One year ago, we published the original “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profile written about former U.S. Senate candidate and current Washington State Senator Michael Baumgartner, who has policy stances like putting an end to no-fault divorce, a return to the gold standard (which economists say would tank not just the American economy, but the global economy), U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (based off of Agenda 21 conspiracy theory fervor), and privatizing Social Security. He has not only voted against the legalization of gay marriage, but also would like gay couples to be prevented from adopting children. He also showed himself to be bizarre on the campaign trail in 2012, running attack ads against Maria Cantwell for being “unmarried” and undermining the role of the mother in child rearing, as well as responding to a reporter’s question about his thoughts on Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” comments by later e-mailing that reporter a picture of a Navy SEAL who died in Afghanistan and a note telling him to “go f*** himself”. He apologized for the latter unprofessional reaction, only to later say his apology was only sent on behalf of his staff, and retract even that apology.
Baumgartner was re-elected to the Washington State Senate in 2014, and his seat will not be up again until 2018. Since we last reported on him a year ago, Baumgartner continues to boggle the mind with the ideas he comes up with. Say, for example, in February 2015 when he proposed legislation to fund an oil pipeline being built across the entire state of Washington. Even stranger are the ideas Baumgartner gets to make new criminal offenses, like fining drivers in the far left lane of traffic who aren’t doing at least the speed limit (sure, they’re obnoxious, but still). His “smaller government” principles also inspired him to write SB 6116, to take away the salaries of striking public school teachers, even if they later worked “make up days” for the time they were on strike for students.
Lastly, we would feel it wrong to not also report on a particular piece of legislation that Baumgartner may not have written, but voted in favor of. In February 2016, SB 6443, was moving through the Washington State Legislature, to place regulations on gender-segregated facilities, and attempt to keep transgendered citizens in the bathroom of the gender they were born as. How it is a state as blue as Washington could allow a transphobic bathroom cop bill to come to the floor, it will be a couple more years before voters will be able to hold Baumgartner accountable for his support of the bill. Until then, we’ll keep our eyes on him.