To the Editor:
In “The
Dreaded P-Word?” (Op-Ed, July 21), John McWhorter argues that the
term “progressive” should be associated with conservatives.
“To deny ‘progressive’ to the right is inaccurate and even
disrespectful,” he says, adding that the left should “stick with
‘liberal.’”
As national director of America’s original “liberal” organization,
Americans for Democratic Action, here’s my response to my conservative
friend: You can look it up. From the Progressive era, with its
government regulation and federal taxation, to The Progressive, the
magazine that began in 1909, and Wikipedia: progressive is analogous to
liberal.
Describing yourself as liberal or progressive is less important—especially for most voters—than what you are for and what you are
against. If you are for a federal jobs program, for a woman’s right to
choose, for marriage equality and for a worker’s right to organize, it
is clear that you are not a conservative. And that’s what matters most.
Michael J. Wilson
National Director
Americans for Democratic Action
Washington, July 22, 2010
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 