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Why aren’t Democrats talking about climate? (heated.world)
submitted 14 hours ago by to c/politics@lemmy.world
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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?

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[–] 2 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

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.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 hours ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 hours ago

    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.

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