Yes, we in IT could make a powerfull group of lobbyists and reap many benefits from organizing a professional group that would represent our needs. I think that there would also be many side benefits to us in IT from forming a professional association that could garner group rates for contractor and consultant insurance, organize meetings to discuss important industry changes, and to just network with our peers.
...As far as the ITAA, there should be opposition to the strength they wield on the side of the IT industry itself, often at the expense of the IT workers themselves which seems odd for some reason.
But for Gartner, I've been concerned lately with the increase in Gartner content here in TechRepublic and have been looking at other tech sites again in a search for something more "techie-friendly" in case the Gartner "industry friendly" content continues to get out of hand.