[nebula8804]

>I mean it's pretty much known that rich people can avoid nearly any consequence intended or unintended of politicians......

Its not a long term strategy when the majority suffer. Thats why the blue side have shifted towards pushing European style Democratic Socialism policies and the Red has shifted into authoritarian right style policies.

>Also aren't these progressive policies supposed to have helped people on the lower end of the economic scale rather then forced them out?

What progressive policies? There is no real progressive party in the US. California(and the rest of the states (save for a few districts here and there) has been extremely hostile to real progressives. What we have now on the "left" is a combination of neo-liberal right leaning centrists mixed in with fake leftist social populism.