Whitehouse Urges Democrats to Escalate Fight Against Fossil Fuel Industry

Whitehouse accused the fossil fuel industry of spending decades spreading misinformation about climate change, calling it “the biggest and most malevolent propaganda operation the country has ever seen.” He also alleged that the industry was behind the right-wing capture of the U.S. Supreme Court and the flow of dark money into elections that, he said, has advanced corporate interests and obstructed climate action.

“Think of all three special-interest campaigns as a single covert operation,” Whitehouse said, describing what he called an effort involving billionaires, fossil fuel interests and far-right foundations. He urged climate advocates to act quickly, arguing that Democrats have repeatedly arrived too late to influence major political fights.

Whitehouse said his party had fallen into a habit of allowing polls to determine its priorities. Politicians, he argued, should set their agendas based on their judgment, contact with constituents and ability to anticipate challenges. “If you wait to fight until the polls tell you an issue is important, the battle can be over before you show up,” he said.

He contrasted Democrats’ use of polling to guide their agendas with Republicans’ use of it to shape public opinion. Whitehouse also argued that polls and focus groups had weakened the Democratic brand among voters who see the party as lacking conviction. A party that only meets voters where they already are, he said, risks appearing to follow rather than lead.