Reagan wasn't the one who said "A rising tide lifts all boats."

Care to try again?

And you're wrong about the economic conditions under Reagan. The whole economy grew, giving everyone a chance to advance. While it's true that a 10% increase means more to someone making $100,000 than it does to someone making $10,000, the end result is more for everyone.

Studies have looked at the people at different economic strata (quintiles) over the years. The studies have shown a great deal of churning between the different quintiles. Most people start out in the bottom 20% of income when they begin their careers. Most people don't stay there thoughout their lifetime. Most of them will, over a period of years, work their way up several quintiles before they retire, with many of them making it all the way to the top 20%. At the same time, some of the people in the top 20% will drop to a lower ranking. That's the nature of a dynamic economy.

When my wife and I married 20 years ago, we were still in college. For the next few years, we were definitely in the bottom 20%. We're now in the top 20% (more like the top 7%). It took many years to reach this level.

The cliche about the Republicans having the rich as their base is absurd. By definition, the rich are a minority of the population. You can't win elections by only appealing to a minority of the electorate. Even in my poorest days, I saw through the lies by the Democrats about them caring for the poor. It simply isn't true. They care about acquiring and maintaining power, and the poor are just the means to their goal.