Why Republicans will have to vote yes on immigration

If you follow politics at all, you know Grover Norquist. He’s the anti-tax conservative who famously said he wanted to shrink government down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub. “Raising taxes is what politicians do instead of reforming government.”

But as I was cruising C-SPAN (it’s how I relax) I discovered his other side: Grover Norquist the radical immigration reformer.

“I get a kick out of these people who ask, ‘Should we be pro-immigrant?’ It’s like asking McDonald’s if they should sell hamburgers,” said Norquist.

He was at an immigration forum Monday alongside Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, saying he thinks Republicans will come around on the issue because immigrants work hard, create jobs, pay taxes, and buy stuff.

“The idea that people are coming from some country we don’t like – we don’t tell the Cubans they can’t come because Cuba is communist,” he said.

And he basically demolished any argument – and remember, this is the nation’s chief anti-tax crusader – that bringing in more immigrants would cost the government money.

“There are people that don’t like the extensive welfare and think that immigrants can go on welfare,” said Norquist. “Most of the the people whose lives are damaged by dependency on welfare were born here.”

He also dismissed arguments that immigrants are a burden on schools.

So when you have someone like Grover Norquist pushing immigration reform, how exactly does a Republican vote no? Especially when he utters the magic words …

“I work with all the nice Republicans, to encourage them to do what Reagan did!”