During a presidential race in the not-too-distant past, one candidate campaigned successfully on his outreach to blue-collar voters, whom he called “the forgotten Americans.”
There was a time when blue-collar types were far from forgotten. The most popular TV character was an auto mechanic – the Fonz from “Happy Days.” His circle of friends included Laverne and Shirley, factory workers. Archie Bunker, meanwhile, was a loading dock foreman. James Evans of “Good Times” was a dock worker. B.J. McKay was a trucker. At the movies, you found Luke Skywalker, a kid growing up on a farm. On the radio, Billy Joel sang about Allentown.