Poor Flint Residents Denounce Hillary for Politicizing their Plight & Using Them to Try to Win Votes

[amborin]

The New Hampshire audience broke into applause, but residents of Flint, a poor, majority-black town of 100,000, aren't so sure that Clinton's escalating interest in Flint is a good thing.

"It's bad news to me," said Arthur Woodson, a 46-year-old Army veteran who runs New Beginnings, a Flint-based nonprofit aimed at helping soldiers return to the community. "She's turning it into a political football. The GOP won't ever do anything now. They're going to turn it into a partisan thing."

"This is a water issue," he continued. "It's not a political issue. We got kids who are suffering. We don't have time for this partisan stuff."

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/flint-water-crisis/hero-expert-marc-edwards-oversee-flint-water-testing-n505156

Saturday NY Times reports that HRC is going to Flint this weekend to try to cull votes in NH, thinking it makes her look concerned about the less fortunate:

Message Discipline

Clinton advisers think that Mrs. Clinton has found her political groove by denouncing injustices like shooting massacres across the nation and the drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich. She is visiting Flint on Sunday in a campaign trip that is likely to receive heavy media coverage back in New Hampshire. Her passion for the less fortunate is appealing to some in her New Hampshire target audiences, particularly women and parents, according to interviews.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/06/us/politics/hillary-clintons-aides-see-path-to-new-hampshire-win.html?rref=collection%2Fnewseventcollection%2FPresidential%20Election%202016&action=click&contentCollection=Politics&module=Collection&region=Marginalia&src=me&version=newsevent&pgtype=article

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. The people of Flint need people who can actually do something

to make the water safe, not posturing politicians.

[TheBlackAdder]

7. Not sure what the gameplan is. This seems like a McCain "Suspend my campaign" moment. nt

[AllTooEasy]

43. Bullshit Response and Original post

I bet this "Flint resident" is a diehard Repuke. He's repeating Snider's, Faux News', and every other Repuke's spin. Whenever a Repuke fucks up and Dems call them out on it, Repukes say "Dems are politicizing this! This is a ________ issue, not politics!" Fill in the blank with Katrina, Iraq War, civil rights, or any infrastructure related term. Standard Repuke playbook, and some of you clowns fell for it....again. Hasn't Bernie repeatedly called for Snider'a resignation in front of big crowds? By the same weak standard, isn't he guilty of the same "politicizing" sin? If Hillary is wrong in this guy's eyes, then so is Bernie. In my opinion, NOBODY is wrong for speaking out against this Repuke created disaster. In fact, both candidates should raise MORE stink about it!

[dhill926]

71. what you said....

[Ino]

75. "you clowns"?!

[AllTooEasy]

87. Yes, Clowns! I didn't studder.

Any liberal who uses or cosigns one of the Repuke's standard apologist tactics to attack Bernie or Hillary is a clown!

[Ino]

89. Referring to other DUers as "you clowns" is extremely rude.

The word is "stutter" -- not "studder." I could call you an idiot for that, but that would be rude, wouldn't it?

[Metric System]

2. Yes, because Republicans have been so quick to act.

[sabrina 1]

17. This is what she could do for Flint withdraw all support for Fracking, and demand, she could do

this from NH because Flint isn't the ONLY town suffering from these neocon/lib policies, that water NOT be privatized. No one should OWN the water supply.

I don't pay for water where I live, why are the people of Flint paying for it? PROFITEERING Corporations who have not only created Flint, this is happening in other American towns. So going to Flint without addressing the REASON for Flint, is going to be seen a cynical use of a tragic situation.

[Duval]

66. +1,000!

[southerncrone]

85. Well said!

[TheBlackAdder]

3. We're talking about someone who promoted fracking worldwide, destroying OK, NY & PA watersheds.

.


She's all of a sudden worried about the people of Flint, MI when she was pushing fracking domestically and worldwide.


Her positions on KXL are another issue, as the next president will be able to reverse Obama's stay.


Fracking and Big Oil destroyed people and households in multitudes as of yet determined!


#hypocrisy


.

[Ferd Berfel]

9. Traingulation and evoluton make for strange bedfellows

and so what about THIS crowd?

