From Defeat to Triumph: Erasing the Death Penalty in America

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Thu, Jun 07 2012 11:15:42

Led by: Marc Lamont Hill

Panelists: Abraham J. Bonowitz, DeJaun Correia, Laura Moye, Robert Rooks

This January, against long odds, the environmental movement dealt a blow to Big Oil, forcing President Obama’s rejection of a presidential permit for the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline—the industry’s marquee project and a conduit to the continent’s biggest “carbon bomb.” The hard-fought campaign united indigenous communities, Nebraska ranchers and Texas landowners, union representatives, youth climate activists, interfaith leaders and grassroots citizen activists and breathed new life into a movement fractured and demoralized after having failed to advance meaningful climate legislation following the election of a Democratic Congress and a new president who promised to lead on clean energy and climate solutions. Panelists will discuss the lessons the environmental, climate and progressive movements can take from the KXL fight and how these movements might build on this success to continue fighting the southern leg of the pipeline expedited by the president and to reclaim our democracy from corporate polluters and gain lasting wins for a safe climate and justice-fueled future.

Led by: Kim Huynh, Brad Johnson

Panelists: Becky Bond, Jane Fleming Kleeb, Bill McKibben, Ben Powless

Want to know more about what’s happening in battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania? Curious about key races and major ballot initiatives coming up? Come to one of these battleground state caucuses and find out how you can get involved. Facilitators will give an overview of the landscape in each state, talk about whats’s at stake and tell you ways you can volunteer or plug in to existing efforts. NOTE: These sessions are not just for residents of those states; come if you’re interested in getting involved or learning more.

The American Legislative Exchange Council has been behind virtually every major right-wing state law in the past two years, including union-busting, teacher-bashing, voter suppression, attacks on immigrants, privatizing basic public services and gutting environmental and health regulations. Learn more about ALEC, who backs them and what you can do to stand in their way.

Whose Law Is It Anyway? ALEC’s Influence on State Leg

GREAT #NN12 PANEL ON ALEC – AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL

Storified by Netroots Nation · Thu, Jun 07 2012 17:00:19

Led by: Rashad Robinson

Panelists: Aniello Alioto, Kim Anderson, Marge Baker, John Carey, Lisa Graves

Black and brown voters turned out in record numbers in 2008. However, the introduction of voter ID initiatives in many states creates a new barrier for many Americans, particularly in traditionally disenfranchised communities of color. Voters in these communities—as well as students, seniors, the working poor and those with disabilities—will be most impacted. What coalitions and campaigns are underway to ensure these voters have equal access to the polls? How can we ensure that their voting rights are safeguarded and their voices counted? Panelists will provide case studies of campaign strategies and community solutions and tackle tough questions concerning voter ID laws.

Protecting Voting Rights in Communities of Color in 2012

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Thu, Jun 07 2012 19:03:22

Led by: Erica Williams

Panelists: Biko Baker, Derrick Beetso, David Castillo, Kirin Kennedy, Marvin Randolph

On June 5, progressives across the country will either be celebrating Scott Walker’s recall loss or angry about his victory. Either way, this panel will serve as a post-mortem for the long, hard fight for sanity in Wisconsin.

Led by: Kaili Lambe

Panelists: Kristen Crowell, Emily Mills, Josh Orton, Harry Waisbren

The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United opened the floodgates to massive amounts of anonymous corporate spending in our elections and allowed Super PACs to spend millions on campaign ads with no accountability. In the Republican presidential primary, we’ve seen Super PACs acting as shadow arms of the candidates’ campaigns. This new doctrine of “corporate speech rights” threatens to drown out the voices of the American people. Organized by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Center for American Progress Action Fund, this panel will examine the far-reaching impact of Citizens United and discuss how legislators, activists, bloggers and stakeholders can help restore sanity to our elections.

Citizens United, Super PACs and the Fight for Our Democracy

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Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 16:35:17

Led by: Tom Perriello

Panelists: Becky Bond, Senator Sherrod Brown, Senator Jeff Merkley, Trevor Potter, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

When Occupy Wall Street first started, almost no one thought it would work. What does the explosion of interest in OWS say about the tactics of the occupation? What can progressive organizations learn from Occupy’s success in shifting the dialogue from austerity to inequality?

That Will Never Work: What Progressives Can Learn from OWS

Miss this panel? No problem! Here’s what happened.

Storified by Netroots Nation · Fri, Jun 08 2012 18:18:36

Led by: Max Berger

Panelists: Isham Christie, Mary Clinton, Michelle Crentsil, Yotam Marom

Last year’s competition was plagued by controversy, as a heated debate over the proper name of a particular Southeast Asian nation led to fierce, unbridled protest which made Madison, WI, look like kindergarten.  What could possibly be in store for 2012? Form your teams of 8-10 (and we’ll help assemble teams on-site) and find out.  Tensions will be high, as will the collective blood-alcohol content of the room by the end, so do join us for the team trivia contest which has become as fixed a part of the Netroots Nation landscape as were Burma Shave billboards on American highways of the 1950s.

Generously sponsored by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

Over the past decade, Latino voters have increased their political power and made a decisive impact in races at all levels, including the last presidential election.  This is even more important in 2012. It has been projected that a Republican candidate needs to obtain at 40% of the Latino vote to win the Presidential election in November. President Obama, who secured 67% of the Latino vote in 2008, will again need a huge margin. Candidates from all parties have to take into consideration the issues that are important to the Hispanic population — one of which happens to be immigration.  Hispanic voters could tip the balance in several key battleground states, including Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida and even Arizona. With GOP candidates for President increasingly alienating the Hispanic population with anti-immigrant rhetoric, and a current President who has increased enforcement and deported a record number of immigrants has left many people wondering — what will Latino voters do in 2012?  Find out the answer to that question, and learn about the new tool that will help you figure it out.

Latino Vote Matters: Immigration, Power, and an Interactive Look at the Map

Storified by Netroots Nation · Sat, Jun 09 2012 16:04:53

Led by: Adam Luna

Panelists: Justin Gross, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Markos Moulitsas, Gaby Pacheco

In 2011 we witnessed the most significant rollback of voting rights since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, with conservative legislators and governors passing laws in more than a dozen states to restrict access to the ballot. These laws included requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, restricting voter registration drives, curtailing early voting, disenfranchising ex-felons and mandating government-issued photo identification to cast a ballot. These tactics harken back to the days when Dixiecrats used poll taxes and literacy tests to bar black Southerners from voting. According to the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice, the new laws could make it significantly harder for more than 5 million eligible voters to cast ballots in 2012, with young, minority, low-income and disabled voters hit the hardest. This panel will look at the voter suppression tactics conservatives are employing and how to fight back to defend democracy.

Led by: Ari Berman

Panelists: Sen. Ben Cardin, Rep. Keith Ellison, Keesha Gaskins, Eric Marshall, Heather Smith

Lobbying Congress can seem like an impossible uphill climb even in the best of times, but there are alternative ways to make progress. There’s much to be done without worrying about filibusters or majority votes by working with the federal agencies. A coalition of national LGBT and allied organizations called the New Beginning Initiative has been advocating for changes within the federal government for over three years. Since January of 2009, there have been dozens of changes in federal policy that benefit the lives of LGBT people and families, and they all happened without any further Congressional action. Join us for a discussion on how to advocate for progress through federal agencies using the existing framework of federal law. Our success stories relate to the LGBT movement, but the tools for change can be used by anyone willing to roll up their sleeves and wade into the world of federal regulation.

Led by: Brad Jacklin

Panelists: Kellan Baker, Emily Hecht-McGowan, Gautam Raghavan, Maya Rupert