title:  Democratic Congressman Leaves Gov. Snyder Sputtering, Then Finishes Him With This Line (VIDEO)
text: Michigan s embattled conservative governor, Rick Snyder, came to Washington with his head still on his shoulders, but he might not leave that way. At a congressional hearing meant to explore the failures of Snyder s government leading up to and in response to the Flint water crisis, Democrats did what Synder s Republican colleagues seemed unable or unwilling to: They held him accountable.The Republican governor has become a symbol of how conservative ideals can   quite literally   poison an entire state. His plan to save a few bucks and  reduce big government  by diverting the water  supply from a riskier source blew up in his face and led to the deaths of several Flint, Michigan residents and the lead poisoning of thousands more. Children who grew up under Synder s rule, and were especially susceptible to the effects of lead poisoning, may now face developmental and physical illnesses for decades.At his congressional hearing, Snyder seemed to parrot the things his PR crisis team had prepped him with. He denied any knowledge of problems with Flint s water and blamed everyone else. This was not just a slap in the face of the committee he was testifying in front of, but an insult to the people who had been hurt or killed thanks to his shoddy administration. Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania was having none of it. Gov. Snyder, plausible deniability only works when it s plausible. And I m not buying that you didn t know about any of this until October 2015.You were not in a medically induced coma for a year. And I ve had about enough of your false contrition and your phony apologies. Cartwright pointed out that other people in Snyder s administration had already resigned in disgrace, and yet the  buck stops here  governor was still making excuses for himself. It was simply inconceivable that Snyder could pretend he wasn t at fault. There you are dripping with guilt, but drawing your paycheck, hiring lawyers at the expense of the people, and doing your dead level best to spread accountability to others and not being accountable. It s not appropriate. It led Cartwright to his final punch, a line so good it quite literally left Rick Snyder speechless. Pretty soon, we will have men who strike their wives saying,  I m sorry, dear, but there were failures at all levels,  the Pennsylvania Democrat said. Visitors in the gallery let out various sounds of shock. People who put dollars over the fundamental safety of the people do not belong in government. And you need to resign too, Gov. Snyder. For the rest of the country, Cartwright managed to channel all of the outrage we have felt and put it into just a few lines. Even better, he actually got to say it to Gov. Snyder s face and had the courage to do so. It was a great moment and perhaps the beginning of Snyder s richly deserved downfall..@RepCartwright to Gov. Rick Snyder:  You were not in a medically-induced coma for a year  https://t.co/yDm0E04WXq https://t.co/XGvsVWjGeC  MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 17, 2016Featured image via MSNBC