this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2026
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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.
These people are mentally broken.
I do not understand it.
They're in a cult.
Specifically, an outright death cult.
Juat think of them like a deranged hivemind.
They aren't. They know exactly what they're doing. They know it's bullshit, but every other MAGA will treat it like gospel.
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?
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.
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.
I've trimmed trees on federal land, this exactly.
Yes, except that training to care about tree health instead of only cost/efficiency is a thing Democrats do.
The training isn't political, but which training gets chosen is.
Nobody does trainings on tree health. That's not how any of this works. They do apprenticeships. Once they finish they're basically free to do whatever they want.
You're the one who doesn't know how any of this works. Haven't you ever heard of an arborist? They even have a professional standards organization that offers certifications and everything.
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.