Posted on 02/23/2023 7:20:25 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Republicans are on the warpath against embattled Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Drumbeats are sounding for his resignation and he is being pilloried by conservatives on social media.
It is not just the GOP, some Democrats have pointed out his failures too. The latest controversy is a train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio that released toxic chemicals earlier this month.
The Norfolk Southern derailment has residents and politicians in that town faulting Pete Buttigieg and the Biden administration for abandoning them in a critical time of need.
Buttigieg finally visited East Palestine February 23, while former President Donald Trump was in the town the day before. People living in the area were susceptible to the leak of cancer-causing vinyl chloride. Plus, streams have been polluted resulting in fish kills. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary findings into the causes of the incident. It appears that an overheated axel on the train and not excessive speed contributed to the wreck.
The secretary said he did not visit the area sooner because he wanted to allow NTSB and first responders to do their work.
“I have followed the normal practice of transportation secretaries in the early days after a crash, allowing NTSB to lead the safety work and staying out of their way,” he told CBS News. “But I am very eager to have conversations with people in East Palestine about how this has impacted them.”
But this is seen as too little too late by Republicans, who have hounded Pete Buttigieg even before the hazardous materials accident. Senator Marco Rubio has requested the cabinet secretary to resign amid the cancellation of over 9,000 flights by Southwestern Airlines in December. Rubio believes he was correct to call attention to Buttigieg’s “gross level of incompetence and apathy” and that the transportation secretary was missing in action in East Palestine for too long. Republican Senator Rick Scott charged Buttigieg with similar accusations.
The media has also disparaged Buttigieg for his inaction and refusal to visit the site. A reporter from the Daily Caller News Foundation asked the secretary for his comments February 21 while he walked outside in Washington, DC.
For some reason, Pete Buttigieg took a picture of the reporter, and the video of the interview was posted on Twitter. It has racked up 2.8 million views.
I asked Secretary Buttigieg about the crisis in East Palestine and I guess he didn’t like that so he took a pic of me. Im just doing my job, sir. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/HjKNgF25FJ
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) February 22, 2023
One of the reasons conservatives and other opponents of Pete Buttigieg have pounced is that the one-time mayor of South Bend, Indiana ran for president once and is believed to be using his cabinet post to position himself for another White House run. He is also a vocal supporter of President Biden and the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Politico interviewed a Democrat with knowledge of the 20-day saga. This person said Buttigieg has “taken a lot of bullets for the president on this.” The White House has said the president has confidence in Buttigieg and has resisted efforts for him to resign or be dismissed.
His allies have defended Buttigieg by citing that he conducted at least 23 press interviews since the derailment and that has shown an intense focus.
Meanwhile, Republicans and others in the media used a “Where’s Pete?” meme in the days before Buttigieg’s visit.
Pete Buttigieg has also endured other controversies and crises such as a threatened railroad strike and an FAA software problem during the aforementioned airline crisis during the Christmas season.
Trump also highlighted Buttigieg’s inaction and paralysis during the crisis. Democrats have said that the Biden administration has not forsaken East Palestine. EPA head Michael Regan has been to the derailment zone previously. Regan and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine drank some water from taps in the area to show citizens it is safe to drink.
But the visit by Buttigieg should have come earlier. He allows his critics to make it appear that he has a lack of passion for the job and does not empathize enough with those in need. The visit will help his image some, but the damage has already been done.
Pete Buttigieg is finding that governing at the federal level can be more difficult than campaigning or running a small city. His critics are hoping that the cabinet secretary will give up and resign due to the pressure he is under. The Biden administration believes Buttigieg can put this incident behind him and learn the lesson that he should appear to care more about his job.
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
“If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute.” Francis Schaeffer, How Shall We Then Live? (Old Tappan NJ: Fleming H Revell Company, 1976), p. 224.
Unqualified you say. Remember Buttplug is Gay, speaks NORWEGIAN, breast feeds his adopted gaylets, with his husband and probably has a small yappy rat that resembles a dog. If that doesn’t scream qualified for a Brandon cabinet position I don’t know what does
Here you go. Video is a little poor but ... LOL after all these years!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fd97hVVD9U
I thought his hubby already got him, in the end...
What about the rest of him?
One can only hope that this is the end of Buttplug’s political career.
“Pasta” who was a guest on Uganda’s ‘Morning Breeze’ TV show should have a conversation with ButtButter.
The end has come? Does he know it? Any particular end?
“I have followed the normal practice of transportation secretaries in the early days after a crash, allowing NTSB to lead the safety work and staying out of their way,”
I heard him say that as the clip was replayed a few times. Kept waiting for someone to fact check that statement. AFAIK, nobody did.
That made me laugh harder than I have in some time. It hurt me.
And his little wife is having a hissy fit at Turning Point for asking Pete hard questions.
It’s classic. Seeing the blind climber’s reaction makes it even more hilarious.
The End Of Pete Buttigieg Has Arrived
And remember, it's a primary prep year and the boss is a geriatric wreck who can't even remember what pudding pop he had for lunch. Harris is the POC from the short bus. The knives are out and what is left standing will be the 2024 candidate and the Dems' only hope. Throats are being slit in DC. Thieves are like that.
Please!!! Get a room! That's something normal people don't want to see.
He is now Trumps bitch
Eww, phrasing...
pete can see the light at the end of the tunnel
uh oh
Diversity is strength. 🙄
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