The NY Times has really outdone themselves with this one. It’s actually, surprisingly, not a big hit piece on either Vance or Donald Trump. There are mild shots at raaaaacism, of course
East Palestine Crisis Tests a Trump-Backed Senator
As Donald J. Trump criticized the federal response to the train derailment that has shaken this Ohio town, there was one leader in Washington he praised repeatedly — the man he helped propel to Congress, Senator J.D. Vance.
“J.D. Vance has been incredible,” Mr. Trump told reporters and local officials on Wednesday at an East Palestine firehouse, as Mr. Vance stood behind him.
Well, yeah. Trump was handing out food and water, while Biden was nowhere to be seen. And Mayor Pete just whined
While a fight brews between Democrats and Republicans over the role of the federal government in the derailment’s aftermath, Mr. Vance, 38, has been at the center of it all. Some of his actions have been the conventional response of any seasoned politician. He has drafted letters calling on federal officials for more oversight and met with some of the residents most affected by the derailment and chemical spill. But he also has joined far-right Republican figures in depicting the deep-red village in northeastern Ohio as a forgotten place, taking a page from Mr. Trump’s grievance-politics playbook.
“I grew up in a town that was neglected by the national media and was affected by a lot of dumb policies,” Mr. Vance said in a brief interview, as he briskly left the firehouse on Wednesday. “I worry that unless we keep the pressure on the federal policymakers and the corporations that caused this problem, a lot of people are going to be forgotten and left behind.”
Yeah, and the media and Biden administration mostly ignored the East Palestine train derailment, where they estimate that 43,000 fish and animals were killed off quickly, and people are complaining about headaches and other issues.
In a red state that Mr. Trump won in both 2016 and 2020, many residents in East Palestine and its surrounding towns were not following the national back-and-forth over the government response as they worried about the potential effects of the spill. But they had followed Mr. Vance’s attempts to bring attention to their plight on local media outlets and approved of his handling of the crisis, even as some said there was more work to be done.
See, the interesting part here is that you have JD bringing attention, while the Biden admin ignored the disaster for as long as they could, and when they were forced to reply they simply attempted to Blame Trump. But, way down in this article we learn
He said later that he believed Mr. Trump’s presence would help keep the pressure on federal officials to take action. Asked about criticism from the White House on the Republican opposition to rail safety measures, Mr. Vance said attempts to politicize the issue would not help East Palestine residents. According to the website PolitiFact, a rail safety rule repealed as part of a broad regulatory rollback under the Trump administration would have had no impact on the East Palestine derailment.
Why is this not top news? And this
(Breitbart) During an interview aired on Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that while electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes would make things safer, when it comes to the East Palestine, Ohio derailment, “even with ECP brakes, the derailment would have occurred, the fire would have ensued, and the five vinyl chloride tank cars would still have to be vented and burned.” And, at best, they possibly could have “reduced damage where a couple of cars could have remained on the tracks,” but modeling still needs to be done to determine this.
Hmm, so the whole line about it being Trump’s fault are mule fritters. Meanwhile, Mayor Pete’s allies are saying that he’s taking a bullet for Biden on this, “taking an unfair pounding.” Well, yeah, Biden went to Ukraine, but, not Ohio. And Pete didn’t have any intention of going to Ohio till Trump announced he was going. And, what job does Pete hold?
I asked Sec. Buttigieg why it took him almost 3 weeks to come and speak to residents of East Palestine.
His press Secretary then told me I was aggressive for trying to ask questions on camera: pic.twitter.com/bOB52DIq0O
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) February 23, 2023
Read: East Palestine A Test For Trump Backed JD Vance Or Something »
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