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 was wondering what CUMATE was all about
The answer to this question, no matter the topic at hand, is always “because it doesn’t serve their donors goals.”
I think the real answer is that anyone who cares about the climate already isn’t voting for Republicans. That vote is already secured, so why waste resources saying something that may just piss people off by not calling for extreme enough changes or whatever else. 0% of the people who voted for Trump in 2024 give a fuck about the environment. Those are the people they are trying to convince to not vote for a Republican again, even if it’s just to get them to not vote because they sow doubt about how he’s starting wars/raising costs and whatever else they think Republicans would care about.
That vote is already secured
Only if we assume 100% turnout. Calling for better climate policy can and probably will motivate more potential Dem voters to turn out since this is such a popular issue with the Democratic base.
0% of the people who voted for Trump in 2024 give a fuck about the environment.
Actually surprisingly many do, but in any case if the history of American politics proves anything it’s that this idea of taking away swing voters from the other side simply doesn’t work.
Because the average household has gone insular given the financial problems of the day. Survival mode means you’re not looking globally but inside your own “house”.
You may not want to hear that, but it’s how most people, middle of the bell curve, function.
How am I going to pay rent? How am I getting to work to pay rent? How am I going to get healthy food for my kids? How many meals do I have to skip this week so my kids can have meals? How am I going to get gas money? How many holes can these socks and underwear endure before I have to buy new ones? How long until the bandaid around the sharp edges one the safety pin holding my bra together fails?
Shit like that is dominating people’s minds? Climate? Might as well be asking about space aliens and stardust. The processing power isn’t there right now. Again, it may not be ideal to you, but, middle of the bell curve, that’s how people function.
As such, answers to the daily survival questions are coming first.
Yes, it’s all moot if the planet dies, but timeline wise most people aren’t going be able to look that far ahead of their kid is crying out of hunger right now or they’re stranded unable to get transport to work, today. They want today solved, not next year.
It’s like saying, why didn’t you get to the hospital to perform that life saving surgery when the surgeon is busy watching her shoes burn and trying to figure out how to get them off before they become one with her skin. Both things need doing, but what is closest to an individual is what that individual will be focused on. Burning footwear > surgery located elsewhere, never mind how important both things are.
The best thing to do for the climate is getting rid of the 1 percent richest
Personally I see things going in the direction of Ministry for the Future.
Private jet loss would actually impact thing.
How about we fight the class war and get their money out of politics while growing children that do not worship the idea of insane generational wealth. We don’t elect kings and fuck the epstein class.
I agree and another way of saying this is that we are not evolved enough to organize on such a large scale, we really are just great apes with a limited 100-150 members of our in group. Once we are made to care and understand more we simply fail to rise up to the occasion. Another way of putting it, we cannot act as individuals to make world wide change, we need organized government with a long term goal, almost like religion without the death cult stuff. So if organized humanity keeps on keeping on, it will be very messy, almost as if our leaders and collective actions mirror that of a screaming child without parents, goals, and having a messy bottom.
Hit the nail right on the head. We can’t get most people to care about other groups of people right now, let alone climate change. The zone is being flooded, 24/7. It’s so bad that the average voter is desensitized to it all.
Trump and Epstein fighting over being the first to rape a child? Sounds about right, what can be done?
Gas hitting $10 by Christmas? Stressing me out, what are you going to do though?
Midterms will not be free and fair? They own the whole government, basically. What can be done?
It’s hard to blame someone for giving up hope, and looking inward. Climate change was not taken seriously by most people in the US to begin with.
Also this post is very suspicious, like, hey the democrats are not perfect so lets all just lay down and die!
It’s not that I didn’t take it seriously, but it truly is a leadership issue. The scale of the climate issue is why governments exist. But because corporate (been playing Cyberpunk and want to call it corpo) started buying up government shares in the 80s the necessary legislation never happened.
To toss another analogy your way, daylight savings is going away. The thing about that argument, sticking with one or the other because it will make winter life soooo much better, sure it will impact, but not as hard as people think. The days will still get shorter and darker in winter, that will not go away, overall, even if we stop changing the clocks.
This election is going to be the same. (Vote, definitely.) It feels like people are reaching out hands towards ballots, while drowning, expecting a save. Things will shift, yes, but I doubt it will be dramatic. Gas prices are borked, billionaires will still exist, and AI has freely collected our data while u demoing home computing. The government coffers are pilfered and the debt is even more astronomical. It’s going to be a shit Christmas for the kids this year either way. Still vote, it’s about the only handhold we have right now.
Half the comments are saying this but the vast majority of Dem voters and a simple majority of US adults want more to be done about climate change. People are very much able to care about multiple things at once.
The challenge is that for it to be a good campaign issue, it has to be a big priority with minimal exploitable downside. While people might abstractly want to address climate change, they care more about their economic well being. So taking time away from talking about economy is taking time away from the more impactful messaging. Also, gives opportunity for the opposition to assert the obsession with climate change will hurt their economic outcome. The good answers address all at once with nuance, but nuance sadly does not work well in a campaign.
