Buttigieg/Secretary of Transportation Thread

[StassneyHorn 6577]

Pete Buttigieg, armed with only a baby bjorn and someone else's breast milk, has accomplished Lord Brandon's bidding.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/union-pacific-reaches-sick-leave-agreements-with-2-unions

 

Union Pacific reaches sick leave agreements with 2 unions

NCFO president applauds railroad for ‘adjusting this wrong and making it right’

 

[TexEx15 17535]

They will never learn.

 

[Biff Tannen 45690]

I can't wait for him to run for president again.  He will mop the floor with everyone.  2028?

[TexEx15 17535]

 

[henrygandorf 29191]

that is a nice boxing in that would work on anyone except trump, who will talk out of both sides of his mouth on any issue including the time and date.

the right is throwing a spaz on twitter calling for pete's immediate resignation for waiting this long to come to ohio, despite being right in line with the standard time it takes for first responder safety groups to do their thing.  of course there's zero self-awareness about the thousands of derailments that happen during every administration that welcomed zero previous secretaries of transportation.  most of the folks slinging mud probably couldn't even name any of them, because why would they?

if he decides to get back into politics on a presidential or even state-wide level, the right will have close to a decade of shit-talking under their belt on pete.  that's always been the playbook for opponents that scare them.

[ChuckNorrisActionJeans 2678]

3 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

that is a nice boxing in that would work on anyone except trump, who will talk out of both sides of his mouth on any issue including the time and date.

the right is throwing a spaz on twitter calling for pete's immediate resignation for waiting this long to come to ohio, despite being right in line with the standard time it takes for first responder safety groups to do their thing.  of course there's zero self-awareness about the thousands of derailments that happen during every administration that welcomed zero previous secretaries of transportation.  most of the folks slinging mud probably couldn't even name any of them, because why would they?

if he decides to get back into politics on a presidential or even state-wide level, the right will have close to a decade of shit-talking under their belt on pete.  that's always been the playbook for opponents that scare them.

I remember Coco Chow because her name is so memorable 

[Neonmoon 38129]

Pete is a good debater, but the GOP has already withdrawn from future Presidential debates, so advantage nullified 

They know he’s a threat, that’s why they blame everything on him. 

[Biff Tannen 45690]

58 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Pete is a good debater, but the GOP has already withdrawn from future Presidential debates, so advantage nullified 

They know he’s a threat, that’s why they blame everything on him. 

I really do wonder if whatever R comes after Dotard will debate. Honestly, at this point, why would you?

[StassneyHorn 6577]

I’d love to say it’s a R thing only, but Katie Hobbs rightfully refused going on stage and let Kari Lake do her broadcast persona to the entire state of Arizona.

[ChuckNorrisActionJeans 2678]

meh I think it hurt Hobbs not to debate just for the optics of that, that is assuming her debate performance wouldn't have been all-time historically bad so that it would have actually persuaded some against her. We're all lucky Hobbs won. It wasn't a big margin. Lake was already a known quantity, don't think it would've given her a bigger stage in a way that would have mattered.

[TDunk 590]

3 minutes ago, ChuckNorrisActionJeans said:

meh I think it hurt Hobbs not to debate just for the optics of that, that is assuming her debate performance wouldn't have been all-time historically bad so that it would have actually persuaded some against her. We're all lucky Hobbs won. It wasn't a big margin. Lake was already a known quantity, don't think it would've given her a bigger stage in a way that would have mattered.

Optics... No filter on the debate stage.  Plus she is grifting along

 

[StassneyHorn 6577]

Hobbs wanted people thinking Kari was dangerous. If Kari shows up and gets through 1 hour of no batshittiness, which she accomplished for decades in PHX/Scottsdale news media, that argument gets a major hole poked in it for the other metro areas and suburbs.

[tx 3 putt 76970]

Hot Rumor : he’s been told to clean up and organize his stuff for a potential Presidential run in 2024. He’s the fall back of Biden doesn’t run  

[WhatTheBuck 28783]

On 2/10/2023 at 4:31 PM, wildcat09 said:

 

Another problem with Pete is that he's just not really doing his job. 

Not only was it unfair to blame Pete for not singlehandedly reinstating Obama era brake rules that wouldn’t have applied to the train that derailed in East Palestine anyway, but it's looking like the train didn’t derail because of a braking problem at all. So even if the train did have those brakes, it still would’ve derailed.

