Who is The Party for the Average Joe?

Yesterday, following an impassioned conversation about free speech (which included whether it was worse to burn a flag or the Constitution but that's another discussion), a law school colleague said "The reason I am a Republican is because it is the working man's party. The Democrats are so elitist that they have lost touch with the average American." (The irony of this statement coming from a future attorney who will most likely be upper middle class was not lost on me by the way).

I was actually flabbergasted and have been churning this statement around in my head ever since. In my mind, the Democrats are the party that fight for the little man/underdog, and the Republicans are the party of the upper-middle and upper class, complete with tax shelters and big business... and I'm not sure if or when that really changed. On strict policy lines, I don't think it has. But perception?

- Did all of this actually change post-9/11?

- Has the war successfully rallied people into believing that the Republican party is the party of the Average Joe?

- Or was it Gingrich and his Contract for America, with the real traction around the "return to traditional values"?

- Or, was it the success of Bush I'm-a-Texan-cowboy-and-the-guy-you-want-to-have-a-beer-with-
despite-having-made-millions-after-my-Ivy-League-education-
and-privileged-background vs. Kerry I'm-clearly-from-the-
Northeast-fought-in-the-war-and-then-protested-it-and-
proudly-went-to-an-Ivy-League-school?

I mean, if the past two presidential elections are any indication, there isn't any overwhelming poll data that I've seen that shows that average Americans are vastly Republican, but maybe people really believe this now.

I'd really be interested in everyone's thoughts about this and the answer to who that party is.