Believe It Or Not: Kudos To Sen. Jason Rapert

Last week, I wrote a story critical of Senator Jason Rapert for skipping the crucial Medicaid private option vote. This story came to light via Rapert’s back-and-forth Tweets with former State Rep. Linda Tyler on Friday.

Today, I’m giving Rapert “props” for some of his Tweets that deal with the Medicaid private option and his being critical of “experts” who were not fully informed on the issue.

Advance Arkansas Institute, a right-wing think tank headed by former State Rep. Dan Greenberg, is conducting a series of meetings on the Medicaid private option. Greenberg’s group unofficially opposes the private option.

Today AAI held a meeting on Medicaid in North Little Rock with Ed Haislmaier of the Heritage Foundation as one the presenters.

It turns out Haislmaier hasn’t even read Arkansas’s Medicaid private option bill, to which he apparently admitted.

This drew a public – and correct – rebuke from Rapert via Twitter. Here are some of Rapert’s Tweets on the subject in the order they were written:

@jasonrapert: @AdvanceAR: Haislmaier says he has not read the AR Private option bill while speaking against it today. #AAITour #arleg #hcr”

@jasonrapert:: @AdvanceAR the issues on Private Option are so vital – why put on a seminar when your expert has not even read the bill. Disappointed.#arleg

@jasonrapert: @AdvanceAR I’m disappointed to spend hour thoughtfully listening to argument “not” to support PO – then expert says he hasn’t read the bill.

Ouch. Rapert figuratively slapped Advance Arkansas around for not being properly prepared for a meeting on Medicaid.

Via Twitter, Advance Arkansas disagreed with Rapert’s take on their expert speaker.

@AdvanceAR: @jasonrapert you have misunderstood the nature of the presentation. We are 501C3. We do not take positions on bills, but promote good policy

Rapert replied to another Twitter user who tried to defend Haislmaier and his not bothering to even read this significant piece of legislation.

@jasonrapert: @phprogram That does not relinquish conservatives from the duty of having their testimony ready and reading the bills upon which try speak.

Any speaker who makes a presentation in Arkansas on Medicaid expansion and doesn’t even take time to read the hotly debated “private option” lacks serious credibility.

Kudos to Senator Rapert for calling on the carpet those “experts” who don’t bother to get all the facts.