Just wow—a House energy and water spending bill failed Thursday morning following the successful inclusion of a measure that would have preserved nondiscrimination protections for LGBT employees of federal contractors.
Even though this would appear to be the GOP's first rodeo on the LGBT measure, it's not. House Republicans thoroughly embarrassed themselves last week when they had to take "quick action" to defeat the pro-LGBT measure in a different funding bill, lest their members be forced to vote for it in the final spending bill (oh, the horror!). Then Wednesday night the same amendment protecting LGBT workers was offered on the energy and water bill and something miraculous happened—more than 40 House Republicans joined Democrats to attach it to the bill by a vote of 223-195.
All for naught by Thursday morning, reports Politico:
House conservatives on Thursday blocked passage of a relatively uncontroversial energy and water spending measure after Democrats attached an amendment that would bar federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
The appropriations bill failed 305-112, with many Republicans opposed because of the gay rights provision, which would have the effect of enacting into law a 2014 executive order by President Barack Obama. Democrats also heavily voted against it over objections to other add-ons.
The mind-boggling series of events provides a measure of just how inept the GOP leadership still is—even with golden boy Paul Ryan at the helm. Why would they take "quick action" to defeat a provision that would have passed only to have it succeed a week later and then be sunk by GOP conservatives who just couldn't stand to vote for it?
It's reminiscent of John Boehner's opening salvo of the 2015 session when GOP leadership miscalculated on three consecutive votes related to his own speakership, immigration, and reproductive rights. Those flaps all came down to Boehner's inability to bridge the gap between his crazy conservatives and slightly saner GOP moderates.
This latest fiasco may involve LGBT rights, but the underlying problem's the same and it doesn't matter who's at the helm. Once you've gerrymandered your party into a radical corner, there's just no putting lipstick on that pig.