Democrats must renew bond with working class

By Peter S. Canellos
April 15, 2008

WASHINGTON - During the five decades that the New Deal coalition governed national politics, from the 1930s to the 1980s, the relationship between the Democratic Party and working-class voters was an economic bond: Generations of Americans took it as an act of faith that Republicans represented the moneyed elites while Democrats stood up for the little guy.

Since 1980, that relationship has eroded and now it's in tatters. Democrats have lost significant support among the working class. They have made big gains among upper-middle-class voters.