[turbinetree]

29. Thanks-------------I was going to do this earlier..........................

Now here is Bernie's:

https://www.opensecrets.org/pres16/candidate.php?id=N00000528



big contrast............................



Honk--------------for a political revolution Bernie 2016

[kath]

15. + a brazillion.

And then another brazillion

her hypocrisy is absolutely mind-boggling.
but not surprising.

[Ferd Berfel]

32. What's surprising is this many people falling fo this crap

[gregcrawford]

53. GRAMMAR BULLY ALERT!

Actually, the lower line should read, "Effluence Peddling." You "pedal" a bicycle; you "peddle" horseshit.

[Ferd Berfel]

65. tx

lol

grammar police

[NowSam]

50. Eyea open. Not going back to sleep

The jig is up.

[Duckhunter935]

4. so what is she doing?

Just making an appearance and using them for a backdrop? I thought she fixed it last month?

[cherokeeprogressive]

5. Let's not forget that as a private citizen she's 100% incapable of doing anything BUT politicizing.

Someone somewhere is already compiling a list of 16,903 accomplishments in Hillary's life and if the Obama List is any indication; simply "speaking out" about water in Flint will be one of those accomplishments.

[FlatBaroque]

6. Note to Clinton Campaign:

NOTHING WILL WORK
EVERYTHING WILL BACKFIRE

[Ferd Berfel]

12. LOL

Resistance is futile. All of your hope is gone. We WILL Overcome.

We The People will prevail.

[FlatBaroque]

13. They really do seem to believe that just one more slick tactic

and people will love her.

[Ferd Berfel]

18. THrowing everything against the wall to see what sticks

Quite Rovian, isn't it.

[99Forever]

8. There's no pandering too sleazy for Hillary.

Exploiting human tragedy for her own political gain comes as naturally as breathing does.

[kath]

19. THIS.

I am thrilled that people in Flint are seeing through her bullshit pandering.

[840high]

45. Clinton thinks people are

stupid. We've not called her on all her lies -

[MissDeeds]

73. It's insult upon insult

Use the crisis in Flint for a photo op and political ad, and assume 'we the people' are so dim we won't see what's happening. Her campaign is in desperation mode and is unraveling. Pity she can't see it.

[DanTex]

10. 'Hero' Expert Marc Edwards to Oversee Flint Water Testing.

In case anyone was wondering what the actual title of the article was.

[amborin]

11. yes, and he talks about how $$$$ corrupts science in academia:

http://chronicle.com/article/The-Water-Next-Time-Professor/235136

[DanTex]

14. Yes. And they also interviewed one person who thought Clinton's involvement was a mistake.

[HeartoftheMidwest]

34. Kick and recommend this article.

Good read.

[SunSeeker]

16. Mr. Woodson does not speak for all poor folks. The Mayor of Flint endorsed Hillary.

She endorsed Hillary specifically because Hillary brought attention to the problem.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/19/after-hillary-clinton-champions-lead-issue-flint-mayor-endorses-her/

Getting a glaring spotlight on the problem is the only way to get anything done about it. The GOP would quickly sweep it under the rug if the attention was off.

BTW, your link does not even go the story you describe, it goes to a story entitled, "'Hero' Expert Marc Edwards to Oversee Flint Water Testing."

[kath]

20. So Hillary "brought attention to the problem" because she rilly rilly CARES about the people there

(When her policies are ruining water supplies all over the place), and she is in no way exploiting the Flint situation in order to win votes???

if you actually believe this, I feel sorry for you.

[SunSeeker]

21. Do you feel sorry for the Mayor too? Do you think she has "Stockholm Syndrome"?

[kath]

22. For you to make the leap to "Stokholm(sic) Syndrome" is ridiculous.

but nice try.

[SunSeeker]

24. It's a Sanders supporter that came up with "Stockholm Syndrome" to describe Hillary Supporters.

And your feigned pity of me suggests you are of the same mindset.

