--- title: Democratic Debate: Clinton and Sanders Clash in Flint description: The water crisis in Flint led off Saturday’s Democratic debate in that town, where Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clashed. canonical: https://time.com/4248784/clinton-sanders-flint-debate/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-06T15:23:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T16:53:06.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Clinton and Sanders Clash at Democratic Debate in Flint og:description: Questions about Flint led off the debate og:url: https://time.com/4248784/clinton-sanders-flint-debate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b4ac9b1813f978c/6988805be20a8716e1a8fd7f/hillary-clinton1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: hillary-clinton og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Clinton and Sanders Clash at Democratic Debate in Flint twitter:description: Questions about Flint led off the debate twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b4ac9b1813f978c/6988805be20a8716e1a8fd7f/hillary-clinton1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 00:46 video:published: 2016-03-07 section: politics topics: Flint water crisis, governor accountability, resignation and recall, state aid, public health, child safety, civic action genre: debate, speech tones: urgent, indignant, forceful, demanding emotions: anger (high), concern (high), determination (medium) sentiment: negative audience: voters, policy followers, political news audiences, public health advocates content_suitability: health controversy [00:01-00:10] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Clinton and Sanders Clash at Democratic Debate in Flint > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=eb470fd7-e169-4949-bb7e-68dd525805ad&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 2016 DEBATE FLINT: SANDERS CLINTON TALK FLINT [Watch (HLS stream): 2016 DEBATE FLINT: SANDERS CLINTON TALK FLINT](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/N5I3eUz4.m3u8) (0:46)  _Published 2016-03-07_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary A short clip from a 2016 debate segment in which a speaker says children in Flint, Michigan are being poisoned. The speaker argues the governor's dereliction of duty was irresponsible and calls for his resignation or recall. Another speaker agrees, supports citizens seeking that outcome, and calls for the state to immediately send money to help the city. Audience applause punctuates both statements. ## Key points - The speaker states that children in Flint, Michigan are being poisoned. (00:01) - The speaker believes the governor's dereliction of duty was irresponsible. (00:10) - The speaker says the governor should resign. (00:14) - The second speaker agrees that the governor should resign or be recalled. (00:24) - The second speaker says the governor should be recalled and that citizens' efforts to achieve that should be supported. (00:24) - The second speaker says the state should immediately send money to help the city. (00:33) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:24] Speaker describes poisoning of Flint children. A speaker says children in Flint are being poisoned and calls for the governor to resign over his irresponsible conduct. - [00:24 to 00:46] Calls for recall and state aid. A second speaker agrees the governor should resign or be recalled, backs citizen efforts, and urges immediate state money for the city. ## Key quotes - [00:01] unidentified speaker: "The children in Flint, Michigan, in the United States of America, in the year 2016, are being poisoned." - [00:10] unidentified speaker: "I believe the governor of this state should understand that his dereliction of duty was irresponsible." - [00:33] unidentified speaker: "The state should also be sending money, immediately, to help this city!" ## Questions this video answers - What is happening to children in Flint, Michigan? [00:01] - Who do the speakers say should resign or be recalled? [00:10] - What do the speakers believe should happen to the governor? [00:24] - What do the speakers say the state should do for Flint? [00:33] ## Content suitability - health controversy [00:01-00:10]: References children being poisoned in Flint, a public health crisis involving contamination.  by [Philip Elliott / Detroit](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott / Detroit Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:53 PM UTCPublished: Mar 6, 2016 3:23 PM UTC  by [Philip Elliott / Detroit](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott / Detroit Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:53 PM UTCPublished: Mar 6, 2016 3:23 PM UTC The [water crisis in Flint](http://time.com/4188328/the-poisoning-of-an-american-city) led off Saturday’s Democratic debate in that town, where public health notices are positioned over the sinks on the very campus where [Hillary Clinton ](http://time.com/4248428/hillary-clinton-michigan-populist/)and [Bernie Sanders](http://time.com/4244244/bernie-sanders-super-tuesday-speech-transcript-full-text/) clashed. Clinton pledged to support the recovery in a city where tap water is not safe to drink and children are suffering from lead poisoning. “What is more important than the health and well-being of the people of Flint?” Clinton said, noting the state of Michigan has a