How A Ragtag Group Of Lefties Mainlined Debt-Free College Into The Democratic Primary
US Senator Charles Schumer (R), D-NY, introduces US Secretary of State designate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (L) at the beginning of Clinton's confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 13, 2009. AFP PHOTO/Jim WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
Photographer: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty ImagesA group of two dozen young activists working out of homes and coffee shops around the country has achieved something rather unusual: mainlining an idea into the upper echelons of the Democratic Party—including its top presidential contenders—in just four months.
The phrase "debt-free college" was hardly present in the national political lexicon until the Progressive Change Campaign Committee launched a campaign in January to push Democrats to support the idea of federal assistance to help Americans graduate from college without debt.