“Mayor” Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary has a solution to stave off summer travel woes and he shared it with airline executives this week. But its timeliness is in question.
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com.
If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today.
Sec. Buttigieg Meets With Airline Executives
Following an abysmal unofficial start to summer on Memorial Day weekend, the Department of Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, called a meeting with airline executives to address transportation woes in the world’s largest air travel market. In essence, he asked them to curtail their “ambitious” summer schedules to limit cancellations.
“The secretary asked airlines what steps they were taking to ensure that disruptions that occurred over Memorial Day weren’t repeated during July 4 weekend and the rest of the summer, the person said. Buttigieg also pushed airlines to improve customer service so that passengers can rebook quickly, the person said, describing the call as “productive and collaborative.”
“The Thursday meeting came after Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) earlier this month wrote to U.S. airlines’ industry group, Airlines for America, pressing for more information about disruptions over Memorial Day weekend.” – CNBC
The meeting took place on June 16th, 2022.
Timely Solution
Meeting with airline executives halfway through June to address summer travel concerns seems like a shockingly late time to address the challenges. There’s last minute and then there’s whatever this is. The horse has very much already left the barn. Though there is still time to repair issues before the July 4th holiday, it’s fairly short, and fewer flights isn’t the answer.
The summer is already in full swing. Passengers and airlines have booked well through August. Changes now would adversely affect both passengers and carriers whereas asking airlines to reduce their schedules for fall and winter would allow both parties to plan better for the new schedule.
It also comes late from a perspective that the airlines holding 52.4% of the US domestic market share (based on full 2021 numbers) already trimmed their schedules: Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, SkyWest, Southwest, and Spirit. That excludes the long-haul pullback American Airlines already exercised due to fleet limitations (waiting on 787s) and market adjustments (Hong Kong, Asia schedule reductions.) The proposed solution is for all airlines to reduce their schedules including the ones that have already taken that measure. Sounds fair and well reasoned.
A Better Plan
I had such high hopes for the Secretary in this role. Without getting too political, I had confidence that “Mayor Pete” could affect real change when President Biden appointed the Rhodes Scholar, a Harvard University graduate that spent years as an officer in the Navy Reserve. I, for one, could forgive him for not doing more based on the challenges he faced when he came into office including (but not limited to):
- COVID restrictions, and moving targets
- The travel industry turned upside down
- Supply chain woes
- A trucker strike
- Record oil prices
- Inflation distressing the market further
That said, there are other options rather than waiting until summer flights are scheduled and booked by passengers to suggest a lighter flight load. One concept is that he could endorse an adjustment to the mandatory retirement age for pilots. That would provide some immediate relief though it would take an act of Congress to enact. A recommendation from the Secretary for a moratorium on the rule endorsed by the FAA that reports to Buttigieg’s DOT could go a long way to alleviating some of the current stress levels.
The Secretary might also consider strengthening the rules of passenger protections which may force airlines to behave differently. By advancing policy changes and orders that allow for similar protections to those of European counterparts, airlines would have to deliver transportation services better.
The Department could also address things like resort fees and their blatant disregard for the rules around marketing the price of hotel rooms. That would have a material effect on travelers during this busy season and while it may not solve air traffic woes, it would ease some of the financial burdens that have compounded a frustrating peak travel season.
The senators that requested airline executives sit down with the Secretary likely have more power to effect change on the matter anyway. After all, a bill from Congress that enacts penalties for airlines, or could create a passenger bill of rights would do more to improve passenger experience than a frank conversation with the Secretary.
Conclusion
Sec. Buttigieg is attempting to do something about the current issues plaguing the busy peak travel season but asking airlines who have already cut their schedule to cut further is unreasonable. To ask for those changes while already well into the summer is even more absurd. I would rather that the DOT did something about the current flawed state of affairs. But I don’t think it’s fair to ask airlines facing ever-climbing costs, chiefly among them fuel, to forego potential profit and shoulder the customer service issues. That said, the government does have levers left to pull that will serve its ends yet it hasn’t or won’t pull them.
