I just want to say thank you to the DKos community for diaries describing the common threads woven through middle-class families all over America regardless of political party. The charts, graphs, stories, and facts illuminate our common plight and provide great messaging that clearly lays blame at the foot of corporatists, Wall St., and their lobbyists. As for blaming the government, it is easy to do and definitely part of the problem but I feel it is only a small piece of what's wrong.
I'm an average DKos lurker, with average googling skills. I could do the research to pull together this information but DKos frees me up from the tediousness of data gathering so I can focus my energies on customizing my message to my community through local blogs and online media.
Armed with these frames and messages about the state of the middle class, I am now able to help support Democratic candidates running in my district. I am also prepared, unlike last summer, to overcome the silly shouting of far right conservatives affected by the housing meltdown and joblessness. These people are as angry as I am about these things but now I feel there's the possibility we might be able to agree on some things and not fight so much, and instead work together locally for the changes we need to improve our situation.