Traditionally, Democrats have appealed to the blue collar factory workers. Technical and office workers have identified with the boss -- even if their interests were opposed. I'm not sure that is the case any more.
Reasons after the jump.
I posted a diary two days ago citing Frank's arguments that the Republican gains of the most recent period were based on Democratic surrender of appeals to the working class. (Class.) There is some justification for that abandonment; there are fewer and fewer factory workers in the USA every year.
What is not justified is the change from the interests of the workers to the interests of the owners; there are fewer and fewer of them every year, too. More and more of the industry of this country is concentrated in a few firms. These might have a lot of stockholders, but the control -- and most of the benefits -- of those companies goes to relatively few people.
Which brings us to Dilbert. The strip is a tremendous success; which suggests that the point of view -- the technical worker slaving away in a cubicle oppressed by an ignorant, overpaid, boss -- is something with which millions of people identify.
Maybe, if the Democratic party went back to its roots and defended the workers against the bosses, it could win over the cubicle workers, too.