Sanders voted against Flint water crisis funding in 2016

[ehrnst]

During a critical junction in the Flint water crisis four years ago, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a top Democratic presidential contender, voted against a measure that provided funding to help state and city officials to address the matter.

In December 2016, Sanders voted against a continuing resolution that would have provided up to $170 million funding for Flint. It would have provided funding for the lead-contaminated drinking water system. The resolution included $100 million in capitalization grants to the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that the city could use to replace its water pipes.


President Barack Obama hugs Mari Copeny, 8, backstage at Northwestern High School in Flint, Mich., May 4, 2016. Mari wrote a letter to the President about the Flint water crisis.| Pete Souza via Flickr Public Domain
The measure came after President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency earlier in the year. The U.S. Senate agreed to the measure on a 63-36 vote, including yes votes from both of Michigan’s U.S. senators, Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) and Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.).

Obama later signed the bill.

https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/03/06/new-sanders-voted-against-flint-water-crisis-funding-in-2016/

[Thekaspervote]

1. No wonder MI has given so many endorsements to Joe Biden

[sheshe2]

2. Why yes, yes he did.

[NYMinute]

3. Of course he did. It was probably not pure enough water.

[zak247]

5. Good analogy

I like your analogy.
It's what Bernie types don't understand

The old aphorism:

"Don't let the perfect be an enemy of the good"

[NYMinute]

6. Their aphorism is

"The only good is perfection. Everything else is just bad."

[zak247]

19. right time and place

Yeah, they don’t understand that such perfection has to evolve based on the right time and place or it’s not perfection.

[ehrnst]

8. ....

[MiniMe]

4. Does Michael Moore know about this

He is a big Bernie supporter

[ehrnst]

7. I'm sure there will be an explanation about how "it's not as simple as a yes or no vote"

when it's Bernie's vote, anyway - and that there are "nuances" that must be considered before one leaps to judgement...

[thesquanderer]

11. It's right there in your own link, in a part you decided not to quote

The 2016 Sanders vote was against an omnibus bill that included what critics say was a “poison pill” amendment that was bad for jobs and the environment. Sanders, however, did support funding for Flint in an earlier bill in March (S 2848), the campaign said.

Also linked there is the roll call on the vote, so you can see that Cory Booker, Sherrod Brown, Harry Reid, Elizabeth Warren, Al Franken, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Chuck Schumer joined Sanders in tha Nay vote. I won't hold my breath waiting for you to equally criticize all of them for this vote as well.

[ehrnst]

12. ....

I'm sure there will be an explanation about how "it's not as simple as a yes or no vote" when it's Bernie's vote, anyway - and that there are "nuances" that must be considered before one leaps to judgement...

BINGO!

[George II]

9. It's worse than that - Sanders also voted against the auto "bailout" (temporary loans)....

....while Joe Biden voted for it.

The money was subsequently paid back AHEAD of schedule with interest.

[MichMan]

10. U.S. government says it lost $11.2 billion on GM bailout

U.S. government says it lost $11.2 billion on GM bailout.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government lost $11.2 billion on its bailout of General Motors Co (GM.N), more than the $10.3 billion the Treasury Department estimated when it sold its remaining GM shares in December, according to a government report released on Wednesday.

The $11.2 billion loss includes a write-off in March of the government’s remaining $826 million investment in “old” GM, the quarterly report by a Treasury watchdog said.

The U.S. government spent about $50 billion to bail out GM. As a result of the company’s 2009 bankruptcy, the government’s investment was converted to a 61 percent equity stake in the Detroit-based automaker, plus preferred shares and a loan.

Treasury whittled down its GM stake through a series of stock sales starting in November 2010, with the remaining shares sold on December 9, 2013.

[link:http://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-gm-treasury-idusbrea3t0mr20140430|

[thesquanderer]

13. Not quite... BS voted FOR the auto bailout in is own bill...

...but against it when it was a small part of a much larger Wall Street bailout bill.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/mar/07/hillary-clinton/michigan-hillary-clinton-says-bernie-sanders-was-a/

[ehrnst]

14. ....

I'm sure there will be an explanation about how "it's not as simple as a yes or no vote" when it's Bernie's vote, anyway - and that there are "nuances" that must be considered before one leaps to judgement...

Once again...BINGO.

[thesquanderer]

15. Usually it's been Republicans who dismiss the concept of nuance (a la John Kerry)

I like to think that, for us, facts matter.

[ehrnst]

16. Actually, I have seen the lack of nuance far more with Sanders and his staunchest supporters

than anywhere else on the Democratic side. I'm not the only one.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/us/politics/bernie-sanders-image.html

Mr. Sanders “never makes you feel like you’re good enough to be in the room with him,” one former aide said.

Facts matter, even when they are uncomfortable...

Apparently the facts in the OP are making some of his supporters very, very uncomfortable to have brought up.

[thesquanderer]

17. Saying some other group is bad for dismissing nuance does not make your doing it any better. (n/t)

[ehrnst]

18. I was talking about Sanders and supporters... you were the one trying to change the topic

to republicans and John Kerry when it became too uncomfortable.

[thesquanderer]

20. Nothing uncomfortable at all.

You anticipated (and were dismissive of the idea of) nuance (post #7). I pointed you to the nuanced explanations you expected, but was disappointed to see a Dem here put down nuance (the way Republicans did with Kerry). You seemed to justify it by saying some Sanders supporters have done it too, but I've always found "so and so did it too" to be an unpersuasive argument.

But all I'm doing is recapping posts you could read for yourself. Either you get what I was trying to say, or you don't. Whatever, moving on...

[ehrnst]

21. Yes, moving on....