[Bluenorthwest]

61. Actually it was a Straight White Guy that came up with that to attack African Americans and LGBT

How many of those three things are you? I'm a Bernie supporter attacked in that thread by your fellow straight man and I spent much time refuting his asinine and bigoted views but Hillary supporters do in fact run around DU claiming THEY got attacked and never mention that many Bernie supporters harshly criticized that OP and the author of it. It is very dishonest of you folks to do that. It's nearly as bigoted as that Stockholm post itself. You claim you are the victim and accuse actual victims of that thread of supporting that garbage.
You folks need to cut that out. This is the second time this morning this same fucking dishonest claim has been made.

[SunSeeker]

79. That Sanders supporter's "Stockholm Syndrome" post will live forever.

One DUer captured the text in that thread before the OP was deleted:

WillyT (70,805 posts)

And BTW... Could The African American Community, And The LGBTQ Folk Clue Me In ???

Last edited Thu Oct 15, 2015, 09:16 PM - Edit history (1)

Why in the hell would you vote/support a candidate who supported her husband who went after Sister Souljah, and fucked the program formerly known as "Welfare".

And...

Promoted DOMA, and Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Did EVERYONE have a mass evolution ???

Is it political expediency...

Is it Stockholm Syndrome ???



Bernie has ALWAYS had your back.

HRC... not so much.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251687330#post660

The OP was posted on Oct. 15, 2015, stayed up for four months and was finally self-deleted on February 3, 2016--just three days ago.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251687330#post660

The reason that post keeps getting brought up, the reason Sanders supporters cannot run away from it, is because it encapsulates the tone-deaf, condescending and in some cases bigoted (as you note) attitude some, repeat some, Sanders supporters have toward their brethren progressives who happen to support Hillary. Unfortunately, they are among the most vocal of his supporters. As this thread demonstrates in the sub-thread discussions of the female African American mayor of Flint, some Sanders supporters continue to resort to condescension, sexism/racism and paternalism. They feel we are too stupid or brainwashed or I guess sick with Stockholm Syndrome, to realize for ourselves how wrong we are. They feel "sorry" for the Mayor, and for any Hillary supporter. They can't acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, us Hillary supporters have a working brain and have reasonably determined that voting for Hillary serves our interests better than voting for Sanders, and that we might be correct.

Yes, you may have objected to that OP, but 65 Sanders supporters rec'd that "garbage" as you accurately call it, and they include some of the most prolific posters on DU, as clicking on the rec number will confirm.

[Fuddnik]

37. I feel sorry for the Mayor.

Maybe they'll give him his job back.

[SunSeeker]

41. The Mayor is a she. And she is Mayor right now.

Pretty ignorant, sexist post you got there.

[mythology]

63. Oh come on

We all know women can't be in charge.

[PonyUp]

23. Hillary is going to march right up to that polluted river and yell "Cut It Out!!!" n/t

[fbc]

54. lol :)

[Gman]

25. Horse manure

The NY Times couldn't write a good story about her if it tried. This is a made up bogus story because somebody had a deadline to meet and they had nothing. Preposterous to assume the people if Flint are in consensus in something this stupid.

[Fuddnik]

26. She has her crack team of snipers aiming at her foot as we speak!

Tone deaf, pandering, opportunistic, 1%er.

She just doesn't understand life outside the bubble.

[jalan48]

27. One of Hillary's supposed strong points is her ability to work with Republicans.

Here ya go Hillary. How should we work with these kind of Republicans?

[NowSam]

28. The old "Hurt and Rescue"

Her votes. Her policies. Her backers' priorities is part and parcel of why Flint is the way it is right now and why cities full of people are living in poverty and drinking poisoned water.

Time to take a tour.

[kath]

46. + a brazillion

[NorthCarolina]

55. ^^^ Nailed It ^^^

eom

[Duval]

69. You got that right! nt

[MissDeeds]

74. Bingo!

[lunamagica]

30. "The GOP won't ever do anything now. "

Seriously?

Would someone please tell this gentleman that the GOP was never going to do anything?

[in_cog_ni_to]

31. That's exactly what she's doing and it's going to backfire on her.

She has no couth. None. She's shameless. She'll do anything, even exploit poisoned men, women and children, to win an election.

Pretty disgusting actually.

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

33. It's just another commercial. A photo-op.

[angrychair]

35. Hillary, you want to help?

Get a shovel and start digging.

