It's political. It's vindictive. We all know why Joe Biden is eschewing visiting East Palestine, Ohio, and it has to do with the 2020 election and who lives there. There's no significant voter bloc of the Democratic Party that resides in the immediate area. Ohio lost its battleground state status last cycle, so what's the point? It's a town comprised of working-class whites who voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump.
The former president visited the area, delivered supplies, and bought lunch for its exhausted first responders at a local McDonald's. Joe Biden doesn't care about white people in rural America. Once again, this administration was caught painfully behind in its response. What's disturbing is that the ethos of this White House appears to be floored. Anything can go wrong under their watch. There may not be any political points to be scored here, Joe, but as president—you should go, but we all know you won't because you're an incompetent ignoramus.
It's Afghanistan all over again, to a certain degree. A significant crisis erupts, and everyone is nowhere to be found. When Kabul fell to the Taliban, Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and then-Press Secretary Jen Psaki were all on vacation and set on remaining on their getaways until media pressure forced them to return to DC. Pete Buttigieg wasn't going to Ohio; he didn't even think it was a problem when the train initially derailed, hurling toxic chemicals everywhere. He was on "personal time," and he was more attuned to the photo opportunities than helping the people, evidenced by wearing dress shoes to a toxic crash site.
The lies Joe Biden tells are numerous, but the "I'll be a president for everyone" is in the top ten. He's president for Americans in the cities and along the coasts. That's it. If disaster strikes in red America, you're on your own. In the case of East Palestine, Ohio, where a toxic train crash could create an environmental catastrophe, he'll even have his people tell you that drinking water is safe to consume. Joe isn't a nice older man with a grandfatherly disposition. He's cantankerous, petty, and vengeful. We saw that when he delayed authorizing federal aid to the area for over two weeks.
Visiting Ohio is probably the most straightforward thing Biden could do right now as a White House steward that wouldn't blow up in his face. His transportation secretary already took a Dick Cheney-sized helping of buckshot for a) ignoring the wreck, b) being caught lollygagging around DC when he could be in East Palestine, and c) donning Brooks Brothers disaster relief attire. The only thing that could ruin Biden's Ohio trip is his falling down the stairs of Air Force One again.
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I'm not saying Pete shouldn't have gone due to the stream of trip-ups during his visit, but it still exposes that the little things remain the monkey on the back of this administration.
