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Published: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 4:38 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 4:38 p.m.

Joe Trippi, the legendary Democratic consultant, is not part of any right-wing cabal. So its noteworthy that when it comes to private school vouchers and charter schools and other forms of parental choice, he says, We should try them all.

Trippi told me this in a recent interview, after describing how he grew up on the wrong side of a school zone, on the side where too many kids joined gangs and dropped out of school. The school board made an exception for him, but only because his mom raised hell. Now hes haunted by those left behind.

I relay Trippis story in response to Daniel Tilsons column, Fight public school privatization. A dominant thread in the piece is a common myth: that parental choice is the brainchild of the radical right.

The truth is, practical concerns of parents are driving the movement, not ideology. But because ideology is warping so much of the debate, I want to address that first.

Tilson is right that many conservatives like parental choice. He references George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Neil Bush, shadowy business interests and the Republican Party of Florida. At least he didnt throw in the Koch Brothers! But the inconvenient truth for this line of argument is growing numbers of progressives like parental choice, too.

President Obama loves charter schools. So does former President Clinton. A few weeks ago, Howard Dean told college students he was now a die-hard for charters because theyre transforming inner city education.

New Jerseys new U.S. Senator, Democrat Cory Booker, unapologetically supports vouchers. So does Mike MCurry, Clintons former press secretary. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren may not, yet, but here is what she said about a universal system of public school choice: An all-voucher system would be a shock to the educational system. But the shakeout might be just what the system needs.

In these polarized times, its nice to see folks from across the political spectrum agreeing on anything. But contrary to Tilsons characterization, progressives have long supported expansion of learning options.

During the civil rights movement, activists established alternatives to segregated, second-rate schools. In the 1960s, liberal intellectuals at Berkeley led the voucher left. The late Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan once crafted a tuition tax credit measure that garnered 50 co-sponsors, including Sen. George McGovern and 23 other Democrats. In a fortuitous twist, parental choice dovetails as much with progressive values of equal opportunity as with conservative values of limited government.

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Ron Matus: Progressives are embracing school vouchers