What do you think? Was the meeting between Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, and the airlines too late? Should the airlines scale back operations? If so, what about those that already have?
I don’t know how the mandatory retirement age for pilots rule came to be, but if it’s an FAA rule, then Buttigieg should be able to repeal it himself, so long as he follows correct administrative procedure. I haven’t looked closely, but I imagine that the sort of rules you are suggesting seem to be well within the authority of the DoT to address without Congress having to get involved. That’s why we have the regulatory state in the first place. They have the nimbleness and expertise to address these situations as they arise, unlike Congress which lacks that expertise and is bogged down by anti-democratic and frankly unconstitutional procedural requirements like the filibuster in the Senate.
Tell me you don’t know how our government works without actually telling me
Tell me you think you know how our government works without actually knowing how it works…
To the extent I got anything wrong it’s because I don’t know specifics about the DoT and where they have gotten involved and where Congress has gotten involved on the specific issues, I can’t speak authoritatively as to where DoT can act and where Congress would get involved. On the other hand most of the things Kyle suggested would seem to be within the purview of the DoT based on my brief review of the mandate Congress gave them and the executive agencies they oversee/would also be the sort of things Congress would give authority to the agency to address.
I also should have been more clear when I said that the filibuster was unconstitutional. There’s nothing in the Constitution preventing a filibuster, but if you want to interpret the Constitution from an originalist perspective there’s no way to justify a filibuster. During the Constitutional Convention and in the Federalist Papers, the idea of a supermajority requirement in the Senate was brought up many times and ultimately the Founders rejected that many times except when it came to impeachment and treaties.
@Chasgoose – Just speaking to the constitutionality of it, CFR 14 399.88 was a policy that DOT implemented forcing airlines to honor mistake fares. They also rescinded enforcement of that rule (without ever removing the original rule) making it essentially toothless. If the DOT wanted to act unilaterally they could likely affect a great number of manners by which the airlines conduct themselves and their relationship with passengers. It could enforce a penalty for a late cancellation, it could require airlines to prove that all stated benefits were received or grant a total refund (no pre-departure drink? Refund a full freight first class ticket) to get the airlines to comply with running a better business.
I’m not sure where the lines are with some of these items, which is why I will yield to those who know the proper procedure. The mistake fares issue, to me, seemed to be more in the realm of FTC than DOT because it’s about the marketing and sale of a good or service; that is to say that if the FTC would require a grocery store that misprints “Watermelon 0.89¢/pound” instead of “Watermelon $0.89/per pound” then it should also apply to airfare. The reason I bring mistake fares into the discussion and this example of where the FTC would come into the picture is simply because the DOT has been allowed wide-sweeping range in how it governs travel. So, in practice, it would seem that Sec. Buttigieg actually has a significant amount of practical power should he choose to wield it. Asking the airlines to cancel flights so that they don’t have to later cancel flights is not a skilled manner by which to manage this problem.
If he wasn’t a homosexual he would be another nobody politician that would never progress pass local office.
When a gay man with power corners the airline CEO’s in a room and wields a mini baseball bat that is 12 inches long and 1 inch across, the CEO’s sphincters constricted and worried.
Completely appropriate. /s
Thanks for letting us know you have homophobic views.
It’s more likely that he has homosexual views, but is so freaked out by it that he has to bash gays to try to cover it up… Same with everyone else making gay jokes in here… sorry fellas, you’ll feel better if you come to grips with your homosexuality
I don’t think I’ve ever done this before, but Mayor Pete reminds me of my son Hunter…to me it’s the highest compliment I can give any man or woman.
He doesn’t remind you of your other children…oh wait they’re dead and it would be in poor taste to mention them.
Mayor Pete demonstrates – yet again – what happens when people fail upwards. Completely unprepared for (and uninterested in) this job.
Agreed. Being elected mayor of a small run down Midwest city is not adequate prep for managing a cabinet department. He has done nothing particularly memorable.