I'll bring the coffee and donuts.

[Vinca]

36. Bingo.

If Hillary wants to help maybe she could give a couple of speeches to Wall Street, rustle up a million bucks and hire some plumbers to start installing pipes. Showing up and posturing is a political stunt.

[Fuddnik]

38. She thinks nobody remembers that NAFTA turned Flint into a wasteland.

Maybe she'll stop by and visit Michael Moore in the ICU while she's there.

[Lordquinton]

39. To be fair, there is nothing more political than water

“Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting over.”

[Spitfire of ATJ]

40. Obviously this whole "caring" thing is the result of a committee.

[cantbeserious]

42. Good For The Citizens Of Flint - Calling Out Hypocrisy

eom

[Beacool]

44. Hillary was invited by the mayor of Flint to go to her city.

The mayor has stated that Hillary was the only candidate of either party who actually offered to help, not just condemn the situation.

The naysayers can go and sod.

[Arazi]

47. Hillary supports the use of cluster bombs

She doesn't seem to want to get involved in helping those with tainted water from fracking.

Personally, I care most about what the people,of Flint want, not the mayor whose most likely looking for a photo op with Hillary.

Oh and you're another Hillary Clinton supporter avoiding her support of using cluster bombs

This thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511140849

[SunSeeker]

49. Seriously. The butthurt by some Sanders supporters over this is very telling.

Notice neither of the links in the OP go to the alleged story described in the OP?

[Beacool]

57. I treat the bashing as white noise.

I've learned that there is nothing that the Clintons could do that would meet the approval of the bashers, and that goes for the Left as much as it applies to the Right.

That's why I don't give a flying fig what they think of them.

[SidDithers]

83. Shhh...

don't ruin a perfectly good outrage with, you know, facts.

Sid

[moondust]

48. Political opportunism.

Flint has already drawn considerable national attention and outrage thanks to Rachel Maddow, Michael Moore, and even the U.S. Congress. Plus there is going to be a Democratic debate in Flint with BOTH candidates there on March 6.

It looks a lot like political opportunism when one candidate goes out of his/her way to latch onto and try to capitalize on tragedy and public outrage.

[ladjf]

51. They need new pipes and installations immediately. The Fed. should

send in the hardware and, if necessary, the skilled workers to install it. Work out the cost problems through Congress and the President's office. There are many other cities in bad shape with regard to drinking water. Wholesome public drinking water is a right in America.

[Teamster Jeff]

52. Maybe she could lecture them about how great NAFTA is! Or maybe not

We used to manufacture things here and you couldn't drink the water in Mexico. Now the opposite is true.

[Betty Karlson]

56. Clinton has never had any interest unless she could turn it into votes for her Third Way.

Why would Flint be any different?

Trust Sanders to do the right thing, and steer clear from biased interference no matter how much camp Weathervane accuses him of "not caring about the plight etc..."

[Divernan]

58. Can just hear her in the next debate:"Well,when I was in Flint, I . . . "

That bit will be typically over-rehearsed, down to wooden gestures and exaggerated facial expressions. And of course she will blah, blah, blah about how she identifies with the poor . . . while wearing yet another of the seemingly endless supply of designer outfits, with yet another clunky piece of designer jewelry, and of course, one of her $1200 coiffures from a high end hair salon. Speaking of which . . . .

One thing Jackie Kennedy and the Bush women agreed on was the simple, understated elegance of pearl necklaces.

Jackie had a 3 strand pearl necklace. You know the pearls I’m talking about. Jacqueline Kennedy was so often photographed wearing those pearls they seemed a natural extension of her – an integral piece of her legendary grace and charm. She wore them to state dinners. She wore them on trips to India, Greece, and Japan. She wore them when she greeted the high and mighty and when she was looking after the children. She wore them in nearly every picture ever taken. My favorite pic was John-John on Jackie's lap pulling at those same pearls. They were the icon of the icon. Believe me – you know those pearls! But what you may not know is that the pearls were fake. Jacqueline Bouvier purchased them at Bergdorf Goodman in the 1950s for about $35. (Barbara Bush has also long worn a triple strand of pearls.)

