# NEW Stupid Republican Idea of the Day (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2020, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140 "2020-06-22T07:01:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 172
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3429 "2021-02-18T05:14:52Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Rick Perry says Texans should be willing to go without electricity in order to prevent the federal government from regulating it. He was the Energy Secretary, wasn’t he? This is insane. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3430 "2021-02-18T05:26:25Z")
“You can have your regulations when _they_ have cold, very cold, dead hands!” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3431 "2021-02-18T06:27:23Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > He was the Energy Secretary, wasn’t he? [![](https://i.imgur.com/9gKJjWG.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/9gKJjWG.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3432 "2021-02-18T08:12:56Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’d like to see that bumper sticker. “The tree of libertarianism must from time to time be refreshed with the blood of the poors.” ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3433 "2021-02-18T13:55:44Z")
If you look at that photo of Rick Perry and the corndog, and consider his relationship to Donnie, I believe you have all the information you need about Rick’s qualifications.\* 🤨 \*Note the tongue engagement. I mean, FFS, who LICKS a corndog? 'Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3434 "2021-02-18T14:19:33Z")
Ted Cruz found a way to deal with the power outages and water shortages in HIS HOME STATE of Texas. > [https://twitter.com/softreeds/status/1362364758263951364?s=20](https://twitter.com/softreeds/status/1362364758263951364?s=20) ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3435 "2021-02-18T14:27:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Ted Cruz found a way to deal with the power outages and water shortages in HIS HOME STATE of Texas. > > [https://twitter.com/DavidShuster/status/1362272883775582209](https://twitter.com/DavidShuster/status/1362272883775582209) > > [https://twitter.com/softreeds/status/1362364758263951364?s=20](https://twitter.com/softreeds/status/1362364758263951364?s=20) You can almost imagine the opponent’s commercials now if Cruz runs for POTUS in ‘24. Or better yet, if he’s just running for Senate again. Think Texans’ memory will extend three years? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3436 "2021-02-18T14:35:46Z")
Well, the Democrats’ memories will… and do. But the Republicans? Nah. Ted is just doing what they wish they could do. Here’s another one of our prize Republicans-- the big enchilada himself, blaming Dems for the current energy crisis-- total bullshit. [https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-Governor-Abbott-s-wind-turbine-15958637.php](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-Governor-Abbott-s-wind-turbine-15958637.php) > … > You’d think the deep misery of millions of Texans — never mind the global embarrassment of seeing the nation’s energy capital on its knees — would have forced Abbott to face up to the reality of the state he leads. But instead, he chose to play more games — political games. On Tuesday, he was on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, blaming the energy grid’s collapse on frozen wind turbines. > > “This shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America,” he said. “Our wind and our solar got shut down, and they were collectively more than 10 percent of our power grid, and that thrust Texas into a situation where it was lacking power on a statewide basis.” > > As deceptive as a deadly patch of black ice. > > This disaster has nothing to do with the Green New Deal. Wind makes up a tiny fraction of the state’s energy grid this time of year. The vast majority of power sources knocked off line were natural gas and coal, largely because those facilities weren’t properly weatherized. > > The real problem, as Abbott knows, has to do with Texas’ loosely regulated grid and a system of energy delivery that tries to maximize profits and keep consumer prices cheap by failing to insure against a crisis like this one. More on that: [https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Texas-grid-again-faces-scrutiny-over-cold-15955392.php?utm\_campaign=CMS+Sharing+Tools+(Premium)&utm\_source=facebook.com&utm\_medium=referral](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Texas-grid-again-faces-scrutiny-over-cold-15955392.php?utm_campaign=CMS+Sharing+Tools+%28Premium%29&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3437 "2021-02-18T14:42:19Z")
Realization is sinking in though, as the same people on NextDoor who were whining about wind power on Monday are spending their Thursday insisting we don’t ‘politicize’ the situation. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3438 "2021-02-18T14:53:40Z")
I tend to avoid Nextdoor. For one thing, all the lost pets really distress me. For another thing, the questions are so STUPID. “Is anyone else’s power out?? Is my local HEB open today? Do you know what restaurants are open?” And everyone starts their own “thread.” I’m spoiled by the organized, intelligent, civil discourse one finds here. BWAHAHAHAHA!! 🤣 🤣 No really! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3439 "2021-02-18T15:00:41Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > This was in 1982, and I think the denier was played by Norman Lloyd - who might look a bit like Rush - but 1982 was before Rush was known widely (and before he started talking about politics, I think). I first became… aware of Limbaugh in 1983 or '84. He was quite likely doing his schtick before then. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3440 "2021-02-18T15:42:13Z")
