Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rips Mayor Pete for Affordable College Ad, Saying He’s Repeating ‘A GOP Talking Point’

Progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went in on 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for an ad that argued free college tuition for all was a bad idea.

“This is a GOP talking point used to dismantle public systems, & it’s sad to see a Dem candidate adopt it,” Ocasio-Cortez responded to a Buttigieg ad in Iowa that argues college should be affordable but not free–clearly taking aim at proposals from more progressive candidates like Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

“It’s sad to see a Dem candidate adopt it,” she continued.

This is a GOP talking point used to dismantle public systems, & it’s sad to see a Dem candidate adopt it.

Let’s talk about why Republicans are wrong on this.

Just like rich kids can attend public school, they should be able to attend tuition-free public college.

Here’s why. https://t.co/pWprP0qrhG

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 29, 2019

1. Universal public systems are designed to benefit EVERYBODY! Everyone contributes & everyone enjoys. We don’t ban the rich from public schools, firefighters, or libraries bc they are public goods.

2. Universal systems that benefit everyone are stronger bc everyone’s invested!

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 29, 2019

3. When you start carving people out & adding asterisks to who can benefit from goods that should be available to all, cracks in the system develop.

4. Many children of the elite want to go to private, Ivyesque schools anyway, which aren’t covered by tuition-free public college!

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 29, 2019

5. Lastly, and I can’t believe we have to remind people of this, but it’s GOOD to have classrooms (from pre-k through college!) to be socioeconomically integrated.

Having students from different incomes & backgrounds in the same classroom is good for society & economic mobility.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 29, 2019

Ocasio-Cortez, alongside Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, famously endorsed Sanders for the presidency earlier this year.

Representatives from Buttigieg’s campaign responded to the critique, stressing that Buttigieg “would make public college tuition-free for 80% of families.”

If you think that a worker who didn’t go to college should pay for college for a CEO’s kid, then @PeteButtigieg isn’t your candidate. https://t.co/dPCVf4KsLG

— Lis Smith (@Lis_Smith) November 29, 2019

Pete would make public college tuition-free for 80% of families.

And he’d provide tuition assistance for the next 10% of families.

But some say he’s not progressive because he won’t make college free for millionaires + billionaires who already have advantages?

???‍♂️

— Sean Savett (@ssavett) November 29, 2019

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