INTERVIEW – GROVER NORQUIST – PRESIDENT, AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM

• Norquist Says Vaping ‘Freedom’ Is Costing Democrats Votes. (Daily Vaper) –Vaping issues affecting thousands of small businesses and users trying to quit smoking are costing the Democratic Party voters, according to Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. Norquist, appearing on Vice News Monday, argued that regulatory and tax issues surrounding e-cigarettes are helping the Republican Party connect with longtime Democratic voters. Vapers often feel persecuted by federal agencies and Democratic lawmakers in localities throughout the country, who push for high taxes and restrictions that mimic traditional tobacco bans, reports Gizmodo. Norquist says he has “met with lifelong Democrats who said, ‘until this vaping is freed up from government threat, I’m voting with the Republicans because the D’s just don’t get it on this issue.’” He argues that, for the consumer, vaping represents “freedom,” albeit “heavily taxed freedom.” “Vapers care so much about it and the government’s screwing with them,” Norquist said, according to Gizmodo. “I work with groups and individuals that are being picked on by the government or the government is messing with them, whether they’re raising their taxes or pushing around in their business, their professional life.”