If government wants to do something useful it could implement passenger protection regulations similar to EU. Then promote usage of secondary airports (thru tax breaks etc) to reduce the ATC overcrowding at large hub airports.
And yet, someone with zero political experience was somehow elected as president. Go figure.
Exactly right. They call it the Peter prinicipal in Government. They can’t get rid of you so you get promoted up as a way to get rid of you. Quite pathetic really. There is a reason we don’t have our best and brightest in Government.
Instead we get guys like Pete the unqualified to lead the way.
It’s really, really profitable to be gay nowadays. You are essentially untouchable. To all new graduates, forget going west and definitely forget plastics. I have one word for you “gay”. Become gay or pretend to be gay. You will get hired more easily and everyone will try to hold onto you to meet their diversity quota. I think pretty soon the word will change to “trans”. Be ready.
Anyway buttigieg is incompetent. Always reactive.
and it’s a protected class anyone can join at any time.
All you have to say is “I’m gay” and you’re the most protected victim in the world.
Trying to like this comment a lot.
LOL, got such a kick out of the author admitting he had high hopes for Mayor Pete. What a dunce; both of them.
I can’t decide what is more asinine, you or your idiotic comments.
Like all of our self-identified elites, he has an impressive resume, but sadly none of those credentials have much meaning anymore. Any sign that they still signal intelligence and competence has been squandered away the last 30 years or so. He should go back on maternity leave and we would all be better off.
I think there is still room for some better planning out of the summer plans.
This week I am scheduled to fly on a United flight that was cancelled 5 out of 7 days last week and has a 50% cancellation rate since it launched earlier this month.
Is United still selling tickets for this flight? Absolutely.
Is United warning people shopping for a flight today that they’re buying a flight that likely won’t even happen? Absolutely not.
Is United helping already booked passengers transition to more reliable routes? Nope.
This kind of decision making and utter disregard for the well being of their customers is what prompted members of Congress to approach Buttigieg about meeting with airline leadership.
A year ago I had a bad experience with a flight that I later found out was either cancelled or delayed more than 2 hours 75% of the time. The airline knows this, but it sells the flight with no warning to the consumer that the most likely outcome of buying the ticket is that you’ll have a problem.
I’d like to see regulations that require flights with a significantly higher than average cancellation or major delay rate to be clearly labelled as “unreliable” at the time of purchase so that the consumer can choose to avoid this type of flight if desired.
What city is this? Is it an express flight? I’ve basically stopped booking anything on an RJ now regardless of the carrier if I can help it. I’d rather drive 3hrs to a major airport than risk being stuck someplace.
BNA-EWR
@Mr Marcus
You’re booked on a flight that cancelled 5 days out of 7 AND
has a 50-per cent cancellation rate
Yet
You’re questioning Uniteds’ decision- making….
Hmmmmm
I booked it several months ago, before the route launched so there was no data on its performance.
I have done everything I can think of to do in order to change my flight, but it’s a married segment. UA won’t let me change it.
When did you book? 1995? EWR to BNA has been around for a long time. I flew that on an erj in March….
Right now, there are generally 6-8 scheduled nonstops daily from BNA-EWR, depending on the day. But you’ll be surprised to find out that the flight schedule has not been held constant since 1995. The times of departure change over time, as does the number of flights based on demand and other factors.
The specific departure time that I had booked months ago (now cancelled) started up on June 3rd.
i hope your generation someday learns that paper “credentials” are a joke. in fact they usually indicate lack of any real skills or talent. the airline industry is one of the most complex arenas – the executives at the airlines – as faulted as they are – have years of hands on experience in the trenches battling to make a profit. can you imagine how they must just laugh at lightweight know-nothing pete – when he starts ordering them around?
