Today's Loser(s): Laura Ruderman, Suzan DelBene, and Darcy Burner


Sometimes it actually helps to be in office at election time.

Here's an example from the first day of the 2012 legislative in Olympia: In the run-up to this year's elections, a group of pro-choice groups including NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and Legal Voice is introducing a bill in Olympia to guarantee abortion rights by protecting women against all the loopholes in President Obama's Affordable Healthcare Act that allow insurance companies to refuse to provide abortion coverage.[pullquote]By sponsoring the bill—which they've called "groundbreaking"—Hobbs will strengthen his liberal credentials in his run for US Congress against the two (and potentially three) women in the race.[/pullquote]

The bill would mandate that any insurance that covers maternity care must cover abortions. The senate sponsor? US Congressional candidate, and conservative Democrat Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-44, Lake Stevens), who has the obstacle of running against two, and maybe three, high profile female candidates.

Hobbs, who's actually liberal on social issues (such as gay rights and choice), has been on labor's shit list for two years now for being a leader in the Roadkill Caucus, the crew of fiscally conservative Democrats who reformed unemployment insurance and workers' comp to lower businesses' tab, pushed all-cuts budgets, and pushed education reforms the unions didn't like, commandeering the senate's agenda from the liberal Democratic leadership.

By sponsoring the bill—which they've called "groundbreaking" because "Washington will ... lead the nation as the first state to establish in law that abortion is part of basic health care..."—Hobbs will strengthen his liberal credentials in his congressional run against the women in the race—Laura Ruderman, Darcy Burner, and Suzan DelBene, who has not yet officially announced.

Jolt isn't convinced Hobbs will win the women's vote against that field of female candidates, but being the state senate sponsor of a strong feminist bill (NARAL has dubbed it the "Reproductive Parity Act") doesn't hurt his case with liberals and pro-choice women.

Hobbs tells PubliCola he was "honored" to be asked to sponsor the bill "to fight for reproductive rights," adding that he thinks the bill will pass because "all we're doing is guaranteeing something that's already [required by state law] and protecting it from any changes from the federal law."

Hobbs says NARAL asked him to sponsor the bill because of his ties to moderates in both houses.

Asked how it played into his 2012 race for US Congress, Hobbs said simply, "whoever we end up nominating, we'll make sure they're a pro-choice candidate."

Today's Winner: King County Council Member Joe McDermott.

The King County Council signed off on two McDermott proposals today. The first adds supporting gay marriage to the county's legislative agenda in Olympia. McDermott, who is gay, proposed the amendment last year, which led to a standoff with the Republicans. Today, the Republicans—including GOP state attorney general candidate Reagan Dunn—signed off on the amendment , with Dunn publicly congratulating McDermott on his engagement to his partner.

The second McDermott proposal caps county council members' annual cost of living increases to three percent or 90 percent of inflation. The legislation, which passed unanimously today, gives McDermott some populist cred for forcing the council to share the burden during the recession.