Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in recounting her educational history, is actually promoting a traditionally conservative value, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said on Sunday.
As has been well-documented, Ocasio-Cortez painted herself as the "girl from the Bronx" during her ascension to political prominence. However, as it turned out, Ocasio-Cortez's father actually moved her family from the Bronx to Yorktown Heights, a wealthy suburb of New York City in Westchester County, when Ocasio-Cortez was just 5 years old.
The reason? For Ocasio-Cortez to have access to a better education.
Over the weekend, while speaking at a rally during which she officially endorsed the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ocasio-Cortez again promoted her story.
.@AOC on her family moving from the Bronx to Westchester so she would receive a better education: “That’s when I go… https://t.co/txLTBEq4fc— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott)1571516247.0
According to DeVos, what Ocasio-Cortez is doing by recounting her childhood story is actually promoting school choice, a traditionally conservative position.
"Picking the best school for you is called school choice. Glad your family had an option, @aoc," DeVos tweeted. "Now let's help every child!"
Picking the best school for you is called school choice. Glad your family had an option, @aoc. Now let’s help every… https://t.co/iSloEtE0eY— Secretary Betsy DeVos (@Secretary Betsy DeVos)1571597645.0
Conservative traditionally promote school choice because they believe parents should have say over where their child attends school. On the other hand, progressive, Democrats, and teacher unions have traditionally opposed school choice.