Last year Governor Rick Snyder delivered his State of the State Address fresh off a re-election victory, and was being urged to run for President. Gongwer News Service Publisher John Lindstrom says a year later no one would suggest Snyder consider running for national office.
Since that last address to a joint session of the State Legislature, much has happened. Lindstrom says the major event is the water crisis in Flint where a change of the city’s water system caused lead contamination. Lindstrom says the damage to Snyder’s image in such a short period of time is unprecedented in the almost 40 years he has been covering state government and politics.
Lindstrom says one of the sad ironies of the Flint water crisis that Governor Snyder “adores children.” The governor also fought for Medicaid expansion. Lindstrom says you can make a legitimate argument that health coverage for more people has saved lives. But he says the Flint water crisis affects children, and has harmed people’s health.
Until recently Lindstrom says the governor appeared to be in charge and had accomplished much of what he wanted to do in office. Lindstrom says there’s no good way of quantifying how different the situation is as Governor Snyder prepares to deliver his State of the State address from the same time a year ago.
