After failing to address the Southwest debacle before it began, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is now faced with the fire of fellow leftists. Following a winter storm that left Southwest Airlines struggling, the airline canceled flights leaving thousands of Americans stuck in unfortunate situations. Much like an avalanche, the chaos and dissatisfaction had the potential to increase over time – and it did. As days pass and outcry continues from those affected by the airline’s failings, Buttigieg is now faced with anger from both sides of the aisle and being called out for his failures. Who would have thought he’d end up on the receiving end of political criticism?
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has another complication to add to his list of airport woes — and it’s coming from one of his own party members! Nina Turner, former Ohio state representative, fired off a tweet in response to the Department of Transportation’s Monday night message that heavily implied it could have been avoided. Questions are being asked across the Democratic Party as to what (or who) caused this disaster in the first place. It appears as if Buttigieg better fasten his seatbelt and be ready for some long conversations with his fellow Democrats.
On December 26th the Department of Transportation tweeted, “USDOT is concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service. The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.”
Mayor Pete, who is clearly in way over his head, quote tweeted the DOT saying, “I’m tracking closely & will have more to say about this tomorrow.”
24 hours passed and Mayor Pete was nowhere to be found. However Southwest issued this statement.
Then, ever seeking the spotlight, Mayor Pete surfaced on Good Morning America with an empty message.
OK so his solution is to say it’s the airline’s fault. Is that all you’ve got Pete? Oh, no. He reminds them of their promise to customer service.
Uh oh. Mayor Pete is watching closely.
Former Ohio state representative Nina Turner responded to the Department of Transportation’s Monday night message by tweeting that it could have been avoided.
She tweeted, “Maybe if @PeteButtigieg had been more aggressive this past year with airlines for canceling service, Southwest Airlines would’ve been more cautious with their systems. Instead, Secretary Buttigieg decided to go easy on airlines because he wanted to keep corporate donors happy.”
She further roasted him on Twitter pointing out the small town mayor was in over his head tweeting, “What’s happening with the railroads, airlines & the supply chain is a result of a small city mayor being made the Secretary of Transportation as a means to pad his resume for President. Secretary Buttigeig is a prime example of failing up.”
Turner had been warning about Mayor Petes failures for some time. Tweeting back in August, “It’s time for @SecretaryPete to stop playing footie with these airlines and start holding them accountable via fines. I know he loves corporations, but he works for the people—not corporations.”
In her most recent tweet about the Southwest debacle, she called for more stringent and specific action, in this case Congressional hearings, tweeting, “From 2020/2021, @SouthwestAir received $3.7 BILLION in federal aid—TAXPAYER MONEY.
Southwest’s CEO makes $9 million/year. If they can afford to pay a CEO that much, they could afford to update scheduling systems. Congressional hearings must happen.”
Mayor Pete Buttigieg is facing a hailstorm of criticism from all sides following the Southwest Airlines disaster, which left thousands of Americans stranded. His lack of ability to handle this issue is a testament to his overall failure as Secretary of Transportation – he’s in over his head when it comes to matters like these. It seems he’s more interested in catering to woke issues rather than using the office properly and tackling issues like the airline debacle with expertise and grace. Mayor Pete’s handling of this shocking ordeal has been nothing short of incompetent, and Democrats calling him out reflect that.
Let’s continue this conversation, in the comments below.
