Tone deaf Jeb Bush refuses to blame Michigan Governor Rick Snyder for poisoning his Flint constituents
Jeb Bush appeared on ABC’s ThisWeek and displayed a level of tone deafness that is second to none. Flint Michigan’s water was poisoned by the actions initiated by Governor Rick Snyder when he decided to undemocratically appoint an emergency manager to run the city.
To save money, the emergency manager decided to use the Flint river instead of the water from the Great Lakes that came in from Detroit. That change caused lead to leach into the water supply that ultimate poisoned inhabitants of the city of over 100,000 people. The mainstream media ignored the plight of the citizens of Flint Michigan. Absent Rachel Maddow continuous reporting of the debacle, it likely would not have been a national story. The actions of Michigan’s Republican administration intent on cutting and austerity, poisoned its citizens.
Inasmuch as it is clear where responsibility lies, Jeb Bush continued his praise of Rick Snyder.
Her is the text of the snippet.
Martha Raddatz: Let’s talk about what’s going on in Flint, Michigan, a city of 100,000 Americans who’ve been drinking, bathing, brushing their teeth in lead contaminated water while the government was telling them repeatedly it’s safe to use. One estimate says thousands of children were exposed to lead and that will cause developmental and behavioral issues. They will need millions of dollars of care for the rest of their lives. How is this possible in the United States of America and who’s responsible?
Jeb Bush: It is horrific and it is related to the fact that we’ve created this complex, no-responsibility regulatory system, where the federal government, the state government, a regional government, local and county governments are all pointing fingers at one another. It is a tragedy and what we need to do is to have a 21st century system of rules. Whenever you see a problem, it should become public. There should be transparency instead of —
Martha Raddatz: How much blame does Governor —
Jeb Bush: And when — we need governor leaders to take steps. Well, he’s taken — he’s taken responsibility. And I admire that. He’s not saying that it’s someone else’s fault. He’s rolling up his sleeves and trying to — trying to deal with this. But he has a responsibility. He’s admitted. And EPA and so does local government.
Martha Raddatz: Should he resign?
Jeb Bush: No, he needs to do what he’s doing, which is to accept responsibility and begin to solve the problem.
Martha Raddatz: You once called him “a spectacular governor.” Do you still think so?
Jeb Bush: I think he’s been a great governor for Michigan. Michigan was on its knees when he became governor and he’s led to a rebound and forged consensus and I think he’s doing a good job in that regard. This is a tragedy that we ought to focus; instead of blaming people, what he’s doing is creating a strategy to fix it because it is a complete disaster.
Martha Raddatz: It’s hard to fix. The health care of those children at this point.
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