Dear George,

What exactly is this so-called "progressive" movement [i.e. Democrats for Change]?

By choosing this title, they were -- it would seem logical to assume - making a dual statement. First, about their definition of their views and secondly, a statement about their opinion of the views of existing groups, which logic says they believed were either not at all progressive, or insufficiently so by their standards.

Ergo: It would be helpful for those of us who write about such things to have a general sense of why this group feels it is "progressive," at least in terms of comparison to certain other groups active in local politics.

Paul Goldman (electronic mail, November 20, 2001).