I’m not sure what type of person answers questions that come via random, not really identified text spam, but I don’t think they’re representative of the middle of the bell curve populace. Middle of the bell curve, my money is on “delete and report spam”, or, sadly, “STOP”, letting the spammers know it’s working so they get more.
If you’re implying that Pew Research’s polls have a significant selection bias I’m going to have to ask for evidence for that.
But right now, wanting to take care of the climate is taking a back seat to not wanting to live in a fascist dictatorship ran by geriatric toddlers who can’t even string a coherent sentence together unless it’s about some kid they want to fuck.
The good news is that the best thing we can do in the United States is get rid of the giant pile of rancid shit.
It’s not hyperbole to say everything that is bad right now is his (and his cronies) fault, including the present affordability crisis.
Geriatric, misogynistic toddlers who also want to re-establish some of their lost ownership over women. This pesky liberation shit needs to be dialed back. 50 years is long enough, daddy’s home now.
(It creeps me out and repulses me typing that post comma part but that’s their language).
But right now, wanting to take care of the climate is taking a back seat to not wanting to live in a fascist dictatorship ran by geriatric toddlers who can’t even string a coherent sentence together unless it’s about some kid they want to fuck.
The big question here is: Why not both? Clearly this is an issue that voters care about (as of May 26th), so it’s not going to lose votes. This explanation simply doesn’t work to explain establishment Democratic candidates’ behavior, and frankly I don’t understand the urge to look for alternative explanations when we already know they’re corporate shills that don’t care about the climate.
Because at this point climate change can easily be twisted into more BS culture war propaganda used by far right fascist. Like all we want is affordable gas so we can drive 40 mins one way to a dead end job but the damn tree huggers be blocking my commune in the middle of a heat wave during rush hour. See?
Climate change is already culture war BS and has been for a while. Anyone who would buy this is already lost to the Democrats anyway. Like we have decades of data on the subject; for large parties elections are won or lost by motivating one’s base of support to turn out not by competing over a mythical median voter, and evidently 90% of the Democrats’ base of support wants more to be done about climate change.
From a campaign perspective you want a clear, concise message.
There are a gazillion things that need taking care of, but the reality is if you spend time talking about all of them, the message won’t get out and elections will be lost.
This is very true. Slogans work. “We’re not going back” was stellar, but the dunbasses running Kamala dropped it.
A phrase as simple that resonates not just with Lemmy, but the middle of the bell curve people, is needed.
Republicans are really good at it. Dems, never. Too many wet cats swiping at each other and arguing about what’s most important.
From a campaign perspective you want a clear, concise message.
A main message sure, but the idea that an electoral campaign can or should only have one message doesn’t match up with reality and is—I’m sorry—frankly bullshit. Pick a Senator or Representative at random and see what their platform was when they got elected. Candidates right now are running on parallel messages of affordability and protecting democracy, and Abdul El Sayed—one of the most successful progressives currently campaigning—also has healthcare as a core part of his platform and I’m pretty sure I remember him talking about foreign wars. Before you respond next you should take a moment to consider why you just said something that’s so obviously untrue.
Edit: Besides, somebody should at least be talking about all the wildfires.
Sure, in interviews they can parse shit out, and that is a good thing, but what is the sell phrase? Whitmer won in Michigan based on “Fix the Damn Roads!” Having driven on them, I can tell you, it’s a byline that could reach every person in that state.
People are busy. They’re not reading what you read. No one is reading what you read, or what I read, that’s how fractured information dissemination is right now. We all consume different news, if any at all.
When the working class majority walk to their voting center, dragging their asses there after having worked 11 shifts in the 7 days prior, what’s the single line that’s going to make them want to spend the energy and not just collapse on their bed?
If you spew multiple things at them they’ll probably just go to bed.
Before you respond next you should take a moment to consider why you just said something that’s so obviously untrue.
You should take a moment to understand American voters. And also to not be an ass.
I’m sorry that you don’t under stand that US politics is decided on a small handful of issues. Recognizing that isn’t “stupid” it’s simply paying the fuck attention.
If you really want to know where a candidate stands on climate change, I’m sure you can find that, or just ask their campaign and get an answer. But they’re only going to hammering on a few issues because that’s how the America voter just is.
Re-read what you just wrote about El-Sayed.
Candidates right now are running on parallel messages of affordability and protecting democracy, and Abdul El Sayed [snip] also has healthcare as a core part of his platform and I’m pretty sure I remember him talking about foreign wars.
That’s two things.
- protecting democracy
- affordability
His messaging in detail about what those two things means and what he’s gonna do about it include things like Medicare for all, and ending costly foreign wars and removing corruption. Personally, it’s actually only one thing. Because right now Trump’s and the rest of the admin’s rampant corruption is the primary cause of affordability.
You’re acting like they have to message on every topic. And no single campaign (especially national campaigns, but state wide campaigns are bad enough,) can cover every single topic you might be interested in; and right now these things are what Americans are into so that’s what they’re driving home.
Y’all please educate yourselves before talking about this stuff. The median voter wants more to be done about the climate as of May 26th this year.
Because the conversation has been shifted towards how average people are just worried about how they are going to survive with the little bit of money and wealth they have access to in the next ten years.
