Why the Middle Sways Left and Right

On both the left and right sides of the political spectrum there are basically solid blocks of voters who are not going to be swayed one way or another.  These probably represent about 20% of the electorate on either side.  In the middle are maybe 60% of the voters who are the key to victory and are wooed with similar enticements, but different scapegoats. 

The left views the poor as noble victims and the rich as unjust pillagers of the national wealth.  They like to point out the unfairness of the wealth amassed through manipulation of markets and exploitation of the masses.  They woo the middle by promising to reclaim this wealth as the rightful property of the middle class. 

The right views the rich as inspiring creators of wealth whose riches are their reward for ingenuity, entrepreneurship and risk taking.  They view the poor as leaches on society who prefer to sit at home living off the generosity of those who work for a living.  The middle class is led to believe that everyone on government assistance is taking money out of their pockets, a practice which could be eliminated if the programs were eliminated, forcing the poor to find jobs.
 
In the end, the success of the sales job regarding these positions (in no small measure dependent upon the skill of the salesperson) determines the outcome of national elections.  As it is, the middle class does produce the vast bulk of our national wealth, though how much would be possible without the risk-takers is subject to debate.  They sit in the middle and watch the tug-of-war between the upper and lower classes.  As they watch their tax dollars go into the seemingly bottomless pit of social programs, with little evidence of effectiveness, they begin to lean to the right. As they begin to see the creation of wealth and the attendant statistics showing that one group of people appears to be benefiting disproportionately, they will shift to the left. 

In essence we have seen the shift to left with the election of Bill Clinton, though it must be noted that he was elected by promising to be a "new" Democrat, one who leaned much further to the right than his predecessors.  As it is, if he turns out to be more liberal than advertised the swing back to the right could be accelerated, since it appears that a degree of conservatism in government is the preferred direction of the people.