Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC)
The Republican congressman who said he
opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act like he opposed smoking bans, because "You need to respect the autonomy of somebody running their business" and "If you have a business, do you want the government to come in and tell you you need to hire somebody? Why should government be there to impose on the freedoms we enjoy?" initially stood by those statements. But now he's backing away in a fashion that's as ludicrous as his words.
After ThinkProgress reported his initial comments, Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC) told the editorial board of the Charlotte Observer that "… Government intervention is not the best solution for matters of the heart." At least when it comes to a business owner's heart desiring to not have LGBT employees. Not so much when it comes to people wanting the government to recognize their marriages. But now that people are paying attention to what he said:
Local channel WSOC-TV reported: “The congressman’s office insists he never made the divisive statement…Pittinger told [ThinkProgress] he does not support the employment non-discrimination act and the blogger ran with it.”
The office repeated the denial to MSNBC: “His opposition to ENDA was ‘translated’ into ‘firing gays’ by that blogger,” the director, Jamie Bowers, wrote in an email to msnbc on Friday.”
Denial one, that Pittenger never said what he was reported to have said, is easily dispensed with: ThinkProgress
has him on tape saying it. Denial two holds just about as much water. "His opposition to ENDA was 'translated' into 'firing gays' by that blogger." When you oppose a law that makes it illegal to fire or refuse to hire people because they are gay, it's not that hard of a translation. Do you support a law that would make it illegal to fire or refuse to hire someone because they're LGBT? If the answer is no, you're saying it should be legal to do so. And Pittenger didn't just say no. He said no, because "Why should government be there to impose on the freedoms we enjoy?" What freedom does ENDA impose on? The freedom to fire or refuse to hire someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
There is simply no wiggling out of this one. Pittenger said what he said, and he made clear that he meant what he said. The freedom he cares about is the employer's freedom to discriminate.