Average people aren’t thinking about the survival of the species in the next hundred years … they’re thinking about their own personal survival in the next ten years.
There’s a man with a gun in our face and the house is on fire. Both are very serious problems, but one is slightly more immediate.
Why would they?
Just because it’s not a campaign issue, doesn’t mean they don’t think it needs fixed.
There’s just only so much attention people have, so you campaign on what’s most likely to get you elected
I swear a shit ton of “journalists” have to be intentionally misunderstanding all of this just for outrage clicks. There’s no other logical explanations for even shitty blog writers to not understand it by now.
Edit:
This one isn’t even a blog…
It’s a podcast transcript lmao
The climate is one of the issues most likely to have a Dem voter agree with a candidate.
Because the average American doesn’t give a shit about the environment.
The average Democrat voter does.
Now let’s make them choose between climate action and economy, see how many of them would accept a risk to economy for sake of better climate.
That’s the horrible reality, that campaigns have to focus narrowly on the top issue, and if the GOP assert that climate action will hurt economy, then it can hurt campaigns.
Despite the Democrats barely saying anything on climate, the GOP is still getting crowds to boo over the Democrats theoretically pursuing a “Green New Deal” as an economy ruining disaster.
Also, The best thing to do for the climate right now is getting rid of the 1 percent
God bless you trying to educate these grumps
Second time I’ve seen this type of question pop up. Feels like a marginally more sophisticated GOP tactic to try to trick an opponent into bringing it up and then flopping hard when they sound hella tone deaf and out of touch. Only an idiot candidate would make this one of their main running points.
Climate change mitigation is super important…Just not right now. Right now the goal is to just fucking win so the GOP and corporate demagogues can be reeled in. Remember, the GOP and techbro technofascists actually want end times to hurry up and happen so they can capitalize on the turmoil (they already have a billion mile head start) or meet Jesus and go to heaven or something. Idk, they’re insane sociopaths with absolutely no tender sentiment toward anyone else. It’s absolutely insane to me how many MAGA pieces of shit there are…makes me want to believe there’s been some huge conspiracy to lace everything with lead to create a critical mass of brain damaged broken angry violent racists.
Only an idiot candidate would make this one of their main running points.
That would make sense if not for the fact this is an issue almost all Dem voters care about.
Sounds to me like it’s probably safe to say almost all Dem candidates probably care about it, too. An implicit shared understanding of its importance wouldn’t be a stretch. Dem candidates aren’t trying to win only card-carrying Dem votes, there may be other, more on the fence, demographics. If anyone decides to stay at home for the election because climate didn’t get brought up, then I’m sorry but they ultimately deserve the MAGA world they’d be enabling through their inaction.
Sounds to me like it’s probably safe to say almost all Dem candidates probably care about it, too.
I’m going to have to ask for evidence for that one.
Dem candidates aren’t trying to win only card-carrying Dem votes, there may be other, more on the fence, demographics.
Centrist swing voters either don’t exist or aren’t a significant campaign demographic; we have a quarter century of data proving this. When Republicans vote for Democrats they do so for progressives with a vision (or people who can trick them into thinking they’re progressives with a vision). Aside from that American elections are decided almost entirely on turnout, so the question is how to make all of those Dems/lean Dems vote instead of staying home, and that’s where appealing to an issue almost all of them agree is important would be useful.
If anyone decides to stay at home for the election because climate didn’t get brought up, then I’m sorry but they ultimately deserve the MAGA world they’d be enabling through their inaction.
Who deserves what is completely irrelevant to this conversation.
You’ve already received well-reasoned and logical answers in this thread as to why this topic is not a viable campaign issue amidst the socioeconomic and existential threats. The man with a gun in a burning house metaphor characterized this election’s mood particularly well, as did the surgeon with burning shoes. Your insistence on trying to make this topic relevant right now reinforces my suspicion that climate guilt is a desperate psyop by right wing operatives to undercut Dem candidates.
Anthropogenic climate change is absolutely a huge issue, but to paraphrase Col. Chris Hadfield, ‘it’s not the thing that’s going to kill you first.’ Clean the house of reactionary fascists, leash the capitalist greed, find steadier economic ground, and then maybe well-reasoned solutions for mitigating climate change can be addressed. Unfortunately, it’s probably all in vain since Gore lost the 2000 election. I wouldn’t be surprised if the instability and grift we’re experiencing currently is only the beginning of the end being wrought by the changing climate. Rifkin’s entropy watershed may already be upon us.
You’ve already received well-reasoned and logical answers in this thread as to why this topic is not a viable campaign issue amidst the socioeconomic and existential threats.
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.
Don’t let perfect to be the enemy of good.
Vote for Democrats
Aren’t we passed the point of no return? People have probably accepted that we’re all fucked.
its no longer about preventing climate change, its about reducing the amount of casualties.
Because they never cared. The first 2 months of Biden’s war in Gaza produced the equivalent of 150k metric tonnes of burning coal and 281k metric tonnes of carbon dioxide
It is Israel’s war in Gaza and once Trump took over Israel’s bombing increased dramatically.
I’m gonna have to see the numbers on that one chief.
Google it it’s not my job to spoon fed you information.
