Throughout the speech, Nixon frequently mentions that he is, in fact, broke. Not as bad off as many Americans, but not rich either. He's got tons of debt and not much in the bank.

Nixon was never in politics for the money; what he wanted was influence and high political office He knew that many Americans were struggling, and that they'd relate to another guy who was, too.

Explaining the reason for the "secret fund", he says:

[T]here are several ways, that [paying for political expense] can be done, incidentally, and it is done legally in the United States Senate and in the Congress. The first way is to be a rich man. So I couldn't use that. (42-44)

He would also point out that even though he was poor, he didn't give his wife a job on his payroll, unlike some people he could mention:

[l]et me say, incidentally, that my opponent, my opposite number for the Vice Presidency on the Democratic ticket, does have his wife on the pay roll and has had her on his pay roll for the past ten years. (46)

What Nixon was ultimately tapping into with these appeals was that deeply rooted idea that in America, you could make something of yourself no matter what your circumstances. He didn't come from money—something he points out because most people knew that Adlai Stevenson came from a wealthy family.

• I will have to start early, I was born in 1913. Our family was one of modest circumstances, and most of my early life was spent in a store out in East Whittier. It was a grocery store, one of those family enterprises. The only reason we were able to make it go was because my mother and dad had five boys, and we all worked in the store. I worked my way through college, and, to a great extent, through law school. (74-75)
• I believe that it's fine that a man like Governor Stevenson, who inherited a fortune from his father, can run for President. But I also feel that it is essential in this country of ours that a man of modest means can also run for President, because, you know—remember Abraham Lincoln—you remember what he said—"God must have loved the common people, he made so many of them." (143-144)

The truth is, Nixon more or less chose this path for himself, trading a potentially more lucrative law career for one in politics and power. If he was poor, he did it to himself. Still, it was a great strategy, and people bought it.