Why do politicians keep blaming DEI for disasters when it’s a laughably lie


At best, these false claims help politicians cover for corporate misdeeds. At worst, they foster division for its own sake. Neither makes us safer.

by Peter Certo
      OtherWords


In this chaotic news cycle, America’s worst plane crash in a generation already feels a generation old.

But the administration’s response to the tragic January collision that killed 67 people over the Potomac is worth revisiting. Not only because the loved ones of those lost deserve answers, but because it highlights a MAGA playbook we’ve seen repeatedly now — and we’ll see again very soon.


Trump suggested that unqualified minority hires caused the accident ...

We don’t yet know what caused the crash. But shortly before it, President Trump disbanded a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety committee, fired the FAA administrator, and implemented a federal hiring freeze despite a shortage of air traffic controllers. (Staffing at the local tower was “not normal” the night of the collision, The New York Times reported.)

Speculation has even emerged that Elon Musk, the unelected billionaire bureaucrat who’s been illegally gutting the federal government, urged the FAA administrator’s firing in retaliation for past fines against his SpaceX company.

Did any of that contribute? That’s for a proper investigation to determine. But one thing’s for sure: It wasn’t the “DEI” initiatives President Trump immediately blamed.

Trump suggested that unqualified minority hires caused the accident because the prior administration thought “the workforce was too white.” When pressed for even a shred of evidence, he shrugged that it was “common sense.” Administration figures like Vice President Vance stuck with the claim even after learning that both pilots involved were white.

The claim was ridiculous, but it sucked up attention that might have gone to the Trump administration’s own moves instead. And that’s exactly why we keep seeing lies like these — to protect incompetent politicians and the corporate interests that prop them up.

Once you realize that, you’ll start noticing it everywhere.

For instance, there’s ample evidence that climate change contributed to Southern California’s horrific wildfires this winter. But rather than implicate the campaign-contributing fossil fuel companies that have supercharged these disasters, right-wing influencers blamed “DEI” hires like women firefighters.

About a year ago, when a foreign cargo ship destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, the same crowd had nothing to say about regulating shipping companies or infrastructure safety. Instead, they just started calling the city’s Black mayor, Brandon Scott, the “DEI mayor.”


At best, these obviously false claims suck the oxygen out of any discussions that might involve the incompetence of politicians or misdeeds of their corporate supporters.

And finally, we saw an earlier version of this script when a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling toxic chemicals and burning them up in a noxious cloud over the impoverished town.

Norfolk Southern had skimped on maintenance, overstretched its workers, and plowed the savings into stock buybacks rather than safety. The company had also poured money into Ohio’s statehouse, which killed a bipartisan rail safety bill the company had lobbied against.

The talking heads on Fox News didn’t have anything to say about that — or about President Trump’s decision to nix an Obama-era regulation to prevent accidents like these during his first term.

Instead, right-wing multimillionaires like Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk claimed the accident happened because President Biden didn’t care about the poor whites of rural Ohio. (Kirk even claimed the episode proved there was a whole “crusade against white people.”)

At best, these obviously false claims suck the oxygen out of any discussions that might involve the incompetence of politicians or misdeeds of their corporate supporters. At worst, they foster division for its own sake. Neither makes us safer.

As Trump, Musk, and their allies illegally purge federal agencies and open the floodgates to corporate malfeasance of all varieties, more disasters like these are almost inevitable. And just as inevitably, they’ll blame DEI, immigrants, LGBTQ people, or some other scapegoat when that happens.

For our hard-earned tax dollars, most of us just want the government to protect our communities and our planet — even when that’s less profitable for a few corporations. But to get that, we’ll have to pull together across the divides their backers like to drive between us.


Peter Certo

Peter Certo is the communications director of the Institute for Policy Studies and editor of OtherWords.org.


Over 8,000 homes still without power after high winds rip through Champaign County

URBANA - A severe storm that left more than a 500 mile stretch of damage across several Midwest states caused a large number of power outages throughout the mid-section of the Ameren Illinois service territory this afternoon, according to a statement released by Ameren Illinois.



"This was a significant, slow moving weather cell that pounded our electric infrastructure over the course of several hours," said Lenny Singh, Chairman and President of Ameren Illinois. "Crews have been mobilized throughout the service territory and we are calling in reinforcements from Illinois and nearby states. We're in the assessment phase now and will focus on getting the system repaired and power restored as quickly as possible while exercising high standards of safety."

Ameren Illinois activated its Incident Management Team (IMT) at 1:00 pm Thursday, June 29, 2023, to support restoration activities. It will be staffed around-the-clock to coordinate service restoration, logistical support and communications.

Over 8,000 homes in Urbana, Tolono, and St. Joseph remain without electrical service as of 2 a.m., more than 12 hours after the storm ripped through east central Illinois. According to Ameren's outage data, 7,184 homes in Urbana were still without power. Only 165 homes in Tolono do not have electricity. Meanwhile, in St. Joseph, 47.66% of the residents in the community east of Urbana still needed electrical service restored. No estimate was available when the more than 1000 customers could expect power.

"Customer safety is of utmost importance, particularly when severe weather occurs. We urge our customers to take precautions to protect themselves and their families, including staying away from downed power lines and immediately reporting any downed lines to Ameren Illinois," Singh said.


Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
A branch from a large tree at a condo unit near the corner Broadway and Vermont was peeled away from the trunk after winds close to 80 mph raced through the area after noon on Thursday. Widespread damage has been reported including overturned semis, flattened crops, and fallen trees.

Customers and media can receive timely updates on outage restoration by following the Ameren Illinois news feed on Facebook or at twitter.com/AmerenIllinois. Outages by county can be tracked at AmerenIllinois.com/outage.

Safety Reminders

Customer Reminders

Call Ameren Illinois at 1-800-755-5000 as soon as possible to report a downed line, natural gas odor, or an outage.

Stay away from downed power lines because these lines may still be energized. During an outage, individuals are asked to stay indoors after sunset because downed lines may not be visible. Stay away from brush, shrubs and fallen trees that may be hiding these lines.

If your electric service is interrupted, unplug or protect sensitive computer and electronic equipment with a high-quality surge protector.

Customers seeking more information on their outage:

Customers will receive notification on the restoration status of individual outages. Those who are signed up for alerts will receive alert updates through their preferred channels. All others will receive a phone call.

Customers can report and check the status of their restoration at Ameren.com or download the free Ameren Mobile app where you can report or check your outage right from the palm of your hand.

Sign up for alerts. Text REG to AMEREN (263736) to start or visit Ameren.com/Alerts. 

In addition, safety and real-time outage information is available on the outage map at AmerenIllinois.com/outagemap.


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