“Standards of living have increased for everyone—as have incomes—and mobility, however one measures it, remains robust.”
I can’t believe someone can say that with a straight face; our standard of living has fallen drastically, and unreported inflation has wages falling.
“Simply put, how much the top 1 percent of the population earns has no bearing on whether the bottom 20 percent can move up.”
Who is moving jobs out/bringing labor in (legally or otherwise)? Business has decided that it no longer needs to pay people 5 or 6 figures to do a job; they have an army of people who will do it for 4 figures on a part-time or temp basis (with no benefits). Years ago (leading up to the 2008 election) some talking heads were discussing the economy, and one bright man stated that the status symbol in the new economy would be having a job. Considering the dearth of decent jobs, with benefits and such, he was absolutely right.
The middle class is an entity unto itself with very little political power.