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/23/1158972561/east-palestine-train-derailment-ntsb-preliminary-report-wheel-bearing

[wildcat09 29354]

It's actually completely fair to blame Pete for not improving braking requirements, even if that wasn't what caused this derailment. Because it has certainly caused (and will cause) others.

What, do you think that Pete has no autonomy and has to wait for orders from Joe Biden about everything?  The Secretary of the Department of Transportation, like every other cabinet official, has substantial autonomy and the Secretary of the Department of Transportation in particular has a ton of power. The department has been captured by industry friendly lobbyists for a long time now and that's not Pete's fault, but he certainly hasn't made things better. I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that he's always been too friendly with big business and probably had no desire to actually implement additional regulations that would annoy people he'll be soliciting campaign contributions from in the future.

A lot of the criticism you read about Pete from the right and certain segments of the left is full of bullshit, but that doesn't mean his performance in this job doesn't deserve criticism. The actual day to day of that job has absolutely nothing to do with what we all know he's good at, which is going on Fox News and offering clever rejoinders. I know a lot of people here want to think he must be good at the job because he's smart and polished and has all the qualifications, but the world is full of "smart" people with all the qualifications who are actually not great at a whole lot or are even just dumb as shit about nearly everything. Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court should be proof enough of that.

[hobbes2702 13034]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

Hot Rumor : he’s been told to clean up and organize his stuff for a potential Presidential run in 2024. He’s the fall back of Biden doesn’t run  

Biden’s running 

[horn4life 3760]

Don't feed the morons.  bottom line is this wreck, like any mass killing using an assault weapon is the result of the GOP's unwillingness to do anything but whine and whine and whine.  Exactly like you hear with Biden, Buttigieg, or any other Democratic.  Just complain like a motherfucker and never, ever, ever put forth any fucking legislation to solve even minor issues of importance.  

The ONLY thing of any consequence the Republicans have done is the last 40 years via national legislation is simply explode the deficit spending again and again when they INHERIT good economies form the Democrats.  

 

[mchookem 16336]

4 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

Hot Rumor : he’s been told to clean up and organize his stuff for a potential Presidential run in 2024. He’s the fall back of Biden doesn’t run  

i mean i'd be 100% on board, but i'm not buying it 🤷‍♀️

[Biff Tannen 45690]

3 hours ago, wildcat09 said:

what we all know he's good at, which is going on Fox News and offering clever rejoinders

You misspelled destroy their false narratives and leave them with jaws agape at how badly they just got owned.

[henrygandorf 29191]

sirota spent his week making sure to let everyone know that centrist dems are far worse than republicans. 

[Fastbreak 3985]

Name the best airlines you've ever flown on...and now note which of them were nationalized.

Best airlines:

Emirates
Qatar
Singapore Air

Worst:
United
American

[mchookem 16336]

cream of the crop right here...

 

if the crop were cretinous morons.

 

 

i like to think their staff hates them lol

[6th Street 6411]

Biden is a much more effective politician than Pete who seems to be an empty suit for the most part. 

[Neonmoon 38129]

20 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

Biden is a much more effective politician than Pete who seems to be an empty suit for the most part. 

Explain the difference 

[Snake Diggity 4625]

For now Biden has credentials (and obviously experience) that Buttigieg doesn’t have.  I don’t think Buttigieg will be a viable presidential candidate until he has been either a senator or a governor.  He is a traditional politician (aside from the whole being outwardly gay thing); he doesn’t have any business or celebrity or military bonafides to run on, and despite being a genius talker, he’s not charismatic enough to rally enough people just based on his personality.  And until I see evidence to the contrary I do not think black democrats will turn out for him.  Buttigieg would certainly lose to Trump.  He would very very likely lose to DeSantis.  If he becomes a governor then I think depending on the cycle he could be a very good candidate for president.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Snake Diggity

[956 Worldwide 34715]

20 hours ago, mchookem said:

cream of the crop right here...

 

if the crop were cretinous morons.

 

 

i like to think their staff hates them lol

I wonder if @Bateshorn can chime in. These are the dumbest members of that committee. I can’t imagine committee staff would have let that get drafted.  But who knows.  I am sure their personal staffs are not super brilliant, no one intelligent would want the stank of Gym or MTG on them. 