How many times have the airlines been bailed out by the government? Yes the airline execs are very experienced… at begging for money. In no way should they be laughing anyone that has suggestions for them
Am I wrong in thinking that both AA and UA have gone bankrupt in the past 30 years? And of the major airlines that haven’t defaulted, all of them needed a bailout in the pandemic, because of course no one would have ever imagined that a pandemic was possible.
Not just the pandemic, they also got billions after 9/11 because they didn’t think cockpits were worth properly securing.
Cancel all flights to small cities. Want to live in the middle of nowhere? Then you can drive
@William Robert – Wouldn’t replacing American’s four frequencies between New York LaGuardia and Chicago between 6AM and 9:30AM (three 737-800s and an A319) with a 777 or even a pair of them free up the same amount of passengers as cancelling a pair of smaller cities? The desert is filled with 767s/757s and for American who expected to have 787s to fly, they’d have qualified pilots to run those routes and free up some smaller aircraft to run on less frequent and smaller demand markets.
I find it a little rich to suggest that smaller markets that remain profitable should lose service to make sure that big cities that could support larger aircraft and a schedule reduction, shouldn’t have to face such an inconvenience.
If the try to fly a 777 to LGA I’ll be sure to be far away from that flight!
@William Robert – Fair enough. Let’s look instead at JetBlue from LaGuardia to Boston from 6AM-Noon on 6/20/22 with (6) flights each with 100 seats on E-190s. That’s 600 seats, that could be replaced by (3) A321 non-Mint flights and free up more aircraft and pilots. You can look to small communities that have little traffic as the cause, but high traffic/high frequency markets could be done more efficiently too – it would just require less than hourly shuttle service. Why isn’t that on the table?
Hourly shuttles are great for business travelers. If you have a meeting that runs long you don’t have to wait 4 hours for the next flight, and if you are done early you can fly back a little early. Maybe that’s a luxury that people can without… but I fly the Chicago to LGA route on occasion and Southwest only having a few flights a days pretty much eliminates them from getting my business on the route, even though MDW is more convenient to me.
Then an airline (sadly, unnamed in VFTW) canceled his flight the next day. Touche!
We are well into summer, and unfortunately dealing with an over whelmed administration that seems unable to do anything that solves problems and helps the country. The Secretary is totally ill equipped to solve anything, except for his bike tire pressure…..
Great that he’s back from paternal leave and part of the oh-so-effective current administration.
He didn’t seem to give a crap until his own DC-NYC flights got canceled and he had to drive. He should have just driven it, to begin with. Now he wants to force airlines to do stuff. Wow. He is clueless and only got his job due to sexual choice and being a runner-up.
“…sexual choice…”
It ain’t a “choice.”
Fool.
I vote to make the VP “airline and travel czar”. Kamala has lots of experience flying to Los Angeles as Border Czar and to Paris for cookware shopping under the guise of meetings. However, the results from her border leadership do not lend any confidence. However, the cookware shopping went really well, lol.
David M too funny but so true! Why would being a Rhodes Scholar and Harvard grad make one think he could run the DOT!He might be book smart ???He could not run a small city as Mayor so?? So no real experience running anything then ? DOT crazy! He also needed 6 months off for maternity leave making No one running the DOT just like no one running our country!( to the ground )
I seem the remember the Airline industry was an “essential service” when covid arrived, and was given a PPP handout of $1M per employee…… and now this mess !. I suggest the government demand it’s money back, and the first source of the cash to be a claw back of the executive salaries of the last couple of years. I hope Pete B. is reading this.
everyone in the biden admin is there because of their gender, race or sexual fetish.
Unlike the last admin where everyone was there because they donated to trump.
America’s changing demographics must terrify you.
I find this entire post – and the comments – a sad reflection on our nation today. I also believe that, while Kyle did not outright destroy Pete B, he knowingly opened the door for what would turn into homophobic and nasty accusations that are based on little understanding of the complexity of the job during an unprecedented set of circumstances in this country. Further, as the writer of this piece, it should be his job to also reply to those homophobic comments and condemn them. The fact that he has not is rather telling.
in fact, while deserving of some criticism in certain areas (who isn’t) experts in the transportation fields have given Pete pretty high marks overall. He was instrumental in helping the administration get the infrastructure bill passed, not only passed, but assuring that areas within his watch were going to be properly funded for improvements. This was a year long process of back and forth to see a monumental bill pushed through and supported on both sides of the aisle.
