Democrats once preached college-for-all, and were too soft on school privatization. They need to reverse course on both these positions—and make an unapologetic case for education as a public good that benefits all kids.
The obviously good position here is “I wasn’t lucky enough to get to go to college like you were. College was and still is an opportunity reserved for the privileged, and it’s only been getting worse. I’d like to see that changed so that everybody who wants a college education can have access to it. When you work for the public, your job is to remove archaic barriers, not chastise people who were excluded by them. We should be seeking to make things better and easier for every subsequent generation, not forcing them to endure every hardship we struggled with. What is the point of a civilized society if not to improve the quality of life for all as we move forward?”
The obviously good position here is “I wasn’t lucky enough to get to go to college like you were. College was and still is an opportunity reserved for the privileged, and it’s only been getting worse. I’d like to see that changed so that everybody who wants a college education can have access to it. When you work for the public, your job is to remove archaic barriers, not chastise people who were excluded by them. We should be seeking to make things better and easier for every subsequent generation, not forcing them to endure every hardship we struggled with. What is the point of a civilized society if not to improve the quality of life for all as we move forward?”