Michael Hiltzik: Buttigieg is wrong — free college should be free for all, including children of the rich

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has taken aim at one of the most progressive planks in the platforms of his rivals Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren - eliminating tuition charges at public universities.

In an ad running in Iowa, the first primary battleground state, Buttigieg attacks their proposals for making college "free even for the kids of millionaires."

Buttigieg's comment was called out by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a Sanders supporter, who labeled it "a GOP talking point used to dismantle public systems."

Here's the bottom line on this campaign dustup: Buttigieg is wrong, and AOC is right.

The argument that public programs designed to be universal are somehow flawed because they benefit all echelons of society, rich and poor alike, indeed is a common Republican talking point. It's so superficially logical, in fact, that it's not uncommon to hear it leaching