In 1996, Sotheby’s announced its “Auction of the Century” to sell the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The catalog listed the estimate on the pearls at $200 to $300 dollars. The day before the auction, the estimates were truly, undeniably insane – off the charts. The starting price was $5000. By the time the hammer came down on the winning bid, the final price was $211,000.00.

Lesson for Hillary. It's now how much you spend on an obscenely large assortment of jewelry, designer outfits and hairstyles. It's having confidence in one's own taste and judgement, choosing something that is innately classy, i.e., simple and flattering, and then unapologetically wearing the same repeatedly.

There's a telling parallel - Hillary changes her "look" as often as she changes her political positions - with Hillary, the center never holds, because there is no center there.

[Duval]

82. Yes, I can hear her now! Sigh! eom

[left-of-center2012]

59. Maybe Hillary will donate some of the millions she got from Wall Street?

Nah.

[thereismore]

60. At the debate in NH she said she is going there to get BRIEFED on the situation.

Nobody has mentioned it anywhere but I was struck by the tone-deafness of that word. She is not the President, she is not even an elected official, to get briefings. It just sounds presumptuous to the highest.

[LonePirate]

62. Woodson needs to direct his anger at the Repubs in charge.

If he thinks the Republicans in charge of this disaster won't do anything simply because Hillary shows up on the scene, the problem is with the Republicans and not with Hillary. It may be a political move on her part; but she can only apply pressure to the people in charge - the people Woodson should be angry at, not Hillary.

[Empowerer]

68. That's actually what he did. The OP completely mischaracterized his quote.

[Romulox]

64. Clintons' "Free Trade" is what DEVASTATED Flint. She is shameless. nt

[Empowerer]

67. ONE Flint resident is quoted as criticizing Hillary for her interest in the issue

Because he thinks that "The GOP won't ever do anything now. THEY'RE going to turn it into a partisan thing."

This is very different than your headline suggests. In fact, your claim that they accuse her of "Using them to try to win votes" is flat out false. Nothing in the article states that at all.

If you have a strong case to make, you should make it honestly. Otherwise, you only weaken your argument.

[Andy823]

72. A lot of this is going on

This is not the first post I have read in the last few days where the "headline" in the OP is not really the truth. Seems like it doesn't make any difference to some, they just seem to thrive on this kind of "false" reporting in order to bash Clinton. I think the shit stirrers are working over time to cause problems!

[Number23]

78. It's more than that

This is probably one of the sickest OP's I've seen here. And considering some stuff that's been posted lately, particularly in the last week, that is really saying something.

Drawing attention to an issue of environmental racism is now a bad thing on DU.

[SunSeeker]

81. ^^^THIS^^^

"Drawing attention to an issue of environmental racism is now a bad thing on DU."


Indeed.

[Duval]

70. K&R

[OilemFirchen]

76. ...

Michael Moore, the famed Flint movie director held a press conference Saturday in Flint amid the water crisis that has paralyzed the city of over 100,000 residents.

During the press conference, Moore asked for President Obama to visit Flint and that the Attorney General should arrest Governor Snyder.

But Moore's impromptu press conference was not met without those who opposed him being there. Arthur Woodson said, "all he's going to do is make money out of a documentary and won't even send money back to the victims of the city of Flint."

http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/75630606-story

BTW... he hates Jesse Jackson too.

[NCTraveler]

77. "The GOP won't do anything now"

They don't give a shit about you in the first place. That is a damning statement about the GOP, and very accurate, but only a part of it.

[olddots]

80. well she is a people person ............

as in " corporations are people my freind "

[FrenchieCat]

84. It is ridiculous to criticize Hillary Clinton about this visit,

as Sanders has also called for a criminal investigation on Gov. Snyder.....

I think neither are being opportunists,

I think both are Democrats that actually care....
Just like Obama has expressed concerned and sent dollars to assist....

Sometime it takes an entire village to save it...
and this may be just one of those times.

Those who prefer to see everything thru a political prism
in order to make a point,
are probably the ones that care the least
about what Flint residents are going through.

[Doctor_J]

86. another wheel comes off of the Clinton bandwagon

[AtomicKitten]

88. k/r