The Patriot Post® · Democrats' Faith in Flint

Ahead of the Michigan primary Tuesday, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders squared off in hopes of winning the voters in the Rust Belt. It was no coincidence that the debate was held in Flint, Michigan, where the tap water, thanks to government incompetence, runs tainted with lead. The majority of the city’s population is black, and pundits after the debate opined that Clinton defended her demographic.

The two big-government politicians split hairs over gun control, poverty reduction and trade, but they were in agreement when it came to solving the water problems in Flint: It’s a job for big government and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder must resign. Clinton proposed tweaking the system already in place, opening up transparency, bringing in accountability and raining federal funds upon the city. The socialist Sanders, however, bristled at the idea of privatization, saying sarcastically, “Maybe we should let Wall Street run Flint. We can trust them, I’m sure.” Reason’s Robby Soave noted that Sanders forgets Flint residents are currently living off bottle water provided by individuals and those blasted corporations. As we’ve said before: The positions of Sanders and Clinton pose a distinction without a difference.

The debate wrapped up with both candidates playing the faith card, and not exactly their faith in big-government. When he was asked if he believed “that God is relevant,” Sanders said, “I think when we talk about God … what we are talking about is what all religions hold dear.” Pressed about his personal Jewish faith, Sanders eked out more information about himself: “I am very proud to be Jewish, and being Jewish is so much of what I am. Look, my father’s family was wiped out by Hitler in the Holocaust.”

When Clinton was asked “to whom and for whom do you pray?” the Democrat frontrunner reveled a more personal faith. Clinton replied, “I pray very specifically for people whom I know by name. … I pray for the will of God to be known that we can know it and to the best of our limited ability, try to follow it and fulfill it. … So I pray on a pretty regular basis during the day, because I need that strength and I need that support.”

Both answers prompt more questions about the candidate’s beliefs. Specifically, Sanders should clarify if he’s agnostic or even an atheist, as his answer suggests he identifies only culturally as Jewish. And given Clinton’s tenuous relationship with the truth, forgive us if we take her answer with a grain of salt.