Joe Biden dug himself a hole on Saturday that will be very difficult to get out from under.
Biden claimed he is too busy to get to East Palestine right now, seven months after the train derailment.
While the media still does not push back, residents of East Palestine are not happy, nor are most Americans.
On February 3, the nation was horrified when it saw the pictures from East Palestine, OH, where a train carrying dangerous chemicals derailed.
Plumes of smoke could be seen for miles, and we all just knew this was the beginning of very bad things for the local community.
Over and above the spill, the Biden administration’s response seemed poor, especially in terms of top officials heading to the site to personally assess the damage caused by the toxic spill.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg did not arrive on the scene until February 23, and Joe Biden has yet to visit the city.
On Saturday, while visiting Florida to check out the storm damage, Biden stated:
“I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine. There’s a lot going on here, and I just haven’t been able to break. I was thinking about I’d go to East Palestine this week but then I was reminded I’ve gotta go literally around the world.
“I’m going from, from Washington to India to Vietnam to — and so it’s gonna be awhile but we’re making sure that East Palestine has what they need materially in order to deal with their problems.”
BIDEN: “I haven’t had the occasion to go to East Palestine. There’s a lot going on.” pic.twitter.com/YfQAt7DoYK
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 3, 2023
Joe Biden just came off back-to-back vacations of 10 days each, while also going to Delaware almost every weekend, yet he is telling residents of East Palestine that he has not had the opportunity to visit their city to see the damage in person.
How can any journalist consider themselves a journalist without throwing the fact that Biden has spent 40 percent of his time in office on vacation right back at him when he says something like that?
I honestly have no idea how the man makes these claims with a straight face.
First and foremost, the residents of East Palestine are NOT okay…
Residents were specifically pointing to the idea that Biden has found time for vacation, but not them.
DJ Yokley stated, "I guess it’s tough, right? To be on vacation all that time and be that busy.
"I don't think any American actively wants to root against the president. I think that's like rooting against your favorite football team because you don't like the quarterback… "
He continued: "This guy has actively not shown any compassion or moral value to anything. Emotionally, physically, he hasn’t shown up, and there’s been no help for us economically or with our residents.
"It’s really frustrating to see him go and say he’s too busy for people that literally put him in the office."
Resident Jami Wallace, who is also the president of the Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment, touched on the most important thing being overlooked here… the people.
Wallace stated, "Everyone is focused on the economic recovery, the businesses, putting in a new park, but nobody is focused on the residents. We are here. We are still sick. We do have unmet needs."
Wallace continued, "This is about human lives. At this point, I don’t even care if Biden comes. He’s already insulted us. If he comes now, it will only be because he feels forced to come, which is not going to be genuine. Just get us federal support. Get us help. We’re not OK."
This is, in one word, unforgivable.
First, Buttigieg should have had boots on the ground that day, period. It should have been his first and only priority, not having dinner with his husband and enjoying his “personal” time.
Second, as soon as it was deemed safe to be on the ground, Biden needed to show his face because that is what a president is supposed to do.
This is about empathy, period, and showing the people of a very small town in America that you care about them.
There is also something to be said for seeing the devastation in person so you know just how much this has impacted the local community, something pictures and video just cannot do.
I can tell you from personal experience, that seeing is believing.
When Sandy hit, I lived in a small shore community called Sea Isle City in New Jersey. When you come back on the island and see logs that weigh about 100 pounds that were in your neighbor’s yard and see them four blocks away, or water lines that are in a garage that are six feet high, well, you start to begin to understand what really happened.
Joe Biden needed to see that devastation, to smell the burning aftermath, and to see the pools of chemicals in local creeks… but he just does not have the time. Why? Because it would interfere with his downtime, something this administration seems to take very seriously.
