Thanks for speaking up almost three years into the job, Mitt. What a profile of courage. Better late than never, though. Romney joined a growing chorus of lawmakers willing to publicly speak out about the ineptness of the Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg. The toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio is the latest example of Buttigieg proving he is not up to doing his job.

Romney was speaking to HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic Thursday about Buttigieg’s job performance when he told Bobic that, “He’s not ready for the responsibilities he has.” Bobic tweeted Romney’s remarks.

Romney added, “He was a fine mayor from what I understand, but I think the position he’s got really would be better served by a person who’s managed a large enterprise.”

Romney joins chorus of GOP criticism of Pete Buttigieg:

“He’s not ready for the responsibilities he has. He was a fine mayor from what I understand, but I think the position he’s got really would be better served by a person who’s managed a large enterprise”

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) March 2, 2023

I don’t know about the opinion that Pete was a “fine mayor” because when he was running for president, residents of South Bend said otherwise. Isn’t he called Pothole Pete because he didn’t even keep the potholes filled in the small city? He and Chasten and their children have moved to Michigan. Nonetheless, he felt he was ready to be president and ran in 2020. Voters didn’t see it that way. Buttigieg dropped out of the race on March 1, 2020, and endorsed Joe Biden the following day. Joe repaid Pete for the endorsement at a critical time in the primary race by nominating Pete for a cabinet position. Fortunately, Pete checked off an identity box because he’s gay. Now Pete claims all the criticism of him centers around the fact that he’s gay.

But, no, the reason Buttigieg is so heavily criticized now is that he isn’t able to handle his job. How many times does this guy have to prove it? He was missing in action as the supply chain crisis ramped up, he didn’t make himself available for phone calls during his long family leave time, he was in Portugal on a family vacation during the critical final hours of a potential railroad strike, and he doesn’t seem to have done much to handle the problems in air travel. It took him almost four weeks to understand that he needed to go to East Palestine to visit the site of the train derailment and toxic chemical spill. He simply had to show up and at least look concerned and that seemed to be a foreign concept to him. As a former mayor, shouldn’t he have realized a trip from the transportation secretary was expected? If it had happened in South Bend when he was mayor, wouldn’t he have expected someone from the Biden administration to come and get the facts on the ground? The director of the EPA has made several trips, as he is expected to do. Pete could have traveled with him at any time if he didn’t want to go alone.

The real question is why hasn’t Joe Biden gone to East Palestine? He goes everywhere else at the drop of a hat to show his concern, whether it’s a natural disaster or a mass shooting, he’s there and the cameras are rolling. Not this time. Is it because the community is a working class one and likely Trump supporters? You be the judge.

Other prominent Republicans have spoken out about the slow response from Buttigieg to the Ohio disaster. Mitch McConnell blasted him on the Senate floor.

Joe Manchin has questions, too.

Manchin: "I have concerns with how this has been addressed — the quickness of it."

Manchin would not say if he believes Buttigeg should resign as transportation secretary, saying: "He has to make that decision if he feels he's being effective."

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 2, 2023

The next action taken should be that Buttigieg is replaced by someone who can do the job. He’ll never be impeached with Democrats in control of the Senate but Biden should replace him. That won’t happen either because he owes Pete after the endorsement and wants the endorsement again in 2024. Plus, Pete’s gay and that means job security in the Biden administration. However long Pete wants the job, he’ll have it. Calling for his resignation or even criticizing him is homophobic, you know.