Bills addressing each of these issues would likely pass if Boehner would agree to give them votes. But as more of them clear the Senate, it actually becomes harder for him and the House leadership to make special exceptions for particular ones. If they agree to give ENDA a vote and it passes (which it would) it would deepen the quagmire they’ve created for themselves by refusing to give immigration reform a vote of its own.

That creates a conundrum for some of Boehner’s members (though Boehner himself opposes ENDA). In the past, top House Republicans, including Paul Ryan and NRCC chairman Greg Walden, have supported less expansive versions of the bill. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor— the only Jewish Republican in Congress — has spoken and written convincingly about his support for the principle of equality. But internal GOP politics are overwhelming the moral imperative. After ENDA passed in the Senate on Thursday, Cantor’s spokesman Rory Cooper gave voice to this tension.

“The bill is currently not scheduled in the House,” he said. “I hope Majority Leader Reid soon addresses the dozens of House-passed bills that have been ignored in the do-nothing Senate that create jobs, improve education and create opportunity while Americans struggle to find a good-paying job.”

GOP leaders haven’t categorically refused to put the bill on the floor. Perhaps they will at some point. But what, then, will they say to Latinos and other immigrant groups, who want the same basic treatment?

The tension wouldn’t necessarily end there, either. In addition to immigration reform and ENDA, Democrats want bills pertaining to minority voting rights and equal pay for women on Boehner’s desk before election season. So far this Congress, Boehner has refused to break the Hastert Rule unless clear exigencies have required him to. But if the dam were to break, and he decided to put ENDA on the floor, what argument would he make for not getting out of the way entirely. By what principle would he deny some of these constituencies’ votes but not others?

It would be difficult for him to sustain such arbitrariness, but it’s even harder to envision the lower chamber suddenly becoming a clearinghouse for major pieces of progressive legislation. At least not while Boehner’s obsessively guarding his own hide. It’s much easier to imagine him keeping these bills bottled up and letting voters decide.

That’s immensely frustrating for liberals. But it should be a reminder to them that all elections — even midterms — matter tremendously. This one could be a referendum on the proposition that the United States is quickly becoming a more tolerant country, and the Republican party isn’t keeping pace.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Parkway School District.