Is the Middle Class the Battlefield for the 2012 Presidential Election?

I’ve read countless articles proclaiming that the Latino voters, swing states, Baby Boomers and many other factions will be the group for the 2012 presidential candidates to win over in order to control the Oval Office. Now, the newest members of society to be targeted are the middle class. Is there any truth to this latest claim?

On ABCNews.go.com, Associated Press reporter Erica Werner explains the important role that the middle class will play in the upcoming election come November 2012. “Highlighted by the Occupy movement and fanned by record profits on Wall Street at a time of stubborn unemployment, economic inequality is now taking center stage in the 2012 presidential campaign, emphasized by Obama and offering opportunities and risks for him and his GOP opponents as both sides battle for the allegiance of the angst-ridden electorate.”

Just for argument’s sake I looked up on Wikipedia who makes up the middle class and how many people are included in this broad, loosely used term. There are several models and definitions being used which can include anywhere between 25% to 66% of American households. Generically speaking, it’s anyone who makes an individual income equal to or greater than the national median of $32,000 or a $46,000 income for a household. On the high side it includes incomes varying from the low six figures. Clear as mud, right?

So, now that we know who is in the middle class (um, sort of), why is this group of voters so important for the candidates to earn their support, both financially and in the voting booth? Werner explains that, “Obama is viewed as more likely to help the middle class than is the GOP, so he can capitalize on this by playing on concerns about inequality and contrasting his positions and the GOP’s on issues like tax cuts for the wealthy,’ John Sides, political science professor at George Washington University, said by email. ‘However,’ Sides added, ‘it’s an open question whether that strategy would enable him to overcome a weak economy and win.’”

With unemployment reaching 8%, social security dwindling and the weakening of the value of the dollar, the middle class are taking the brunt of the economic downturn. With the broadening gap between the rich and the poor, the middle class seems to be in the crossfire of a precarious future. Whether the Democrats or Republicans can restore confidence to this cautious group will very likely have a major impact on who the future leader of this country will be.