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Joe Rogan Shreds Pete Buttigieg After Comments About Race

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Popular podcaster Joe Rogan has shredded Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg after the secretary said there were too many white people in construction jobs.

During an episode of his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the host said Buttigieg displayed “a profound lack of understanding” about how important “skilled labor” is in construction.

“Do you know that he gave a speech the other day about how there’s too many white people working in construction sites?” the host said.

“We have heard way too many stories from generations past of infrastructure where you got a neighborhood, often a neighborhood of color, that finally sees the project come to them, but everyone in the hard hats on that project, looking like doing the good paying jobs, don’t look like they came from anywhere near the neighborhood,” Buttigieg said.

Rogan said that if the people with the skills needed are not in the community then you have to hire from outside of that community.

“’That’s skilled labor. Like, you have to hire people that are really good at that. And if they don’t exist in that community, you have to hire them from outside that community,” he said.

“If you see what happens when you have unskilled labor and unskilled people working on buildings, you have f**kng disasters,” he said.

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Buttigieg took criticism for the speech from others when he mentioned race but did not mention the train disaster in East Palestine, Ohio.

NPR reported.

“On Feb. 3, about 50 cars of a Norfolk Southern train went off track in Ohio, causing a days-long fire in the area. Ten of the 50 derailed cars contained hazardous chemicals including butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride, which were among combustible liquids that authorities feared could set off a major explosion,” the report said.

“Residents of East Palestine were later asked to evacuate out of precaution. On Monday, Feb. 6, crews conducted what officials called a “controlled release” of the hazardous chemicals which caused a large plume of black smoke,” it said.

“The evacuation order was lifted on Wednesday and since then, there have been a growing number of reports about people experiencing a burning sensation in their eyes, animals falling ill, and a strong odor lingering in the town,” it said.

Vinyl chloride is commonly used to make PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes, but it is a carcinogen that becomes a gas at room temperature.

Breathing in or drinking the chemical can cause a multitude of health issues including dizziness, headache, and, over time, liver damage.

“Now that we are entering into a long term phase of this, people are going to be concerned about the long-term chronic exposure that comes at lower levels,” The Ohio State University professor Karen Dannemiller, who specializes in indoor air quality, said.

She said that residents of the town should participate in the Environmental Protection Agency’s at-home air screening. She said that residents should wipe down their surfaces, particularly those which collect dust.

She said that because of the tiny atoms in the chemical air cleaners and masks would not be useful.

People on social media were furious with the transportation secretary’s lack of response to the disaster.

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“Buttigieg made no mention of the Ohio train derailment while speaking at a conference this morning but did find the time to say that there are too many white people who work construction,” Greg Price said.

“Pete Buttigieg is nowhere to be found YET AGAIN as toxic chemicals are spewing out in East Palestine, Ohio after a train crash. While he’s worried about “racist highways”, our nation’s transit systems are falling apart,” Rep Lauren Boebert said.

“Pete Buttigieg has finally emerged today. Not a single comment about the train crash in Ohio. Instead, he bemoaned the whiteness of the construction industry. It’s a miracle that this country is able to function at all under this regime,” she said.

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“Silence from the press and the federal government is dereliction of duty to the public. Where is Pete Buttigieg? How will this Ohio train derailment affect our farmers, the nearby population, and our supply chain for Americans?” former Rep. Mayra Flores said.

Even Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar demanded answers from the transportation secretary.

“East Palestine railroad derailment will have a significant negative impact on the health and wellbeing of the residents for decades and there is almost zero national media attention. We need Congressional inquiry and direct action from @PeteButtigieg to address this tragedy,” she said.

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