JOEL KOTKIN ON class, demography, and what Democrats and Republicans are missing. “The Democrats own the lower income groups and those at the apex of the post-industrial economy – top bureaucrats, most non-profits, established media, Silicon Valley VCs, Wall Street and academia. The Republicans own the old upper class tied to manufacturing (at least the non-subsidized parts), agriculture and fossil fuels. The group in play is the huge, mainly suburban working, middle and upper-middle class. These include managers, store owners, lone entrepreneurs and skilled laborers in the private sector. Neither party focuses on presenting a positive vision for growth and improvement of quality of life for this segment. So people in this group shift back and forth, making havoc of the best laid plans of both parties.”