[6th Street 6411]

1 hour ago, Snake Diggity said:

For now Biden has credentials (and obviously experience) that Buttigieg doesn’t have.  I don’t think Buttigieg will be a viable presidential candidate until he has been either a senator or a governor.  He is a traditional politician (aside from the whole being outwardly gay thing); he doesn’t have any business or celebrity or military bonafides to run on, and despite being a genius talker, he’s not charismatic enough to rally enough people just based on his personality.  And until I see evidence to the contrary I do not think black democrats will turn out for him.  Buttigieg would certainly lose to Trump.  He would very very likely lose to DeSantis.  If he becomes a governor then I think depending on the cycle he could be a very good candidate for president.

All of this is true. Pete has zero legislative experience and no accomplishments in the private sector. He's not really likable to the general public and minorities don't care for him. Biden on the other hand is a shrewd negotiator who is well liked and well respected by all.

[Tuco 5076]

For now Biden has credentials (and obviously experience) that Buttigieg doesn’t have.  I don’t think Buttigieg will be a viable presidential candidate until he has been either a senator or a governor.  He is a traditional politician (aside from the whole being outwardly gay thing); he doesn’t have any business or celebrity or military bonafides to run on, and despite being a genius talker, he’s not charismatic enough to rally enough people just based on his personality.  And until I see evidence to the contrary I do not think black democrats will turn out for him.  Buttigieg would certainly lose to Trump.  He would very very likely lose to DeSantis.  If he becomes a governor then I think depending on the cycle he could be a very good candidate for president.

I would say his military bonafides exceed any President since the first Bush. Which is also an indication that no one really cares that much about military service.

I agree with the good talker / lack of charisma thing.

He probably has a better shot of winning the Presidency than becoming a Senator from or Governor of fucking Indiana. I think changing states would mean ditching the Mayor Pete from the conservative Midwest state thing and make him look like an opportunist. So, it’s more likely he would take high profile appointments to build the resume.

[Bateshorn 9927]

5 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I wonder if @Bateshorn can chime in. These are the dumbest members of that committee. I can’t imagine committee staff would have let that get drafted.  But who knows.  I am sure their personal staffs are not super brilliant, no one intelligent would want the stank of Gym or MTG on them. 

Staff should have known better.  But that letter is weird, because it’s signed by Jim Jordan, who is not the chair (James Comer is the OGR Chair). 
 

Here’s a full oversight letter I found on line (I’ll admit I haven’t read it in detail. I don’t do transportation stuff for a living)

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-02-24-Letter-DOT-Norfolk-Southern-Derailment.pdf

[Bateshorn 9927]

2 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

Staff should have known better.  But that letter is weird, because it’s signed by Jim Jordan, who is not the chair (James Comer is the OGR Chair). 
 

Here’s a full oversight letter I found on line (I’ll admit I haven’t read it in detail. I don’t do transportation stuff for a living)

https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-02-24-Letter-DOT-Norfolk-Southern-Derailment.pdf

I read it. The error is an error, but the signature page 2 is wrong. Basically, they said “ DOT’s NTSB. “ they should have said “NTSB” 

It’s more or less a proof reading mistake.  Buttigieg is kinda being that grammer  guy in the internet.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Bateshorn

[TexEx15 17535]

Tip of the GQP spear right there.

[Pig Bellmont 8719]

On 2/26/2023 at 11:52 AM, 6th Street said:

All of this is true. Pete has zero legislative experience and no accomplishments in the private sector. He's not really likable to the general public and minorities don't care for him. Biden on the other hand is a shrewd negotiator who is well liked and well respected by all.

After Trump got elected why are we arguing whether Pete’s qualified enough to be elected President?

[mchookem 16336]

1 hour ago, TexEx15 said:

Tip of the GQP spear right there.

so we potentially will have... hours of live hearing footage of Pete verbally and mentally sparring with the likes of Boebert, MTG, Gosar, Jordan, etc.?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[henrygandorf 29191]

On 2/26/2023 at 7:00 AM, Snake Diggity said:

Buttigieg would certainly lose to Trump.  He would very very likely lose to DeSantis.  If he becomes a governor then I think depending on the cycle he could be a very good candidate for president.

as long as people like trump and desantis are representing the republican party, plenty of people will turn out from the blue states to vote against them, regardless of the democratic candidate.

biden has been a shockingly effective president, but people were not expecting that in the fall of 2020.  they just wanted to get trump the fuck out of office.

