Senator Bernie Sanders argues the Democratic party, once the party of the working class, began courting wealthy donors in the 1970s. This strategic shift led them to neglect core economic issues, causing their traditional base to feel alienated and vote for candidates like Donald Trump.

Democrats alienate voters by attacking identity groups like "billionaires." Senator Ossoff's shift to attacking "the Epstein class" focuses on reprehensible behavior instead of success, making the message more precise and palatable to a broader audience without alienating aspirational voters.

Just as the prevalence of billionaires provided a 'heat shield' for millionaires by making them seem less extreme, the emergence of trillionaires will make the billionaire class a less potent target for political and social outrage. Public perception of wealth is relative, not absolute.

Bernie Sanders' pivot from decrying 'millionaires and billionaires' to just 'billionaires' reveals a political pattern. As politicians become millionaires themselves, they subtly adjust their populist rhetoric to exclude their own wealth class, exposing the performative nature of their outrage against the rich.

Senator Jon Ossoff's term "the Epstein class" offers a precise political weapon. It isolates and condemns depraved, lawless behavior without alienating aspirational voters through a broad attack on wealth. This reframing distinguishes between legitimate success and corrupt entitlement, making it a more powerful narrative.

As the first trillionaires emerge, they will absorb the public and political scrutiny currently aimed at billionaires. This dynamic will effectively normalize billionaire status, much like the rise of billionaires made millionaires seem more commonplace and less of a target for criticism over wealth inequality.

The concentration of wealth where the top 10-20% capture 70-80% of the economic pie is fundamentally unstable in a democracy where everyone gets a vote. This economic reality serves as a political invitation for populist demagogues, making the rise of radical socialist ideas a predictable and dangerous outcome.

Elites often hold beliefs about how society should be ordered that sound virtuous but would be disastrous for ordinary people. The proponents of these 'luxury beliefs' are insulated from the negative real-world consequences by their own wealth and status.

Sen. John Ossoff's term 'Epstein class' is a brilliant political framing. It allows Democrats to attack a specific culture of ultra-wealthy corruption and impunity without alienating all affluent individuals or donors. It isolates a 'virus' of depravity rather than condemning an entire economic class, making the critique more targeted and effective.