During this time, Pete also was faced with an inherited problem that is not any fault of his, or that any person, regardless of their background, could solve with a flick of a finger. The supply chain, shipping issues, and trucking backlogs were not a result of any policies or mistakes, this is all a product of the mess created by Covid, China, and unprecedented demand in the U.S. for new items. In fact, Mayor Pete worked with Biden to implement 24/7 offloading of containers (which has greatly reduced the backlogs we saw last year) and is working to ease some of the trucking laws that limit hours and pay to get these items moving faster around the country. Do keep in mind that all of these things were happening before Biden took office. I am not saying these were a result of Trump and mismanagement, I actually think Chao was a competent Secretary prior. It’s simply that no one could control the avalanche that Covid would cause industries and transport across the world and that coincided with the unexpected demand of consumers.
As to the airlines, I find it so interesting that most here seem to peg the bailouts etc as to a Biden move. In fact, the majority of the money just thrown at airlines willy nilly was a product of the Trump administration which pushed mightily the $25B they received from the American taxpayer. With that, this deal was full of loopholes that allowed them to not do as they were supposed to, keep employees paid and on the job so as to be ready to come back right away as flights started ramping up again. We are really seeing now how Americans were basically raped by the airlines with the result being that they are now begging for patience as they completely melt down on a daily basis. If anything, the poor management of the bailout by the Trump administration in assuring the airlines would do just what they were meant to directly led us down the path we are on now. And left a mess for Biden and Pete to deal with.
I will agree with Kyle that there are a few solutions that could potentially help as far as the pilots are concerned. Raising the retirement age two more years could certainly help. However, we have no idea how many pilots would want to stay on. Given the state of the industry I imagine many just want out and take their retirement as planned. As well, I am not sure exactly how this could get changed and if it is as easy as we might imagine. And yes, airlines choosing frequency by using RJ’s is another factor. There is no reason, as an example, that you need as many flights a day from IAH to DCA with half being on RJ’s. Eliminate two of those flghts and replace it with one on a mainline jet. Simple.
With that, pilots will not solve the entire problem, nor are they the only reason for this mess. As we see in the EU, where there is not a pilot shortage, the situation is also being greatly affected by ground workers, security staff, etc. Covid and the difficulty in finding and hiring new staff is at the root of the problem there. I personally think the solution is right there in front of us, follow the path of Australia. They have proven that we do NOT need ID checks at security. It’s had a great impact in mostly keeping their airports drama free as of late (with just a few exceptions of some issues on holidays). Imagine in the U.S. how this would ease a lot of congestion and problems at airports.
As to the homophobic comments here, I find them to be disgusting and am shocked at how juvenile and nasty they are. Calling this a “sexual fetish” is truly one of the most idiotic and dangerous things I have ever seen in the comments here. And has no place in America today. I say this as a heterosexual man who believes firmly that love is love. Period. Many of you should be ashamed, and the writer of this piece should, as well, make it clear that the intent of this post was not to generate hate based comments and is not reflective of their editorial purpose. Otherwise we are left to assume the other.
“while Kyle did not outright destroy Pete B, he knowingly opened the door for what would turn into homophobic and nasty accusations that are based on little understanding of the complexity of the job during an unprecedented set of circumstances in this country. Further, as the writer of this piece, it should be his job to also reply to those homophobic comments and condemn them. The fact that he has not is rather telling.”
This.
@Stuart – Addressing your comment, let me first look at this:
“I also believe that, while Kyle did not outright destroy Pete B, he knowingly opened the door for what would turn into homophobic and nasty accusations that are based on little understanding of the complexity of the job during an unprecedented set of circumstances in this country. Further, as the writer of this piece, it should be his job to also reply to those homophobic comments and condemn them. The fact that he has not is rather telling.”
