Sometimes I see a post on twitter/reddit where they try to make a progressive point about inequality or social security etc. they list several reasonable points interjected with "STRONG MIDDLE CLASS" and I don't get it.

Is the underlying assumption that the middle class is the moral centre protecting people not just from the rich but from the 'unwashed masses' on the other side? Or is (what I hope) some latent propaganda that hasn't been updated with the changing discourse?