “beat” the Patriot Act would say yes.

Now, the ACLU is not a fossil. But, on a lot of civil liberties issues in the Bush Administration, smaller groups like the Center for Constitutional Rights have often been quicker to the trigger.

Along with their other foibles, this is part of why, without being conscious of it at first, I’ve decided to drop my paid membership with both.

Are ACLU, EFF protesting Pelosi at Netroots Nation?

Nancy Pelosi, the infamous Passive Pelosi™ herself, is at the formerly styled Yearly Kos, now known as Netroots Nation, taking place in Austin July 17-20 at the Austin Convention Center. Obama has been invited; no word if he will show up.

Question: will folks like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and ACLU be there to protest?

Even though the ACLU is filing a FISA lawsuit, I never heard anything in advance from the ACLU of Texas, if it was going to stand up for ACLU traditions and at least have a news conference, if not a protest.

If the ACLU of Texas gives me any info, I’ll let you know.

If you want to shame it for not protesting, give them an e-mail.