Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse doesn’t actually don a porkpie hat while delivering his weekly climate change harangue on ExxonMobil from the Senate floor. He doesn’t utilize an oversized cardboard megaphone, incessantly twirl a cane, or even display an elaborately waxed, curlicue mustache. At least not yet.

But his performances are on par with even the most enthusiastic early 20th Century carnival barker — breathless, fantastical, dripping with hyperbole.