---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America's middle class is getting…"
description: "\"America's middle class is getting hammered, and Washington is rigged to work for the big guy.\" — Elizabeth Warren"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/elizabeth-warren-879_america_america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammer_2295430.png"
---

#  America's middle class is getting hammered, and Washington…

![“America's middle class is getting hammered, and Washington is rigged to work for the big guy.” quote by Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/elizabeth-warren-879_america_america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammer_2295430.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/elizabeth-warren-879_america_america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammer_2295430.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/elizabeth-warren-879_america_america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammer_2295430.png)

> “America's middle class is getting hammered, and Washington is rigged to work for the big guy.”

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The middle class is suffering while policies favor the wealthy elite.

**In simple terms:** Middle class struggles; policies favor rich.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for policies that protect the middle class.

Themes

economics inequality politics

Mood

concerned determined

Type

political advocacy

When to use this quote

- voting
- community organizing
- legislative lobbying

Key Concepts

wealth distribution policy reform

Questions to Reflect On

- How can citizens influence policy?
- What reforms would help the middle class?

A Different Perspective

Complex solutions needed beyond rhetoric.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Big guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-guy/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Getting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting/) [Getting Hammered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-hammered-1143760/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Hammered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hammered/) [Hammered Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hammered-washington-5409805/) [Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington/) [Washington Rigged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/washington-rigged-4727624/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [Washington is rigged for the big guys - and no person has more consistently called them out for it than Jon Stewart. Good luck,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/washington-is-rigged-for-the-big-guys-and-no-person-has-more/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [You don't learn to hold your own in the world by standing on guard, but by attacking, and getting well hammered yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-don-t-learn-to-hold-your-own-in-the-world-by-standing-on-guard/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [If your life is all about screwing things and getting hammered, then congratulations, youre a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-life-is-all-about-screwing-things-and-getting-hammered-then-2/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If your life is all about screwing things and getting hammered, then congratulations, you're a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-life-is-all-about-screwing-things-and-getting-hammered-then/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Dipsomancy is very real, but it takes more than just getting hammered to do anything useful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-r-underwood/dipsomancy-is-very-real-but-it-takes-more-than-just-getting-hammered/)

[Michael R. Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-r-underwood/)

> [Does it seem like Washington's rigged for the well connected? That's because it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-young/does-it-seem-like-washington-s-rigged-for-the-well-connected-that-s/)

[Todd Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-young/)

> [I know what I am in Washington to do: I'm here to fight for hardworking families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-know-what-i-am-in-washington-to-do-i-m-here-to-fight-for/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [I think a lot of Americans are not sure which side Washington is on: the side of banks or the side of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-think-a-lot-of-americans-are-not-sure-which-side-washington-is-on/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [Well, I really want to encourage a kind of fantasy, a kind of magic. I love the term magic realism, whoever invented it –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/well-i-really-want-to-encourage-a-kind-of-fantasy-a-kind-of-magic-i/)

[Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/)

> [I hammered him with my fists. He just stood and took it. He didn't suffer graciously, he looked pissed off to no end. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-hammered-him-with-my-fists-he-just-stood-and-took-it-he-didn-t/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Rock pools, so-named because they have been hammered out of rocks at the ocean's edge, are one of Sydney's defining characteristics, along with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-bonner/rock-pools-so-named-because-they-have-been-hammered-out-of-rocks-at/)

[Raymond Bonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-bonner/)

> [Growing up going to Christian school and the concept that you're born a sinner and you don't really have a choice to change who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/growing-up-going-to-christian-school-and-the-concept-that-you-re-born/)

[Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/)

> [Greek is the embodiment of the fluent speech that runs or soars, the speech of a people which could not help giving winged feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/greek-is-the-embodiment-of-the-fluent-speech-that-runs-or-soars-the/)

[Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/)

> [One cannot overstate the childishness of the ideas that feed and stir the masses. Real ideas must as a rule be simplified to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-haffner/one-cannot-overstate-the-childishness-of-the-ideas-that-feed-and-stir/)

[Sebastian Haffner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-haffner/)

> [You can't dodge them all. I got hammered plenty of times through the years. But you just get up and keep playing. I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bradshaw/you-can-t-dodge-them-all-i-got-hammered-plenty-of-times-through-the/)

[Terry Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bradshaw/)

## More by Elizabeth Warren

> [Every time the U.S. government makes a low-cost loan to someone, it's investing in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/every-time-the-u-s-government-makes-a-low-cost-loan-to-someone-it-s/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [“For capitalism to work, we all need one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/for-capitalism-to-work-we-all-need-one-another/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [“The single best predictor that a family would go bankrupt was if they had a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-single-best-predictor-that-a-family-would-go-bankrupt-was-if-they/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [ I can remember riding in the car with \[my daughter\] Amelia, when she was very small, and we'd talk about money the same way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-can-remember-riding-in-the-car-with-my-daughter-amelia-when-she-was/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [That's how we build the economy of the future. An economy with more jobs and less debt, we root it in fairness. We grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/that-s-how-we-build-the-economy-of-the-future-an-economy-with-more/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [Homeowners refinance their loans when interest rates go down. Businesses refinance their loans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/homeowners-refinance-their-loans-when-interest-rates-go-down/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [There are a lot of things that people say about Hillary Clinton. But nobody says that she doesn't know how to throw a punch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/there-are-a-lot-of-things-that-people-say-about-hillary-clinton-but/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [I don't think anyone went the polls and said, 'I am casting my vote to make sure that Wall Street has better chances to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/i-don-t-think-anyone-went-the-polls-and-said-i-am-casting-my-vote-to/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [With post offices and postal workers already on the ground, USPS could partner with banks to make a critical difference for millions of Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/with-post-offices-and-postal-workers-already-on-the-ground-usps-could/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [We should stop having a conversation about cutting Social Security a little bit or a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/we-should-stop-having-a-conversation-about-cutting-social-security-a/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> ['Middle class' used to be synonymous with secure, with steady, with boring, because middle-class people were people who were pretty much safe from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/middle-class-used-to-be-synonymous-with-secure-with-steady-with/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [You can put handcuffs on people who push the envelope. When they break the law, they deserve to have handcuffs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/you-can-put-handcuffs-on-people-who-push-the-envelope-when-they-break/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [The broken consumer credit market had to be repaired by making sure that consumers had the right information and could use it effectively. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-broken-consumer-credit-market-had-to-be-repaired-by-making-sure/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [“When you have no real power, go public—really public. The public is where the real power is. Those”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/when-you-have-no-real-power-go-public-really-public-the-public-is/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

[Explore all 342 Elizabeth Warren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "America's middle class is getting hammered, and Washington is rigged to work for the big guy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Warren"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammered-and-washington-is-rigged/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammered-and-washington-is-rigged/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/elizabeth-warren-879_america_america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammer_2295430.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/elizabeth-warren-879_america_america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammer_2295430.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cef/elizabeth-warren-879_america_america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammer_2295430.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“America's middle class is getting hammered, and Washington is rigged to work for the big guy.” — Elizabeth Warren",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Elizabeth Warren",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "America's middle class is getting hammered,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammered-and-washington-is-rigged/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/america-s-middle-class-is-getting-hammered-and-washington-is-rigged/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
