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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Republicans, Democrats and 'the Middle Class'

    In both Tampa and Charlotte, speaker after speaker tried to identify with "the Middle Class" and echoed the theme of upward mobility and fulfillment of "the American Dream." That's been a staple of presidential campaigns since the end of World War II. But in recent decades, "the Middle Class" has been shrinking.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    In both Tampa and Charlotte, speaker after speaker tried to identify with "the Middle Class" and echoed the theme of upward mobility and fulfillment of "the American Dream." That's been a staple of presidential campaigns since the end of World War II. But in recent decades, "the Middle Class" has been shrinking. Do Democrats and Republicans even agree any more on what "Middle Class" really means? Do potential voters still share "the American Dream?" We hear about traditional slogans, contemporary realities and this year's promises from both political parties.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The Mythology of the Middle Class
    1. 0:00Chicago Teachers Strike Leaves 350,000 Students without School
    2. 7:36Republicans, Democrats and 'the Middle Class'You’re reading this
    3. 43:42President Obama's Post-Convention Bounce in the Polls
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Hedrick Smith

      PBS Frontline Producer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Paul Taylor

      author and demographer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Samuel Popkin

      University of California, San Diego

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    The Mythology of the Middle Class
    1. 0:00Chicago Teachers Strike Leaves 350,000 Students without School
    2. 7:36Republicans, Democrats and 'the Middle Class'You’re reading this
    3. 43:42President Obama's Post-Convention Bounce in the Polls
    Back to To the Point