blogosphere

Memo to the Netroots: Post FISA Progressive Blogging & Civil Justice

Kia Franklin — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:56:06 -0400

Even as we recover from the heavy blow of losing the legislative fight against FISA protections for spying telecoms, last weekend and other occasions have me reflecting about the battle for what Obama (ironically) calls our "progressive future," how it is far from finished, and how blogging can be a powerful weapon of choice for those on the frontlines. But we have got to remain serious about our work. Our momentum can't ebb and flow as we lick our wounds and wait for another FISA.

This isn't a rant. I've got a few ideas about how we can keep our tanks fueled (ugh--please excuse the sickening reference to that other topic we love to discuss).

As a follow up to the NN panel I organized--on the right's agenda for tort "reform" and why our civil court system should be a top priority to progressive bloggers, especially in the aftermath of the grueling FISA fight--here's my companion memo about continuing this conversation beyond the convention.

An emergency kept me from getting to Austin, but I hear the panel went really well. (I will put up a link to video and related blogposts from panelists when they become available). Since I was unable to attend, I wanted to contribute to the continued dialogue the panel intended to generate by making the following simple argument: progressives must write more frequently and organize more readily around civil justice issues.

Why and how should we do this? Glad you asked.

1. Why?

Because it's important! In his video-address to the Austin NN Convention, Barack Obama commended the progressive blogosphere for its ability to work effectively around the important issues. Observing the promise of using online platforms to build the progressive movement, he said:

“This is one of those moments in our history when we have a chance to create a real grassroots movement and lay the groundwork for a lasting progressive future.”

In order to lay the groundwork effectively, progressives have to be able to articulate what we believe in and what our blueprint will be for change to achieve those ideals.

The FISA fight is a good case in point for how successfully we can do this. Mass organizing around FISA showed us that progressive Americans feel passionately that they deserve legal protection and adequate recourse when their rights are violated. We believe it is important to be able to curb corporate abuse and governmental neglect and to achieve redress when someone else does us unreasonable, illegal harm. The FISA issue is just one part of a larger set of issues related to access to the courts and our civil justice system. As an important part of a progressive vision for society, we have to continue paying attention to issues that affect our access to the courts.

2. How?
I've written a memo on how progressive bloggers can continue taking on pressing civil justice issues and inspire grassroots organizing around them. The Memo to the Netroots on Civil Justice discusses how to get progressive bloggers more involved in this conversation and in offline strategizing to achieve access to justice for ordinary Americans.

In short, the memo provides links to more than a few really excellent progressive blogs that discuss the fight for civil justice (disclaimer: the list is just a start); presents some simple steps we can all take get progressives to pay more attention to what is happening in the courts; reflects upon our uphill challenge against the corporate industry's effort to weaken our legal rights; and surveys ideas for enriching the dialogue with more factual information about tort "reform" when the mainstream media will not.

The memo also makes the case that this work must be done right now, while we are in the middle of a critical election year and while our economy (unfortunately) provides us with countless examples of why it's important to curb corporate power and protect the legal rights of ordinary, hardworking citizens.

I'd be grateful for any comments on the memo, questions about why I wrote it, or additional suggestions for bloggers interested in getting involved in this type of advocacy. And if folks want to get even more involved in the debate, they can join the daily discussion of civil justice issues on TortDeform.com and the other civil justice blogs referenced in the memo.

Economic And Energy Issues, Ending War In Iraq, Top Netroots' Concerns

Toby Chaudhuri — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

AUSTIN, TEXAS – Progressive bloggers and activists are most concerned about solving basic economic problems and our country’s energy crisis as well as ending the war in Iraq, according to a straw poll of participants at this year’s Netroots Nation conference conducted by the Campaign for America’s Future and Democracy Corps. Those polled also believe that ending the war in Iraq and solving our energy and health care crises should be top priorities for the next president.

“This straw poll was designed to help us understand a little more about who our netroots activists are and where they stand,” said Toby Chaudhuri, communications director for the Campaign for America’s Future. “There’s a sea change happening in American politics and it’s growing on the Internet. Progressives are gaining popularity, strength, capacity and political sophistication, far outpacing conservatives online.”

The straw poll helps describe the progressive netroots’ increased involvement in politics, which 68 percent say is because of the Internet.

Nearly half of those who participated said they contributed more than $200 to political campaigns in the last year (47 percent), with about a third saying they had given more than $400 (32 percent). Two-thirds also donated to political campaigns at the federal level (65 percent) and state and local level (67 percent).

Those who responded clocked lots of hours working on campaigns too. Although two-thirds said they don’t work in politics professionally (66 percent), the average blogger spends the equivalent of a part-time work schedule on political activities, averaging 24 hours of work every week.

