An interesting new theory on “what’s the matter with Kansas”: voters who feel they are near the bottom of the economic pyramid worry that income redistribution will help those who are even worse off (based on a study discussed by The Economist; via daringfireball.)
But this is not really so different than the idea that no one wants to admit (to themselves or anyone) that they’re amongst the worst off in America.
The nuance here is that if you suspect you’re near the bottom, your situation feels the most precarious, because a re-shuffling could easily put you at the bottom. For the middle class, that’s less of a worry. But it’s there. After all, any change to the status quo is scary.