The finger-pointing escalated this week as some Republicans argued that a major utility company run by Democratic appointees has “woke” policies on diversity and tree-trimming that are the causes of customers’ woes.

There’s bipartisan and widespread consensus that Nashville Electric Service, which serves the city as well as surrounding counties, mishandled the storm, struggling to mobilize enough workers and equipment to quickly clear fallen trees and restore service.

  • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    The same party that blamed the texas blackout on the only sources of power that actually stayed operational.

  • RoidingOldMan@lemmy.world
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    9 hours ago

    “It’s certainly not a conservative value to leave the trees hanging around power lines that will fall during a storm,” he said.

    He seems to be saying it’s a Democrat value to do things wrong on purpose?

    It’s a terrible terrible sign that tree trimming is being viewed through this partisan lens.

      • watson@sopuli.xyz
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        8 hours ago

        They aren’t. They know exactly what they’re doing. They know it’s bullshit, but every other MAGA will treat it like gospel.

      • CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works
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        7 hours ago

        They’re just opportunists using any means they can to score political brownie points.

        This Democratic mayor would be better served pointing out the fallacies in Republican arguments than kowtowing to Republican pressure and blaming the limited number of utility workers for not completing this monumental task fast enough. He could point out that Blackburn and Co. have been sitting on this ‘DEI training’ and ‘tree trimming cutback’ nonsense waiting for something like this to happen rather than acting upon it if they truly believed it was a risk to the grid. How else would she and her cronies have this information to pull out of their ass the instant something bad happens?

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      No, he’s complaining that Democrats value trimming trees right (to maintain the long-term health of the tree) instead of indiscriminately butchering them to get them clear of the power lines as quickly and cheaply as possible.

      • RoidingOldMan@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        Tree trimmers are not thinking to themselves “is this how a Republican or a Democrat would trim a tree?” They’re cutting like they were trained to do. Politics could not be less involved.

    • apftwb@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      The only saving grace to that quote is it is from a Michael Lotfi, the deputy state director of Americans for Prosperity Tennessee, a conservative group. A man of no office or consequence.

  • X@piefed.world
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    9 hours ago

    Must really suck donkey ass to be infected with the broke mind virus.

  • Zagam@piefed.social
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    9 hours ago

    Tell 'em propane and charcoal grills are the best way to heat your home in a power outage. That also keeps money out of the woke electric companies hands.

  • Flauschige_Lemmata@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    Obviously DEI training isn’t to blame.

    But the point about a new tree-trimming policy seems logical at first glance. Does anyone know if it is valid?

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      The complaint about the new tree trimming practices is “valid” in the same way that bitching about renewable energy replacing coal-fired power plants is “valid.” The new “species specific pruning” practices are actually better in the sense that they promote the long-term health of the trees instead of indiscriminately butchering them in a straight line with an overgrown hedge trimmer, but giving a shit about that instead of doing everything the cheapest most shortsighted way possible is the ultimate sin, according to these demented assholes.