[WhatTheBuck 28783]

4 hours ago, TexEx15 said:

Tip of the GQP spear right there.

Good luck with your play, Darla.

[WhatTheBuck 28783]

Norfolk Southern sorta seems like they suck.

https://www.propublica.org/article/norfolk-southern-policy-safety-alerts-east-palestine-derailment

Quote

A Norfolk Southern Policy Lets Officials Order Crews to Ignore Safety Alerts

In October, months before the East Palestine derailment, the company also directed a train to keep moving with an overheated wheel that caused it to derail miles later in Sandusky, Ohio.

by Topher Sanders and Dan Schwartz
Feb. 22, 9:47 p.m. EST

Norfolk Southern allows a monitoring team to instruct crews to ignore alerts from train track sensors designed to flag potential mechanical problems.

ProPublica learned of the policy after reviewing the rules of the company, which is engulfed in controversy after one of its trains derailed this month, releasing toxic flammable gas over East Palestine, Ohio.

The policy applies specifically to the company’s Wayside Detector Help Desk, which monitors data from the track-side sensors. Workers on the desk can tell crews to disregard an alert when “information is available confirming it is safe to proceed” and to continue no faster than 30 miles per hour to the next track-side sensor, which is often miles away. The company’s rulebook did not specify what such information might be, and company officials did not respond to questions about the policy.

The National Transportation Safety Board will be looking into the company’s rules, including whether that specific policy played a role in the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine. Thirty-eight cars, some filled with chemicals, left the tracks and caught fire, triggering an evacuation and agonized questions from residents about the implications for their health. The NTSB believes a wheel bearing in a car overheated and failed immediately before the train derailed. It plans to release a preliminary report on the accident Thursday morning.

ProPublica has learned that Norfolk Southern disregarded a similar mechanical problem on another train that months earlier jumped the tracks in Ohio.

In October, that train was en route to Cleveland when dispatchers told the crew to stop it, said Clyde Whitaker, Ohio state legislative director for the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, or SMART. He said the help desk had learned that a wheel was heating up on an engine the train was towing. The company sent a mechanic to the train to diagnose the problem.

Whitaker said that it could not be determined what was causing the wheel to overheat, and that the safest course of action would have been to set the engine aside to be repaired. That would have added about an hour to the journey, Whitaker said.

But Whitaker said the dispatcher told the crew that a supervisor determined that the train should continue on without removing the engine.

Four miles later, the train derailed while traveling about 30 miles per hour and dumped thousands of gallons of molten paraffin wax in the city of Sandusky.

Records from the Federal Railroad Administration, the agency responsible for regulating safety in the railroad industry, show that Norfolk Southern identified the cause of the October derailment as a hot wheel bearing. Whitaker said this bearing was on the same engine that originally drew concerns.

A spokesperson for the FRA said the agency’s investigation into the derailment is ongoing. The agency did not say whether it was examining the role of any Norfolk Southern officials in deciding to keep the damaged engine on the train. It’s still unknown what role, if any, the help desk played in the final decision.

This month, 20 miles before Norfolk Southern’s train spectacularly derailed in East Palestine, the help desk should have also gotten an alert. As the train rolled through Salem, it crossed a track-side sensor. Video footage from a nearby Salem company shows the train traveling with a fiery glow underneath its carriage.

If, like the Sandusky train, this one was dangerously heating up, a key question for investigators will be whether the help desk became aware and alerted the crew, and if it did, why the crew was not instructed to stop. The NTSB told ProPublica it is reviewing data from the Salem detector and those before it on the train’s route.

How We Found That Sites of Previous Ebola Outbreaks Are at Higher Risk Than Before

Norfolk Southern declined to say whether members of the train’s crew received an alert before the derailment and, if they did, whether the help desk told them to disregard it. The company did not address questions about its policy giving its help desk leeway to ignore such alerts. A spokesperson said that the company’s detector network is a massive safety investment, and that its trains rarely require troubleshooting.

