Can the gridlock be broken?

MAYBE THERE is hope that the gridlock in Washington can be broken.

And, strangely, the elected official who may be showing the way is U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

Sen. Toomey has developed a reputation for being among the most conservative members of the Senate. But he has shown signs that he is able to check his ideology at the door to get things done — even if those things don’t get accomplished.

The first sign came earlier this year when he joined with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in an attempt to get gun control legislation passed. The bill failed — an almost inexplicable failure considering its measures were widely supported by the public — but still, Sen. Toomey made the effort. In the deeply divided atmosphere of Washington, he deserves some credit for that.

And now, Sen. Toomey has played a key role in moving the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — which would prohibit workplace discrimination based sexual orientation or gender identity — closer to passage.

It seems odd that, in 2013, this is even an issue. The protection of the law should have been extended to gay and transgender Americans years ago. It seems like a no-brainer.

BUT THE BILL faced tough opposition, predictably, along party lines.

This week, Sen. Toomey broke with GOP party orthodoxy and voted to move the bill to a vote. His change of heart to support the legislation gave the bill the necessary votes to avoid a filibuster, clearing the way for its passage in the Senate.

His support did not come without strings attached, though. He did push for an amendment to strengthen the exemption in the bill for religious institutions. The bill already contains such protections; he was seeking to expand them, something civil rights organizations say would open a huge loophole in the measure. Why, they reason, should the ability to discriminate be written into a bill intended to prohibit discrimination? That’s a good question. All of this may be moot, though. Even if the bill sails through the Senate, it appears to be dead-onarrival in the House of Representatives, the place all legislative action apparently goes to die these days.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has expressed his opposition to the bill, as have a large number of House conservatives, claiming that it would harm businesses and cost jobs.

Yet, according to FactCheck.org, those concerns are not reality-based. Many large corporations already have nondiscrimination policies that extend to sexual orientation and gender identity. Some states have expanded their laws to cover these groups. And it hasn’t cost jobs, studies have shown.

BOTH THE U.S. Chamber of Commerce and small business associations support the bill. It is a civil rights issue, plain and simple, and expanding civil rights is a good thing.

So, once again, it appears Sen. Toomey’s attempt to show that he can compromise and work with senators across the aisle may be for naught.

And that’s a shame. Let’s hope it doesn’t discourage him from continuing to try.