Politicians Play The Blame Game As Texans Huddle In The Dark | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

Texas officials ignored federal recommendations to winterize the state's power grid and now the state's governor is facing criticism for blaming the state's winter power failure on green energy. Peter Baker joins to discuss. Aired on 02/18/2021.
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Politicians Play The Blame Game As Texans Huddle In The Dark | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

98 comments

    1. @Lord Vader The Leftie: “Ineffective local government” you sling that phrase like they were actually trying to help or do right by the people of the state, when in fact they were not. It is a fatal mistake to misjudge lethal malevolence as mere incompetence.

    2. @Tim Popik no we’re talking about electricians and electrical engineers that plan build and maintain your power grid only their bosses would be put to task and employed by politicians who care about and answer to the people that live in Texas.
      And it wouldn’t hurt to have a regulating body to make sure that our infrastructure is properly prepared for things like natural disasters and freak weather occurrences for example.

  1. When we turn control of essential services, like power and water, over to for profit companies without regulation we can’t be surprised when they put profit over public safety.
    While ERCOT isn’t technically a for profit enterprise, it is protected from regulation and a lot of people make a lot of money (and make political contributions).

    1. @Hankakah look at the UK system. The retired people and those on unemployment are to receive Winter Fuel Payments linked to temperatures below freezing. An additional £ 25 pounds available for each event like this. It helps, and can keep people alive and warm.

    2. @corryjookit Only Texas has deregulated controls of government, the ONLY STATE! Other states have rules what utility companies can charge people. When you pay $148 and the 2 weeks later they charge you $1600? This would not be possible in other states.

    1. @Tim Popik The “10%” was quoting your republican governor. Is he one of your “soft lefties”?
      The figures that you keep quoting relate solely to electricity generation.
      What exactly is your argument?

    2. If 10% of your elected state officials believe that their state is “a whole other country” and fail to be prepared for any weather event, that state has a problem!

    3. Chris Houston Fracking started a long time before either of those gentlemen. I remember seeing a documentary done by a young man who travelled around the USA looking at the problems created by fracking. It’s toxic and dangerous to water storage and rivers, it’s toxic for people who live near to fracking sites. We are trying to stop it here in Australia, but our politicians live in the 19th bloody century in their ideas. They want coal, nuclear gas, all that will fail as the ice age we’re heading towards kills off the structures we have. The future of ebpnergy generation is Magnets, and wind with soars. If you don’t know this, then look up InnovationT in Connecticut and discover what is already being used, but ignored by the rich dinosaurs who have control of the grids now.

    1. @Scourge Trust me I know he’s doing diddly squat to “help” anyone out here, he’s just doing a blame-game tour while people have no power or water. I hope I did not come off as if he was even trying to help in any way, shape or form, because NONE of our “Texas GOP” are. At all. You are 100% correct.

    2. @Margaret Nicol I like what he did in that video. We’re coming out the back side of this whole thing, there will be a constant warming trend through Tuesday of next week but this gentleman has some seriously good advice for EVERYONE who finds themselves without power in the Cold.

    1. @Carol Price First LOU DOBBS; Tucker Carlson NEXT……can’t wait for him to be booted off FOX NEWS……

    2. Yes that why I vote democrats so give them the chance history has shown Republican are always messing things up then democrats have to fix there mess period o by the way I live in Texas for then 20 years

    3. @Favour Bridgette fox news is considered “news entertainment”, if there’s a way to prove without a doubt viewers are taking them seriously you might got something.

  2. Foxnews would have you believe they get all their power/electricity from a few windmills Texas still living in the 1800’s

    1. Windmills are still working just fine, everywhere else! The ONE state that is NOT under Federal Regulations, who refused to Winterise their infrastructure, and look what happened! If the people of Texas can’t put those pieces together, for themselves, they deserve to freeze! The lights are still on in Siberia, ffs! Do they think that’s Witchcraft??? 🤣

    2. Actually they are wind turbines, modern technology and they work well if winterized. Texas being warm failed to winterize theirs. They saved money but now are paying the price.

  3. Now if Trump was still President he could throw little rolled blankets at Texans, and tell his supporters what a great job he is doing.

    1. @Tim Popik first step that’s being taken is he sent fema with generators and fuel. I understand you’re probably a raging conservative and hate Biden but don’t flap your jaw is feces is just gonna come out.

