(WASHINGTON POST) — This morning, after Senator Dean Heller announced he’d be the 60th vote for the Employment Non Discrimination Act, enabling it to break a GOP filibuster, House Speaker John Boehner promptly declared he opposes the legislation, putting its passage in doubt. Senior House GOP aides say the bill is unlikely to get a House vote.
However, on this topic, there are a handful of House Republicans who happen to agree with the RNC autopsy into what went wrong in 2012, which prescribed that the GOP should project a more tolerant aura on gay rights. One such House Republican is Rep. Charlie Dent, who comes from a moderate Pennsylvania district — and is one of around five House Republicans to come out for ENDA so far.
“I believe the Speaker should allow a vote on this bill,” Dent told me in an interview today. “I believe that the American public wants to make sure people are not discriminated against, based on race, religion, or sexual orientation.”