, Columnist
Immigration Reform in the House of Bedlam
On immigration reform, Republicans voting one way while hoping another is risky.
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Jonathan Bernstein at the Washington Post issued an advisory this week to journalists covering immigration legislation in the House. Due to the squirrelly nature of the politics within the Republican caucus, he wrote, reporters can't take at face value all Republican Party opposition to immigration reform.
This situation is not unique. Legislators sometimes vote their consciences, other times their districts and most of the time their party. Once in a while, on gay rights or National Institutes of Health funding, for example, they may even vote their family member.