    1. The same Gov. Abbott who ordered the absentee ballott boxes removed so that it was harder to vote absentee this election-

    2. @Omega Man Not sure what science has to do with counting the ballots.True there’s science in machines and the software that count the ballots. But hand counting has no real science, just simple math behind it. Georgia proved the machines and their software gave the same count. The 60 court battles with all but one were thrown out, proven no evidence of fraud which including the Supreme Court.
      Your only Science or facts was the words coming from Trump was months in the making. A belief or just saying it, is not considered science nor facts. Even the Vice president new the facts and did his job, not based on belief or science just solely on facts.

    1. @Harrington Benton The only reason Texas isn’t on that list is because of all of the Oil and Natural Gas this state produces. However, that’s NOT indicative of the median salaries and incomes of all the working class people in this state.

    2. Do you honestly think that common sense will work against a century + of misinformation and tactical manipulation? These states stay red because people who vote for demonstrably evil and self serving politicians who fly under the “republican” banner (and yes, I mean all of you voters and all of their politicians who identify as republican) are so ill educated on everything from basic reading and writing all the way up through more complex educational subjects such as politics and social studies, they lack the means to make these life choices. I honestly think that there needs to be at least literacy testing on voters but that’s just as unconstitutional as their voter ID laws.

    3. @Aiden S It’s not that simple. If you take a good look at most, if not all, of the Ruby Red states, you’ll see that nearly all of them have a majority of Rural voters. Those Rural voters are more self-sufficient than Urban voters and so are not nearly so badly affected by events like what’s happening here in Texas. As long as those insular communities’ lot in life does not worsen over an extended period of time, they don’t see how it would benefit them to vote for people who would work to make their lot in life BETTER over an extended period of time. It truly IS a Catch-22 situation because even though the major Urban voters see the problem, between gerrymandering and the overwhelming apathy of most rural voters, they are stuck with Republican politicians who don’t give two $h*ts about anything except staying in power and making more money for themselves and their big-money donors.

    1. And the wind turbines would be working if they’d invested in winterising.
      The answer, in short, is that turbines in colder places are typically equipped with de-icing and other tools, such as built-in heating. In Texas, where the weather is almost never this cold, they usually are not. “Cold weather kits can keep [wind turbines] operating when temperatures plunge.
      Quite sickening seeing that vile Repugnant Party governor blaming everyone and everything else on his party’s deliberate policy of least control least regulation most profit for rich investors. The truly sad part is Repugnant Party voters will be unable to accept the truth, the MAGA cult is too strong.

    1. 300 yrs ago , those people knew how to survive heavy winters, no cars heating oil nor electric, today amazing how people can’t survive, during winter storms,, media blames political leaders , governor’s, apparently lack of brains and common sense (whinny media , spoiled people who can’t think,for themselves)

    2. @Donald Strubhar well yeah but let’s face it and be honest many of them died. It all wasn’t just hunky dory because people weren’t used to mod cons.
      Did I hear them say that mouthy cruel mayor lost his job over those remarks? Wow I hope so.

  4. The recommendations for winterizing and infrastructure was recommended 10 years ago. This was preventable! I should feel more than sad because of….?

  5. So, what were some Texas politicians saying about how Southern CA’s environment is run? Can’t take care of their own state.

    1. They sent you guys rakes during the Paradise fire so I’m sure they’re showing up with pitchforks to their elected officials offices demanding answers… I wonder if they’ll realize now that some regulations are pretty helpful, oh who am I kidding they’re never gonna learn.

    2. @Mac Swanton telling people who’s entire town burned to ashes that they need to take better care of the federal wilderness where the fire started is a state motto? Strange… our state motto is
      “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.”

  6. “If we’d rely solely upon green energy, that would be a challenge.” But in Texas, we failed to prepare any sort of energy production for extreme cold conditions that haven’t occurred since, uh, 2011, so now it’s a catastrophy.

    1. Literally! In PA we work outside full shifts in below freezing weather for minimum wage. Oh, you’re cold? Start shoveling

    2. @Ben Longer than Texas, we have experienced power workers and emergency management in local counties are set up to provide for people in need in these situations. Many individuals have generators,wood stoves etc .Different planning all around.

    3. @jbt PA How we use grammar is important.
      The way that you commented is nice. Rather than say, “… my planning is better than your planning” You say, “… my planning is different.” Thank you.

  7. The govenor sounds stupid claiming that ten percent of the energy sources is why the people are without power .

    1. @Tim Popik the governor just said ” renewables was more than 10%. ” he did not detail or breakdown the remaining power sources. That was what we were reacting to.

    2. @Tim Popik True you broke it down, but we were commenting why the governor kept on saying renewable was the major cause of the power prob when in fact he stated it was on roughly 10% of the total. No liberal education there.

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