Gov. Rick Snyder took a verbal beating from Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders during the latest debate Sunday night and fought back on social media.
After the comments from Clinton, who said Snyder didn't care about the kids in Flint and Sanders said he should resign, Snyder's twitter account, said: "Political statements and finger pointing from political candidates only distract from solving the Flint water crisis."
The account went on to say the state had declared an emergency, distributed 27,000 cases of bottled water, 50,000 water filters and 168,000 water filter replacement cartridges.
But social media was not on his side. Countless people responded to Clinton's declaration at the end of the debate.
"I spent a lot of time last week being outraged by what's happening in Flint, Michigan. We've had a city in the United States of America where the population, which is poor in many ways and majority African American, has been drinking and bathing in lead contaminated water and the Governor in that state acted as though he didn't really care," Clinton said. "He had a request for help that he basically stonewalled. I'll tell you what, if the kids in a rich suburb of Detroit had been drinking contaminated water and being bathed in it, there would have been action."
Sanders said he believes Snyder should resign: "A man who acts that irresponsibly should not stay in power."
The comments come as Snyder is preparing to give his State of the State address Tuesday, where a number of Flint residents are expected to be in the audience as guests of Democratic lawmakers from Genesee County.
State Sen. Jim Ananich and state Reps. Phil Phelps and Sheldon Neeley have invited: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the director of the pediatric residency program at Hurley Medical Center who discovered high levels of lead in the blood of Flint children; Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, a pediatrician and member of the Flint Water Advisory Task Force; Chia Morgan, a Flint resident, mother and program coordinator of Well of Hope; and Melissa Mays, a Flint mother and founder of Water You Fighting For.
"These are some of the people whose voices and advocacy have forced action on this water crisis," Ananich said. "It's important to have them attend the State of the State address to represent others back home and around the country who are fighting for accountability and solutions."
(c)2016 the Detroit Free Press
