The Biden White House very narrowly avoided another unexpected crisis. A last-minute deal was facilitated on Thursday between the nation’s rail companies and its unionized workers. Those workers were threatening a nationwide strike that would have slammed the transportation supply chain, threatening shipments of grains, fertilizers, and fuel, which can’t, of course, be transported by pipeline thanks to Biden caving to the far-left eco-wing of his activist base. Amtrak had already canceled long-distance trips in anticipation of the strike.
Did these unions care that extorting more goodies — many of these workers are already paid over $100,000 annually — would hurt far less wealthy people who are struggling with inflation?
Nope.
But another question is how the situation got to this point in the first place. President Joe Biden has famously billed himself as “Amtrak Joe.” He views rail lines as the backbone of the country. Yet, for some reason, Amtrak Joe didn’t start paying attention to this looming crisis until its urgency became imminent. It’s also worth noting that Biden, who has labeled himself the most pro-union president in American history, is obviously viewed as an easy tool by his union buddies. That they were so willing to strong-arm the public when the country is suffering supply chain issues and economic pain is very telling.
We should also ask questions of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. What does he believe his role is beyond preparing for another presidential campaign? Upon accepting his current job, Buttigieg said he would aspire to be the “second biggest train enthusiast around.”
Well, these negotiations should have been a cakewalk for Amtrak Joe and Amtrak-the-second Pete. As with many things in this administration, however, it seems like careening from one crisis to another is the standard operating procedure. So perhaps the president should cease the inflation victory parties and the transportation secretary should cancel the Medium posts on his family.
Perhaps, instead, they should start serving more effectively.
Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) has written for National Review, the New York Post, and Fox News and hosts the Versus Media podcast.
