Exposing the Republicans' 3-Part Strategy to Tear the Middle Class Apart -- What Are We Going to Do

Exposing the Republicans' 3-Part Strategy to Tear the Middle Class Apart -- What Are We Going to Do to Stop It?
RobertReich.org / By Robert Reich

February 20, 2011 | The Republican strategy is to split the vast middle and working class - pitting unionized workers against non-unionized, public-sector workers against non-public, older workers within sight of Medicare and Social Security against younger workers who don't believe these programs will be there for them, and the poor against the working middle class.

By splitting working America along these lines, Republicans want Americans to believe that we can no longer afford to do what we need to do as a nation. They hope to deflect attention from the increasing share of total income and wealth going to the richest 1 percent while the jobs and wages of everyone else languish.

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These three aspects of the Republican strategy - a federal budget battle to shrink government, focused on programs the vast middle class depends on; state efforts to undermine public employees, whom the middle class depends on; and a Supreme Court dedicated to bending the Constitution to enlarge and entrench the political power of the wealthy - fit perfectly together.

They pit average working Americans against one another, distract attention from the almost unprecedented concentration of wealth and power at the top, and conceal Republican plans to further enlarge and entrench that wealth and power.

What is the Democratic strategy to counter this and reclaim America for the rest of us?

of teachers in rhode island.

surely you jest. there is no democratic strategy to counter it, the democrats are complicit.

The Republicans are our declared enemies, and far too many of the Democrats are not our friends.

Myself, I'm trying to figure out ways to get the word out that there is, indeed, a class war. It's the ultra-monied class against the rest of us, and it's past time to stand up to them. (How we do that effectively I do not know.)

that their fate is embodied in the current experience of the poor and working poor. Until they fight for the rights of the people who are the real world victims today of this violent class war being waged by the haves, nothing will change for the middle class in fact it will just get worse.

The permanent wage slave hole housing almost half of the population has plenty more room for those who think saving the middle class is the top priority.

Trickle down doesn't work whether it's rich to middle class or middle class to poor. And the poor are not against the working middle class, the working middle class forgot about the poor decades ago and that was confirmed when clinton attacked and deformed welfare.

On tv you pretty much see middle class or upper class in almost all shows. Also why Colbert working on a farm was so awesome.

And how those that bring the issue of poverty to attention of those with an ability to change it are important. The problem is the middle class, or at least the lower middle class is not the problem, it would not take much for them to live in a non consumer environment, just stop pushing consumerism. But capitalism needs that for profit.

Why profit should not decide major choices of production, either populations should directly by distributed money, and education, or representative government, elected not bought, should decide.

And if it is true that any elections are being stolen, and there is some evidence of that, the whole system will come down.

fellow worker, the homeless, the poor, illegal aliens, and anyone else who does not own the means of production.

capital in this country has never given a concession to the working class (which includes middle class people with jobs) without struggle, blood, and pain.

OUR struggle, OUR blood, OUR pain.

people should never be eager to give back rights to the wealthy.

WE pay for everything in blood.

they cruise on yachts and buy congressmen, senators, mayors, governors, and presidents.

There are just as many middle class repubs as there are dems. Eventually, I can see repubs demanding "entitlements" that will help them when they need it.

where we can learn, spread information and then take that information to our other communities - both online and 3D. Facebook, twitter, blog, email - talk it up with family and friends at church, work, community meetings, etc. Getting the word out and initiating discussion about facts and listening to the responses. That's how we do it. One person at a time.


Imagine where we would be WITHOUT DU... it's done a world of service to me to increase my understanding of the multiple sides of issues. We share this info. And when we can, we hit the streets and protest. The more people we can bring with us, convince that all this effects them too, the better as they will join us.