But for how important this election will be for Planet Earth and the humans who live on it, the issue itself isn’t getting much airtime. Earlier this month, The Guardian examined the campaign websites of Democratic and Republican Senate candidates in eight battleground states. Of all the candidates surveyed, only two explicitly mentioned climate change.
This retreat hasn’t happened by accident. Over the last two years, some of the Democratic Party’s most influential strategists, donors, and think tanks have been explicitly telling candidates to shut up about climate change and focus on the economy instead—as if those were two separate issues.
It’s a strategy known as climate hushing. And with the midterms fast-approaching, it’s worth asking: Who convinced Democrats that ignoring climate change was a winning strategy? Does the evidence actually support that argument? And what is that silence costing the rest of us?
I’ve received centrist mythology offered without a lick of evidence. Again, we have actual history and data that can be used to confirm or refute these answers; these aren’t arguments so good I have to accept them without evidence. Speaking of evidence, it’s a bit outdated being from earlier this year, but climate change is still a huge issue among Dem voters. Besides, clearly some candidates are talking about climate change, so the “not a viable campaign issue” thing falls flat on its face. Logic and reason is frankly pointless if it’s not grounded in reality.
Cool. Glad to hear it’s receiving some campaign attention. Hurray for earth.