If union workers aren't the "average working stiffs," I don't know who is.
The ACA is for everyone. Medicare for all is going to be most beneficial to the working class who currently have to have insurance but have such high deductibles that they might as well be uninsured. Julián Castro is focusing on housing prices, which again, is a huge issue for the working class. Infrastructure and climate change is for everyone, but the negative effects will impact (and are impacting) the working class already. I could go on and on.
As for "defending," I grew up working class. I was a WIC kid, went to Head Start, and I was a first generation college student who made use of the Pell Grant. I don't "defend" the working class here because there's so much entitlement and elitism that it's just not worth it in many cases. But you better believe my experiences and connections influence my political decisions.
In addition, I'm not going to stand up for people who are blinded by hatred. My hometown newspaper skews extremely to the right. Another newspaper republishes anti-Muslim propaganda. Many folks are completely under the spell of FOX's lies. I'm not going to defend that. I understand how it happens but that doesn't make their hatred excusable. In addition, they believe any politician who spouts the same lies and then believe that said politician's policies must be the best, even when those policies go directly against their best interests. I won't defend that. They have their right to their opinions, which I will fight for, but I have no sympathy for believing and propogating lies.
I think the Democrats make an error when discussing "working class" and "middle class" people. When they talk about them, and you actually listen, they're not talking about working class people who make 30, 40, 50K a year. That's what I make, and I'm far and away no where NEAR "rich". Married couples with a combined annual income of 100K a year, I know many and they still will say, "I have to wait until Friday, I only have x-amount left in the bank". They're not "rich" either. When democrats discuss these things, they're talking about people below the poverty line. In my state the federal poverty guidelines are around 17K a year. I know people broke as a joke and don't have a pot to piss in and even they still exceed the federal or state poverty lines. So when democrats discuss "working class" people, they may actually be referring to
poor people. Like East Cleveland poor. Really, really poor.
I also think when they refer to "the rich", that may include many Americans who are technically "middle class". If you and your spouse have a combined annual income of 105K a year, I'll bet that liberals would not even consider you "middle class". They are. That could hurt their argument among actual "middle class" people.
