Mini-comment on class and politics (wonders never cease)

Reading for my exams I stumble upon something said by the American journalist and sociologist, Thomas Frank.
It is in an article by Olav Krange published in "Nytt Norsk Tidsskrift" 3/2007. The article is on and about class in Norway.
One of the comments made by a working class hunter in the inland of Norway was that he could sit down and drink coffee with the forest owner, claiming there were actually no difference in class in that part of the country. But, the academics that would move there - then he would really feel a difference in class. This postulates that class is somehow no longer differed in economics, but in culture (lifestyle). The difference between the forest owner and the hunter is enormous seen financially, but they smoke and drink and enjoy the same greasy food; thus they chose their way of life; autonomy. The difference is felt to carrot eating academics or elite who is spewing out what and how you should do and live, it would be loosing autonomy to i.e stop smoking. Though there is no distrust in the research concerning the health risks. (this is so short of what the article say, but I hope I got some of the point out as I need to get back to reading, hehe).... To the gold I wanted to publish....
In this article he refers to Frank:
What the republicans have succeeded in, according to Frank, is to part politics from economics and to make it look like it is the cultural elite and academics that are the "power class". Why this gets to be such a great success (or at least used to!?!) is the resonance it creates in the culture of the working class, overshadowing the economic consequences of a republican rule.
In Norway Magnus Marsdal have continued on a similar position concerning a different political party. He claims that economics and working life is almost non-existing in the public debate.
In this way a political party like FrP (far right winged party) can get votes by placing themselves in the same cultural group as the working class and dismiss the elite as snobs who think they know everything. This group of people would, objectively speaking, lose on privatization and individualization which is part of the party-politics. They claim there is no contrast between worker and capitalist anymore. Capital and market do have an enormous influence on our lives, but obviously not so intrusive as different "lifestyles" seems to be...
It would be an interesting discussion on why what we all know is there, though hidden (and I would claim is more influencial), is less a threat then culture and knowledge. Ofcourse keeping in mind it is ofcourse in close relation to politics this is a threat.... or is it?
Arghhh!!! Hope I made sense... back to books!!!

In politics, absurdity is not a handicap.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821)