Sam's Club self-help manual

Noam Scheiber has an interesting piece at The New Republic on Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota Gov. and possible McCain running mate. It gives me a favorable impression of Pawlenty, even if inadvertently. Consider this part, which Scheiber means as a criticism:

Pawlenty may genuinely want to ease the strain on working people. But what he's selling them is a self-help manual, albeit in language they can relate to. It's not the party of Sam's Club per se--but of moving from Sam's Club to the country club in ten simple steps.

So, trying to foster upward mobility is a bad thing? Better that "working people" should know their place, be angry about it, and vote Democratic, perhaps?