Commentator and nepo baby Meghan McCain is “repulsed” that more politicians “especially our President and @PeteButtigieg haven’t gone to visit and bring attention to the ecological disaster in Palestine, Ohio.”
I can’t express how disappointed and repulsed I am that more politicians – especially our President and @PeteButtigieg haven’t gone to visit and bring attention to the ecological disaster in Palestine, Ohio.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 22, 2023
Why? I don’t understand? Because they’re low income Trump voters?
Talking to George Stephanopoulos, Transportation Secretary Buttigieg responded to being a no-show in East Palestine so far by saying he planned to go, that “our folks were on the ground from the first hours,” while also making sure to say that the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) “needs to be able to do its work independently.”
[Note: The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency “responsible for civil transportation accident investigation.”]
But McCain called that a “chicken s*#t” answer from Buttigieg, speculating that “children could be getting cancer from this environmental disaster.”
Then as the daughter of the late long-serving Senator John McCain, she hit the political optics nail on the head, writing: “Half of leadership is just showing up to show you people you care.”
I can’t express how disappointed and repulsed I am that more politicians – especially our President and @PeteButtigieg haven’t gone to visit and bring attention to the ecological disaster in Palestine, Ohio.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 22, 2023
Why? I don’t understand? Because they’re low income Trump voters?
The criticism is not one-sided or strictly partisan, with Bloomberg publishing an article with the subhead: Buttigieg Bashing Over Response to Crash Turns Bipartisan.
Indeed, the administration has heard criticism from all areas of the political spectrum on the train derailment problem. McCain’s fellow daytime talk show veteran — and Democrat — Rosie O’Donnell also wondered about what she saw as an insufficient response.
McCain asks why there isn’t more urgency: “Why? I don’t understand? Because they’re low income Trump voters?” The population of East Palestine is just 4700+ citizens, but the effects of the toxic spill quick spread far beyond the 299th most populated Ohio city — to voters of various persuasions and income levels.
Professor Aviva Vincent at Syracuse University, addressing the current and future impact of the derailment, reported on February 20: “The toxins have already reached the Ohio River which flows through six states and serves as a source of drinking water. Over 3,500 fish have died, livestock that graze the lands have died or been moved out of state. The human toll will include the environmental, economic, social, and personal impact. Evacuated residents were given ‘permission’ to return home days after the event though it is still not safe to do so.”
