Progressive takes the offensive.

• Author: White, Donald
• Position: Charlotte, NC; Progressive Alliance - On The Line - Brief Article

Jerry Klein is a former talk radio host and a local columnist. Now he also heads the Progressive Alliance in Charlotte, North Carolina.

He started the group in response to the 1997 furor in Charlotte over production of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America. Citizens protested the county -funded performance because the play has some homosexual characters. Local prosecutors threatened to cancel opening night by bringing the theater and the production company up on obscenity charges. Shortly afterwards, the Mecklenburg County commission voted to defund the local arts and science councils.

Until a few years ago, says Klein, "Charlotte had a reputation as a progressive stronghold--it was not a conservative bastion." He wants to return the town to its more liberal roots.

The Progressive Alliance is conducting voter-registration and get-out-the-vote drives. It is printing and distributing guides to educate citizens about candidates' records and positions on issues. It is making speakers available to talk radio stations and news channels in order to ensure liberal and leftwing voices are part of the debate. And it is conducting a series of Monday night dialogues on topics ranging from religion to politics to culture. Klein hosts the discussions, which are...