President Barack Obama on Wednesday reacted to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan by saying that if he were a local parent, he’d be “beside myself that my kids’ health could be at risk.”
“You know, I am very proud of what I’ve done as president, but the only job that’s more important to me is the job of father,” Obama told a crowd at the United Auto Worker’s General Motors training center in Detroit. “And I know that if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself that my kids’ health could be at risk. That’s why over the weekend, I declared a federal emergency in Flint.”
Contaminated water in the predominantly African-American, working-class Michigan city was found to contain dangerous levels of lead, sparking a national outcry.
The president declared a federal state of emergency in Flint on Saturday, which will allow the community to receive water, water filters, water test kits and other crucial items from the federal government. The administration also designated a federal coordinator to oversee the distribution of supplies.
Obama said in his Wednesday speech that he’d met with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver at the White House to assure her that she had his administration’s support.
“I told her that we are gonna have her back, and all the people of Flint’s back, as they work their way through this terrible tragedy,” the president said. “It is a reminder of why you can’t short change basic services that we provide to our people and that we together provide as a government to make sure that public health and safety is preserved.”
Fox: Obama is scaring the voters away from Republicans and corporations. Isnt this supposed to be his Katrina?
The Flint water thing is a big mess and will probably sort itself out like most big messes sort out…with no one in power held responsible. That will be assisted by the likes of Michael Moore et all making it a clown show easy for all to dismiss.
There was some seriously malignant shit behind this move. I don’t think it was intentionally racist but dismissively racist. No wanted wanted to hurt the folks of Flint but they didn’t really care if they did get hurt. Flint didn’t get it’s governments concern…and that fucking matters. And people are dead…
Is there a measurable difference between those?
I really can’t believe this hasn’t been a bigger story for a long time, given the “Emergency Manager” bullshit that started this.
Meanwhile, Michiganders, remember how you voted back in 2010. This is what happens when you turn your state over to Republicans.
The only “difference” I can think of is this: It is likely no one deliberately set out to poison these folks due to their color (which would be intentionally racist if they had done so) – but once the issue started to show its ugly head, the person(s) in charge likely said, “Eh, they’re not our voters, so screw 'em.” Racist, nonetheless, but likely done in a dismissive, passive manner … not intentionally set out to ruin those folks water supply because they’re black.
I’m also guessing money played a crucial role here. Since Flint’s residents are primarily working-class and not upper-class with multi-garage mansions, that likely factored into their decision-making.