One Republican state rep who gives us hope on health care reform

While spending time at the Missouri Capitol, working on this week’s feature story, just about every Democratic lawmaker and staffer I spoke to in the House of Representatives emphasized that expanding health-care access had united the sometimes-fractious Democratic Party like no other issue.

That same group think was operating on the other side of the aisle, as well. The House Republicans all dug their heels into the same ideological cement and refused to restore even a small sliver of the 2005 Medicaid cuts. Instead they threw rhetorical tantrums about slavery and socialism and played political games to run out the clock.

But one Kansas City Republican who didn’t make a lot of noise, worked to nudge his Republican colleagues in a more rational direction. That guy was Ryan Silvey.