That’s not a fair statement. First, because I was very effusive about the Secretary, citing his education, accolades, and experience and that I had very high hopes for him. You mention the unprecedented circumstances and I said, “I, for one, could forgive him for not doing more based on the challenges he faced when he came into office including (but not limited to):
• COVID restrictions, and moving targets
• The travel industry turned upside down
• Supply chain woes
• A trucker strike
• Record oil prices
• Inflation distressing the market further”
While you say that I “opened the door for what would turn into homophobic and nasty accusations” I didn’t mention his sexuality at all. It’s a non-factor for me. He did or did not do his job and I don’t care what he does in the bedroom. He’s an employee like any other and it’s not my business. I run businesses whereby I employ those who are openly LGBTQ+ and I have hired them solely because of their abilities, not their sexuality.
What you’re asking me to do: “Further, as the writer of this piece, it should be his job to also reply to those homophobic comments and condemn them. The fact that he has not is rather telling” is to shut down comments that bring in this unnecessary personal critique. We have a comments policy here at LALF that provide for us to shut down personal attacks, or those that have nothing to do with the argument. You could argue that many of these comments qualify.
My reason for not shutting them down is really, really simple. We try and promote free speech, and these qualify there. But that’s not enough. Rather than edit them all or delete them, I’d rather show how stupid and irrelevant those comments are. If I sanitize these comments, there is also no redress. I welcome redress on these comments and believe that a lack of criticism of the quality or lack therein with which the DOT has been managed should be the heart of the issue. When a commenter makes a statement that the election was fraudulent, I am inclined to let that stand so others can address it. If I delete it, no redress occurs.
I will be unequivocally clear right here, right now: I don’t personally think that his sexuality is relevant to his job performance. He’s been clear about his life, fatherhood, and marriage. By being open (as he should) and running for offices or accepting high-placed roles (in this case, Cabinet-level) he also knows these comments will come in. I think they should be laid bare for what they are and attacked for their lack of value. Had someone called him a pedophile, rapist, murderer, or any other unqualified accusation – that would go. If someone wants to display that they don’t care about the issues at hand, just attack the person because of who they love or how they live, I’m inclined to allow them to do that. Want to swim with sharks? Show them what happens.
But to suggest that I in some way incited any of this is false, and frankly, beneath you.
@Kyle. First, who asked you to delete the comments? I certainly didn’t and believe they should remain so as to properly understand the positions of some of your readers, and to better know how backwards many of them are. My point was that you did not once make a statement as to these comments and to defend the childish attacks on his sexuality. This is your piece, if there are hate comments that result it’s your responsibility to assure the majority of your readers that you don’t condone or support it. Otherwise we will assume you do.
And I call BS on the rest. You knew full well what you were doing in this post. Saying you had hopes for him is not enough. Did you talk about the things he has accomplished (assisting Biden to get the biggest infrastructure bill in recent years passed?). You do realize there is only so much he can do in a toxic and divided Washington? He has worked on all the issues you mentioned and actually made progress with container logjams at ports etc. Did you criticize Chao prior for accomplishing very similar or less while working under fairly easy times until her last 12 months? Seriously, there is only so much a Transportation Secretary can do in divided Washington these days.
You are clearly letting your very conservative leanings influence a passive/aggressive post that was meant to rile people up and make the Biden administration look inept and uncaring. And you knew full well where it would lead, especially given the many hateful right wing readers that frequent this blog. In contrast I don’t think in your case it was beneath you. I think it’s exactly who and what you are.
“We try and promote free speech”
Hate speech too.
@Aaron – Can you identify where we promote hate speech? I’m not for hate speech, I certainly don’t want to promote it. I’m not censoring your defense of the Secretary and condemnation of comments about it just as I am not censoring their right to say what they want to say even if I don’t agree with it. I didn’t write anything that even mentioned his sexuality.
