I took it as doing what too many people feels like tilting the windmill. As a society (and frankly in myself on too many issues) I notice way to much "well what can we do" defeatist attitude.
Yeah, def is tiling at windmills, but my point is the same, I took it as them saying the public has taken a defeatist attitude and views it as tilting at windmills but here's a case where it wasn't fruitless effort and we need to view it as inspiration.
It comes from Don Quixote, as I recall, and suggests a fruitless effort. A waste of time.