Although it is widely understood that bloggers are young political beginners, about half have been active in politics for more than a decade (48 percent), with more than three-quarters active for more than 5 years (78 percent). Fifty-two percent have volunteered for state and local campaigns while 41 percent have done so for federal campaigns. Nearly 70 percent said they are 30 or above and about half (46 percent) said they are more than 40.

# # #

**NOTE: Complete straw poll results are available at www.ourfuture.org and www.democracycorps.org.**

NETROOTS NATION 2008
STRAW POLL FQ
Conducted By
Campaign for America’s Future and Democracy Corps
Thursday, July 17 to Sunday, July 20, 2008
Austin, Texas

ISSUES AND CONCERNS

Of the list of concerns below, please indicate which one of these is your top concern at this time.

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 Washington - 10%
Lack of affordable health care - 9%
The federal deficit and government spending - 3%
High gas prices - 2%
Lack of equal rights for gay and lesbian community - 2%
Terrorism - 1%
Making education more affordable - 1%
Increased debt owed to foreign nations - 0%
Increased taxes and more spending - 0%
Illegal immigration - 0%

Now, please indicate which of the concerns listed below is your next top concern at this time.

The war in Iraq - 17%
The growing gap between the rich and the poor - 12%
Loss of constitutional rights - 12%
Lack of affordable health care - 10%
Energy and global warming - 9%
Corruption and special interests running Washington - 9%
Illegal immigration - 4%
High gas prices - 4%
The federal deficit and government spending - 3%
Lack of equal rights for gay and lesbian community - 3%
Making education more affordable - 2%
Increased taxes and more spending - 1%
Increased debt owed to foreign nations - 1%
Terrorism - 0%

Now something a little different, of that same list of concerns, please indicate below which one of these you feel should be the top priority for the next administration.

The war in Iraq - 23%
Energy and global warming - 20%
Lack of affordable health care - 15%
The growing gap between the rich and the poor - 12%
Loss of constitutional rights - 7%
Corruption and special interests running Washington - 6%
The federal deficit and government spending - 3%
Increased debt owed to foreign nations - 3%
High gas prices - 2%
Making education more affordable - 1%
Illegal immigration - 1%
Terrorism - 0%
Increased taxes and more spending - 0%
Lack of equal rights for gay and lesbian community - 0%

Now, please indicate which of the concerns listed below you feel should be the next highest priority for the next administration.

Lack of affordable health care - 17%
Energy and global warming - 17%
The war in Iraq - 16%
The growing gap between the rich and the poor - 12%
Loss of constitutional rights - 10%
Corruption and special interests running Washington - 8%
The federal deficit and government spending - 4%
Making education more affordable - 3%
High gas prices - 3%
Increased debt owed to foreign nations - 3%
Terrorism - 1%
Illegal immigration - 1%
Increased taxes and more spending - 0%
Lack of equal rights for gay and lesbian community - 0%

CONGRESS

Overall, how much do you think Congress has accomplished this term, that is since January 2007: a great deal, a good amount, not too much, or nothing at all?

Not too much - 68%
A good amount - 16%
Nothing at all - 12%
A great deal -2%

[If 'Nothing at all' or 'Not too much'] On the scale below please indicate who you feel is most to blame for the lack of accomplishment in Congress?

Democrats in Congress are to blame (1) - 5%
2 - 1%
3 - 2%
4 - 2%
The Administration and Republicans and Democrats in Congress are to blame equally (5) - 29%
7 - 17%
8 - 15%
6 -11%
9 -3%
The Administration and Republicans in Congress are to blame (10) - 15%

VICE PRESIDENT

Please choose the statement which comes closer to your view, even if neither is exactly right:

Obama should pick someone politically similar to himself, reinforcing the dynamic nature of his candidacy and the urgent need for change, and keeping true to his liberal roots - 72%

Obama should pick someone more toward the political center in order to help balance the ticket and make him more electable - 25%

INVOLVEMENT

How long, would you say, have you been active in politics?

10+ years - 48%
5-10 years - 30%
3-5 years - 18%
0-2 years - 7%

Do you yourself post or contribute to a political blog?

Yes - 68%
No - 30%

[If 'Yes'] How long have you been posting or contributing to a political blog?

4-5 years - 23%
3-4 years - 24%
1-2 years - 27%
Less than 1 year - 14%

Please indicate below in what ways you are currently active in state and local politics and campaigns. Please check all that apply.

Donate money to a political campaign at the state or local level - 67%
Volunteer for a political campaign at the state or local level - 52%
Write for a political blog focusing on local or state politics - 26%
Work professionally for a political campaign at the state or local level - 19%
Write for an online publication other than a blog focusing on local or state politics - 12%
Produce other media or "mashups" focusing on local or state politics - 8%
Write for a print publication focusing on local or state politics - 6%

Now, please indicate below in what ways you are currently active in federal politics and campaigns. Please check all that apply.

