Michael Hiltzik: Elizabeth Warren's college debt plan helps the middle class — and does much more

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren unveiled her plan to address the student debt mess last week and promptly took brickbats because it would help higher-income families more than the poor.

"Warren's Student-Debt Deal Would Most Benefit Stronger Earners," declared the Wall Street Journal. At Slate, Jordan Weissman's take was: "Elizabeth Warren's Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Mostly Helps the Middle Class."

Both articles were based on a Brookings Institution analysis that asked, "How progressive is Sen. Elizabeth Warren's loan forgiveness proposal?" and concluded: "Not progressive at all."

These conclusions are true, up to a point. But they apply to one element of Warren's proposal, a broad forgiveness of existing student debt. Warren's proposal has three other parts that address major