rainy-day fund. “It is raining lead in Flint and the state is derelict.” Sanders, too, vowed to support citizens of Flint—and then demanded Republican Gov. Rick Snyder resign. “This is a disgrace beyond belief,” Sanders said. “Children should not be poisoned. … People should not pay a water bill for poisoned water.” The conversation, broadcast on CNN, was one that both candidates were looking to use to make inroads in Michigan, which votes on Tuesday. The race here is tight, and both candidates are bracing for a long night of ballot counting. Clinton has the backing of the Establishment and many unions, but Sanders’ populism in the economically unstable state could help him finally find a win in a minority-heavy state. As the pair debated the pipes and poisons in Flint, Sanders was declared the winner in Maine’s caucus. It added to [his victories in Saturday’s contests in Kansas and Nebraska](http://time.com/4248617/super-saturday-republicans-democrats/). Yet it was unlikely to upend a race that at the moment favors Clinton. Clinton, even in loss, still is in control. She is amassing an advantage among delegates that Sanders will struggle to overcome. As Sanders picked up white-heavy Kansas and Nebraska—two states that are unlikely to tip to Democrats in November—Clinton picked up Louisiana, where African-Americans lent her a hand. Heading into Tuesday’s primary in Michigan, Sanders faced the question of how much more he was willing to fight. Even when telling Democrats in Michigan about his victories one night before the debate, on Saturday, he sounded like a candidate who was contemplating an exit. “No matter who wins this Democratic nomination, I have not the slightest doubt that on our worst days, we will be infinitely better than the Republicans,” Sanders said. Sunday night’s debate was clearly an effort to connect with Michigan residents and to demonstrate empathy for their troubles. Clinton advisers were privately bracing for a potential loss here, especially with Sanders dumping piles of cash into urban radio to boost his name with African-American audiences. He was also casting her record on trade as a reason for voters’ difficulties. Clinton pushed back, noting that she voted against the one trade bill that was sent to the Senate during her eight years there. All of Sanders’ other criticism was rooted in Bill Clinton’s term as President, when Mrs. Clinton was First Lady. “If we’re going to argue about the 1990s, I think it’s only fair to say that the end of the 1990s, after two terms of my husband’s Presidency, the unemployment of 4.4%,” Hillary Clinton said. If they were going to litigate Bill Clinton’s legacy, she at least wanted voters to look back fondly on that booming economy. Clinton has remained ahead of Sanders in the national race for delegates and, while he can win some states here and there, the former Secretary of State is keeping her focus on the delegate chart, which aides have put on a wall in her Brooklyn headquarters. “It’s a slog, but we’re going to come out on top,” one adviser said. The Sunday night debate was a late addition to the schedule, but unavoidable given the crisis given the water disaster in the city. “This is a crisis. We cannot drink the water,” Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said. “What happened in Flint could happen in any community.” Former President Bill Clinton spent his Saturday in Detroit, encouraging union members to work for his wife’s bid. Although the powerful UAW, Teamsters and the AFL-CIO were not going to take sides, others such as AFSCME, the American Federation of Teachers and LIUNA were knocking on doors for her. “She’s got the unions—or at least their leaders. You can’t overstate that impact,” said one neutral Democratic operative in Michigan whose clients include Clinton and Sanders backers. “It’s hard, if you’re a shift worker, to tell Bill Clinton no.” It’s why Team Clinton is spending every day ahead of Tuesday’s balloting here. She has proven successful in winning over more diverse states, while Sanders has found success in largely-white states. A win in Michigan could prove immensely helpful ahead of March 15, when other swing states Ohio and Florida cast ballots. While Clinton has yet to clinch the Democrats’ nomination, she’s obviously looking ahead to the general election—and gleefully imagining a contest against GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. “The stakes keep getting higher, and the rhetoric you’re hearing from the other side keeps sinking lower,” Clinton said Saturday night, making an allusion to Trump. It’s clear she’s ready to pivot to a head-to-head race with the man Establishment-minded Republicans see as being dragged to the muck by the New York billionaire. She’s betting luck is on her side. So far, it has been. ## Transcript [00:01] The children in Flint, Michigan, in the United States of [00:05] America, in the year 2016, are being poisoned. [00:10] I believe the governor of this state should understand [00:14] that his dereliction of duty was irresponsible. He [00:18] should resign. [ APPLAUSE ] [00:24] I agree. The governor should resign or be recalled and [00:28] we should [ APPLAUSE ] support [00:33] the Efforts of citizens attempting to achieve that. The [00:37] state should also be sending money, immediately, to [00:41] help this city! 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