Hate speech by definition is abusive or threatening. I see neither but I will gladly eliminate those that fit the criteria.
If you don’t see how many of the derogatory comments about gay people on here (and comments about people of color as well) don’t count as hate speech, then you are part of the problem.
Sorry, meant to say “count as hate speech”, not “don’t count as hate speech”.
@Stuart – I didn’t mention his sexuality because it didn’t seem relevant. Fortunately, and counter to your narrative this “right-leaning” blog has great commenters on both sides of the aisle that call out these comments as Aaron did. The notion that I am responsible for comments is an absurd one and I am neither responsible for what people write or think just as I am not responsible for yours.
I don’t know how to be more supportive of the Secretary when we both agree, the term hasn’t been great. If you want him to receive credit for the Infstratructure bill, ok. But the Senate passed that bill 69-30 with broad bi-partisan support. How many times do I have to highlight all of the challenges he has faced and that he should be forgiven for those ails? We also agree that Washington (and the nation) is divided and it’s nearly impossible to get anything done. I didn’t go after Chao? Chao didn’t have meetings about schedule cuts after flights were already booked and passengers had made arrangements – if Sec. Chao did that, show me and I will write about that as well.
You can think what you want about me, I can neither control nor care what others think. You say you didn’t suggest I delete their comments but are now editing how I respond and applying a duty to do so or otherwise it’s consent and agreement. I won’t be threatened to respond in contrast to or automatically agree with every comment. It’s your invention and I am not going to play to it.
Once again, you are attempting to paint my disagreement with you as one of relating to comments referring to political leanings. I am not. I fully support people like Santastico etc having the ability to voice their thoughts here. I am specifically talking about hate speech. That is where you, as the originator of the content, has a responsibility to enter the conversation and be clear that referring to gay love as “a sexual fetish” is not condoned or acceptable in our society today and that (one would hope) you do not support this speech. In fact, you only stepped up when called out.
Quite frankly, you knew it would be coming, you saw the mess at Gary’s post and had every idea where this would go. Agreed, you have no responsibility to comment on political or ideological rants, but when people begin to dabble in veiled hate speech, a’la Dave Edwards, the originator of the content should, at the very least, make it clear that it is not acceptable within the conversation. Simple. If you fail to see that you are part of the problem in our society today. There is a line. Hate is that line.
As well. the infrastructure was more than just and easy “getting it passed with bi-partisan support.” There was a year long battle for money and where it would go. Pete was integral in assuring that the money would be earmarked for projects that were actually beneficial and not, “bridges to nowhere” in, say, Alaska. In fact, he has received high marks for his work in seeing the bill not become some silly spending spree with no tangible long term benefits to the American people. He reached out and had meetings, dinners, and social events with many Republicans for a year to assure a balance for everyone and that need were met but money would be responsibly spent. Many commented (and was highlighted in a WaPo article last year) that they respected and appreciated his outreach and dialogue in this process as he broke bread all over DC with many on both sides. So, it was not just the passing of the bill, it was assuring that the bill actually had some meat to it and was not throwing money into the wind, like for a wall on the border.
My point about Chao is not that you should criticize her equally, it’s that you had no reason to criticize Pete. Where was Chao enacting any consumer protections with airlines pre-pandemic when they were at the worst? Yet you think Pete should somehow have secret powers to do so? Chao did her job, she was fine. Many would argue that Pete may be the most active Transportation Secretary we have seen in years. Chao was quieter and behind the scenes. different approaches that attempt to do the best they can given the circumstances in how little power they actually have. If anything, Pete has shown great prowess in working relationships in Washington to help things along. Chao relied primarily on her name and marriage, which is fine, I see no issue with any of it.
Bottom line, you had no reason to write this. It was silly. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to Washington. It smells of one thing only, little digs at nothing so as to achieve your ultimate goal of returning America to the 1950’s when white men ruled and women baked.