Donate money to a political campaign at the federal level - 65%
Volunteer for a political campaign at the federal level - 41%
Write for a political blog focusing on federal politics - 30%
Work professionally for a political campaign at the federal level - 12%
Write for an online publication other than a blog focusing on federal politics - 8%
Produce other media or "mashups" focusing on federal politics - 8%
Write for a print publication focusing on federal politics - 3%

Approximately how much money have you contributed to political organizations or campaigns over the past 12 months.

$400 or more - 32%
$300-$400 - 5%
$200-$300 - 10%
$150-$200 - 9%
$100-$150 - 9%
$50-$100 - 12%
Less than $50 - 10%
$0 - I haven't contributed - 11%
Prefer not to answer - 1%

Do you work with a political organization, campaign or other such entity as part of your occupation?

No - 66%
Yes - 32%

Approximately how many hours a week do you devote to a political organization, campaign or website?

(Mean: 23.5, Median 12.5)

Had it not been for the advent of the internet, do you think your level of activity in politics would be more, less, or about the same as it is now?

Less - 68%
About the same - 25%
More - 6%

DEMOGRAPHICS

What is your gender?

Male - 58%
Female - 40%

What year were you born?

18-29 - 27%
30-39 - 23%
40-49 - 22%
50-64 - 22%
64+ - 2%

Please choose the term that best describes how you think of yourself in political terms.

Progressive - 47%
Liberal - 40%
Moderate - 12%
Conservative - 0%

# # #

TBA 2008 - 2008 and Beyond: Political Impacts of the Blogosphere

Brian Dockstader — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:36:13 -0400

Featuring: Chris Bowers, Digby, Terrance Heath, Ari Melber, Tracy Russo, Pam Spaulding

Rob Kall

Rob Kall — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:21:14 -0500

Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor and organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. See more of his articles here:http://www.opednews.com/author/articles/author2.html

Rob co-hosts a terrestrial and internet talk radio show broadcasting to the Philadelphia and south NJ area on AM 1360, Thursday- 8-9 PM Online here: http://www.wnjc1360.com/Live_Netcast/live_netcast.html

To learn more about Rob and OpEdNews.com, check out this article about him: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_hans_ben_080114_opednews_com_3a_...

and there are Rob's quotes: http://www.quotationscentral.com/kallquotations.htm

Joseph Bernard

Joseph Bernard — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:50:00 -0500

I am co-founder of Peace Together, a social activist, Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, writer, blogger, athlete, artist, counselor, teacher, consultant, and speaker. I have spent the last 35 years encouraging people to live their lives with passion and purpose while exploring their potential.

I have a wonderful wife named Bobbi and a 6-month-old puppy named Pax (The Peace Dog). We are both creative people and committed to helping people find inner peace and peace in the world. We started Peace-Together.com to assist people to positively express peaceful messages and we designed a line of t-shirts to do that. Our shirts our sweatshop free and mostly organic.

I love to run the mountain trails here in Boulder, ride my bike, play pingpong, sing, paint abstract, do collage, cook and have fun.

My blog (ExploreLifeBlog.com) is about living life fully, about having an open mind and heart, about living peacefully and consciously in the world, about thinking progressively, and about living with purpose and passion.

The Blogosphere: From Ideas to Action- Take Back America 2007

Anne Thompson — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 03:00:00 -0400

Take Back America 2007 panel addresses how the blogosphere generates both new ideas and pushes for action to enact a progressive agenda. Panel: Isaiah J. Poole, TomPaine.com; Matt Stoller, mydd.com; Jane Hamsher, firedoglake.com; Chris Bowers, mydd.com; Oliver Willis, oliverwillis.com; Jim Dean, Democracy for America.

Blogosphere's Digby - Take Back America 2007

Ian Mishalove — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 03:00:00 -0400

Video from the Gala Dinner at Take Back America 2007 in Washington, DC - June 19, 2007. The blogosphere's most famous unknown makes herself known, and accepts the Paul Wellstone Citizen Leadership Award on behalf of the entire progressive blogosphere.

Blog Session Panel - Take Back America 2007

Ian Mishalove — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 03:00:00 -0400

Blog Session Panel discussion at Take Back America 2007.

Bloggers: The Insurgent Voice - Take Back America 2006

Ian Mishalove — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 03:00:00 -0400

Take Back America 2006 panel addressing the emergence and growing influence of the progressive blogosphere. Panel: Glenn Greenwald - Unclaimed Territory (Moderator) Chris Rabb, Afro-Netizen Jerome Armstrong, Co-author, Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots and the Rise of People-Powered Politics Matt Stoller, MyDD.com Liza Sabater, Culture Kitchen Christy Hardin Smith, Firedoglake.