>>> I still think Frank is essentially right when he says that the Democrats
>>> could do a lot better among the U.S. working class if they weren't
>>> Republicans light on economic issues.
>>
>> The funny thing is, nobody argues with that.
>
> BUt in the 2004 National Election Study, voters placed themselves closer
> to the Reps on econ policy, and to the Dems on social policy.
Yes, but that's voters as a whole. Jenny was asking specifically about the the working class. And Bartels analysis, which says the working class (defined as the lower third of the income distribution) is closer to the Dems on economic policy (and perhaps even to the left of it) is entirely based on the NES, no?
If you take all three thirds, what you say makes sense, because the upper 2 thirds are closer to the Repugs on econ and to the Dems on social. And those two thirds are overrepresented among voters, increasing their weight in the mix even more.
Michael