This “man” has no accomplishments and no skills. He is a creature created and propped up by a brainless media for their brainless audience. It is no wonder he is an incompetent waste of oxygen, just like the rest of the Brandon administration.
Wow, one paragraph to succinctly point out that you’re a racist homophobe.
Congratulations.
@Stuart: I am sorry but he is a totally incompetent mayor of a small rural town in Indiana. Like him there are thousands across this country. And yes, he is only where he is because he is gay. Don’t get me wrong, I have several friends that are gays and lesbians and I am very happy that they are happy with their choice in life. We get together, go to each other’s houses for dinners, etc… but what I am tired is that being gay is now the new race card. Universities and corporations are using this in a very discriminatory way. If you are a regular white male guy you are screwed and this is discrimination. Buttigieg is totally incompetent and useless but he gets the news because he is gay. Period.
The white heterosexual fragility is strong with this one.
Also a good example of how one can have queer friends but still be somewhat homophobic.
You are wrong. I am against using race, gender and other things to take advantage.
Can you prove that is how Pete got the job? Or is it just that he’s a liberal so you must attack him and being gay is the low hanging fruit?
How did Elaine Chao get her appointment? Was it because of her husband? I didn’t hear you bash her. So nepotism is A-ok with you? Or is it just that she on the right team?
But you don’t seem to be against people using it against marginalized groups and marginalized people.
Your fragility on so many levels is obvious.
@Santastico, Let’s just accept that Biden could have appointed Jesus Christ himself to the post of Transportation Secretary and you would, because it was a Biden decision, have lambasted it and said, “See, he is giving preference to someone unqualified because he has a huge religious following.” You will never be happy with anything under this administration, we all get that. And if you read my entire comment I pointed out that Pete has not been a disaster as opposing pundits like to spin. Many, and not just Democrats, but people in the transportation world, feel he is doing a decent job. He is bright, energetic, eager, well spoken, well educated, has served our country with honor, and probably speaks more languages than you. I don’t think you are necessarily homophobic (but the ol “I have gay friends” is a suspicious sign that you are) but rather just hate anyone who has an opposition view that is not a Fox News talking point. On the other hand, I will absolutely credit people, even some appointed by Trump like Chao, as having done a decent job. I don’t throw a blanket over everyone just because they are not in a party that I normally lean to (though I did vote for our Republican Governor in Maryland who is a reasonable and decent man).
@Stuart: that’s where you don’t get it. Brandon is an idiot manipulated by everyone around him. He doesn’t pick people by their qualifications but to please the ones that manipulate him. I was not a fan of Obama but there is no doubt he is very smart and qualified. I liked Clinton although he got blown out by his own mistakes. So if you see I am not a party guy. In Brazil nobody knows the party of politicians. You vote on the person and their ideas. Brandon is useless. And Kamala you know the only reason she became his paperweight. There are many small rural town mayors that are way more competent than Buttieg. They are just not gay.
Bob Ehrlich??
Maybe we should find a competent qualified Sec of Transportaion that actually knows what they are doing.
Nobody really ever criticized, or even spoke about Elaine Cha0, Anthony Foxx, or Ray LaHood. It’s funny that Sec. Buttigieg get so much attention. I think it’s partly the current political environment, and partly people’s fixation on his sexual orientation. Secretary of Transportation is really a fairly apolitical position.
As for him making concrete changes, at the end of the day, he’s a member of the US government. His job isn’t to do what is best for consumers, they are not the one’s funding his party. The large companies (airlines) are, and his job is to serve their needs. Members of the European Parliament don’t have the need or ability to raise millions of Euros in order to stay in power, so they can make decisions that best serve their voters, not European corporations. EU261 style rules would be fantastic in the United States, but government has no incentive to provide such protection to voters when it would provide such great detriment to those who actually keep the government in power.
This.
Which, of course, Kyle has absolutely no understanding of as a “travel coach” in Pittsburgh. Some people really do need to stay in their lane.