The uncanniest Scumbag resemblance I’ve seen was the demagogue who rehearses his lines in a mirror in _V for Vendetta_ but that was most likely intentional. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3441 "2021-02-18T15:54:50Z")
There has been much written in the past couple of days about how the Texas energy problems are due to Texas’ unique in-state power grid, the way it’s set up to maximize profits, is not answerable to the federal government, isn’t answerable apparently to anyone (which is why this is at least the third time they’ve had a power emergency due to a cold snap), and not due to wind power (apparently the wind turbines, like those in Antarctica and Scandinavia, are working fine, and not failing due to cold weather). But i haven’t seen much about this nugget about the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT): Five members of ERCOT’s Board of directors don’t even live in Texas. The Chairman lives in Michigan and the vice Chair lives in California. [https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/ercot-board-vice-chair-texas-cold-power-outage-15953854.php?IPID=Chron-HP-CP-Spotlight](https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/ercot-board-vice-chair-texas-cold-power-outage-15953854.php?IPID=Chron-HP-CP-Spotlight) In the meantime, Tennessee hasn’t had any rolling blackouts: > [@](#): > > While the [“unprecedented”](https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/17/weather-updates-texas-power-outages-another-winter-storm-south-midwest/6778122002/) winter storm that continues to grip much of the U.S. and the Mid-South has left millions without power, Tennessee was able to avoid these extended outages and rolling blackouts. > > Aaron Paul Melda, transmission and power supply senior vice president for the [Tennessee Valley Authority](https://www.tva.com/), says the utility’s continued reliability is a product of its dedicated workforce and its public power system model. > > “We have been built and funded by the people of the United States and the Tennessee Valley and are beholden to them alone,” he said, adding that **the utility can plan its grid and operations more conservatively in the absence of investor pressure.** > > “We work to balance cost and high reliability and ensure a diverse fleet so that we have the ability to shift power sources if need be,” he said. > **[Why the power in Tennessee stayed on while Texas, Arkansas had rolling blackouts](https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2021/02/17/winter-storm-tva-avoid-rolling-blackouts-plagued-nearby-staes/6780479002/)** > > Many residents in the South experienced power outages and rolling blackouts because of the winter storm; here's why Tennessee's power stayed on. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3442 "2021-02-18T16:08:15Z")
You can see the effects of the rolling blackouts from space, using IR imaging > **[Texas blackouts seen from SPACE as state braces for more snow](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9271967/Texas-blackouts-seen-SPACE-state-braces-round-snow.html)** > > Footage shows cars on the Texas side of Stateline Road dealing with icy driving conditions while those on the Arkansas side drive on a cleared roadway ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3443 "2021-02-18T16:09:47Z")
This is, I’m assuming, the same TVA that we (well, many of us) learned about in history class that was part jobs program/part infrastructure project/part socialism? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3444 "2021-02-18T16:13:52Z")
Excellent posts, @CalMeacham! Thank you so much! ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3445 "2021-02-18T16:18:50Z")
One thing I’m confused about is that apparently Biden has approved federal disaster aid for Texas. I thought that the governor was Republican and that the state had voted for Biden’s opponent in the last election? Also, Texas should have been raking their power grid so the current problems are kind of their fault. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3446 "2021-02-18T16:42:27Z")
At least Biden doesn’t have “lots of ocean” between DC and Texas to contend with. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3447 "2021-02-18T16:44:26Z")
BIG WATER. OCEAN WATER. NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS! (Discourse says: “body seems unclear. Is this a complete sentence?”) ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140/3448 "2021-02-18T17:01:22Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > So Rick Perry is asking Texans to, quite literally, die for Republican anti-regulatory dogma. > > I’d like to see that bumper sticker. I’ll be fair about this - in my more idealistic moments, I would like to think there are liberal principles that I put first above convenience and personal safety.\* So, if someone wants to sacrifice themselves rather than be subject to regulation or accept government assistance, I can kind of understand that. It’s sacrificing other people that’s the problem. \*in my more honest moments, I’m a coward. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140.md?page=171) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-1/911140.md?page=173)