The climate messaging war returns. Does it matter if we can’t build?
From Open Circuit by Latitude Media
May 29, 2026 · 1h 7m
About this episode
The episode discusses the political implications of climate change messaging and the challenges of building necessary infrastructure for the transition.
A familiar debate is reemerging in US politics: is it helpful or damaging to talk about climate change? It broke into the open when the New York Times published an op-ed from Matthew Huber arguing that Democrats should avoid talking about climate change. His case: climate carries far too much political baggage for working class voters that Democrats are trying to win back. It sparked a conversation over whether "climate hushing" is a savvy political strategy or a dangerous concession. This week, we take the debate head-on. Guest co-host Jane Flegal joins us to talk about the latest version of this argument, and whether dropping the climate frame is a smart tactical pivot. Then we turn to a more fundamental problem. Even if we land on the perfect climate frame, it may not matter if the U.S. can't actually build the infrastructure the transition requires. A sweeping new essay in American Affairs argues that both parties have become functionally obstructionist — and that “ideologically portable” obstruction has become a feature of American governance. We close with a look at an opening in philanthropy. Nan Ransohoff published a piece this month arguing that AI company wealth is…
People in this episode
Hosts: Stephen Lacey, Jigar Shah
Guest: Jane Flegal
Topics covered
- climate change
- politics
- infrastructure
- philanthropy
- obstructionism
- climate messaging
Keywords
- climate change
- political strategy
- infrastructure
- philanthropy
- obstructionism
- climate messaging
- working class
- AI wealth
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: New York Times, American Affairs, Latitude Media
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