Thread by @moira

I'm leaving #SXSW and we haven't talked about @ElaineChao yet.

She started the event 15 min late and spoke from the podium for about 15 min. The top part was a "thoughts and prayers" statement about Ethiopian Airlines. No strong action here from the person overseeing FAA! ...

But what happened next was better. She sat down to be interviewed BY A MEMBER OF HER STAFF where she repeated her statement.

(Her statement was about the differences between ✈️🚆🚗 and how jurisdictions under her department overlap and are complicated and shouldn't be. Pretty heavy stuff. 🙄)

After her staffer and she made scooter jokes and then repeated that 🚎 are different than ✈️, it was over.

NO QUESTIONS.

So what is unclear is why she came all the way to Texas to say obvious and vapid things when you can do that in Washington? Now granted, @USDOT had some pretty impressive stuff and some good panels. But why was she there?

My bigger beef is with @sxsw: why let the highest ranking member of govt attending g not have to take a single question? Why let that happen?

It's may seem small, but this acceptance that your govt can show up in a place of ideas and pontificate unquestioned is exactly what erodes democracy. Next time, say no @sxsw. I realize other panels do it, but we all know senior gov officials are different.

In conclusion, @sxsw @austintexasgov you are rock stars. @USDOT sorry your boss repped you so badly.

But #SXSW : do better at questioning our leaders especially when they are the leaders with oversight responsibility of the "planes falling out of the sky" problem.

PS for context, she was in a smaller room (like 400, about 2/3 full) which is good attendance for a 10am time slot which is like dawn #SXSW time.

And ALL panels take questions. President Obama took questions. That's the point.

Apologies for typos. Typing while boarding (an Airbus) and juggling ☕

I just couldn't let this go because in all my time in DC I have never seen a govt leader publicly decide it's a good idea to have their staff interview them. But I guess I'd never met @ElaineChao!