ProPublica asked officials at the six other large freight railroad companies whether they have similar policies allowing employees to disregard such alerts. CSX and Burlington Northern Santa Fe said they don’t, and Canadian National said that no one can instruct a crew to continue traveling when they receive an alert “requiring them to stop the train.” Union Pacific, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern did not respond.

While some employees and outside experts say there are times in which such policies safely benefit business operations, union officials believe they are emblematic of Precision Scheduled Railroading, the most controversial — and profitable — innovation that’s come out of the country’s seven biggest railroads, the so-called Class 1s, in the last decade. It prioritizes keeping rail cars and locomotives in constant motion.

 

[Snake Diggity 4625]

41 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

as long as people like trump and desantis are representing the republican party, plenty of people will turn out from the blue states to vote against them, regardless of the democratic candidate.

biden has been a shockingly effective president, but people were not expecting that in the fall of 2020.  they just wanted to get trump the fuck out of office.

Blacks were willing to come out for Biden.  I strongly doubt they would do that for Buttigieg.  I truly think Biden was the only available candidate who would’ve beaten Trump, and so far I think that is also the case for 24.

[henrygandorf 29191]

6 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

Blacks were willing to come out for Biden.  I strongly doubt they would do that for Buttigieg.  I truly think Biden was the only available candidate who would’ve beaten Trump, and so far I think that is also the case for 24.

what you're describing is more of a primary problem.  if pete made it to the general, he'd be fine.  black people would have to warm up to the idea of voting for him well before he was running against a trump or desantis.

the key to future elections is activating the youth.  bernie was better at it than biden.  i think they're ready for some younger candidates.  regardless, young people fucking hate republicans right now.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

The party that not only endorsed a multiple personality mentally ill candidate from Georgia for Senator but refused and continues to refuse to call out a congressman who is a confirmed liar on so many levels I’ve lost count and we’re questioning whether a military veteran has enough bonafides and charisma to consider a presidential run? What a feckin’ world. 

[mchookem 16336]

[Longhorn_Fan68 33871]

1 hour ago, mchookem said:

I've never met you IRL (afaik), but this is how i picture you. You've reached meme status and i love it 🤣

Edited February 28, 2023 by Longhorn_Fan68

[mchookem 16336]

[Bama Chick 28596]

After Trump got elected why are we arguing whether Pete’s qualified enough to be elected President?

Because that frivolous kind of stuff doesn’t matter to GQP voters.

It matters - for now - for Democratic voters.

Pete still sucks. I’ll never forgive him for his snarky comments about guns in the primary debate after El Paso.

[WhatTheBuck 28783]

If you can’t be just exactly perfect in every little thing you do all of the time, Democratic voters will turn on you. You can be a totally worthless piece of shit all of the time and Republican voters don’t give a damn as long as you’ve got that “R” next to your name on the ballot.

Does that about sum it up?

[tchookem 3900]

If you can’t be just exactly perfect in every little thing you do all of the time, Democratic voters will turn on you. You can be a totally worthless piece of shit all of the time and Republican voters don’t give a damn as long as you’ve got that “R” next to your name on the ballot.
Does that about sum it up?

The Accountability Paradox

[henrygandorf 29191]

1 hour ago, WhatTheBuck said:

If you can’t be just exactly perfect in every little thing you do all of the time, Democratic voters will turn on you. You can be a totally worthless piece of shit all of the time and Republican voters don’t give a damn as long as you’ve got that “R” next to your name on the ballot.

Does that about sum it up?

i have no notes.

[Bullneck 19099]

Maybe we need a "Things not going well for Norfolk Southern" thread.

https://fb.watch/j4O05Mj5EL/

 

[Bullneck 19099]

 

 

[Nivek 16933]

On 2/27/2023 at 8:14 PM, Mrs Whiggins said:

The party that not only endorsed a multiple personality mentally ill candidate from Georgia for Senator but refused and continues to refuse to call out a congressman who is a confirmed liar on so many levels I’ve lost count and we’re questioning whether a military veteran has enough bonafides and charisma to consider a presidential run? What a feckin’ world. 

Because they don't give a shit about the country or anything else but grabbing power, staying in power and giving public money to their constituents. 

[Incredulity 11675]

obligatory