Arkansas Republicans Are Doing What They Promised
by March 14, 2013 4:59 am 67 views
I write this week in my column with Stephens Media about the misguided bewilderment from those on the left toward the Republican majorities. For example, my colleague Michael Cook writes this week that Arkansas Republicans are a “one trick pony” spending the majority of their time on “guns and abortion.”
This is a nice talking point which Democrats are parroting but it simply does not add up.
For starters, look at the bills that have been filed. As we reported earlier this week, Lobby Up went through the text of the actual bills filed and found the top six keywords: 1. Tax/Taxes – 2. Regulation/Regulate – 3. Public School – 4. Technology – 5. Manufacture/Manufacturing – 6. Medicaid. Not on the list, abortion and guns.
Still, as I concede in my column, Republicans did pass two high-profile pieces of legislation that make Arkansas laws some of the most restrictive in the nation on abortion.
Guess what? That is exactly what they promised to do when they were campaigning. They laid this out in something they called the SIMPLE Plan, which they have been working to pass various parts of during the session. You can follow regular updates on passing each of these campaign promises on their website here.
So, Republicans are keeping their campaign promises. It’s too soon to know how many of the bills will become laws, but it’s clear they are working to that end. Bottom line: No one should be surprised about issues the new majority is working to advance. Those not pleased with the direction either were not paying attention during the campaign or probably voted for candidates from the minority party.