by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Aw, who am I kiddin'?

For months, politicians in big states like California, Florida and Michigan have griped about their lack of influence in the 2008 presidential race, pushing up their primaries to try to diminish the sway of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Now, thanks to those efforts, Iowa and New Hampshire appear more important than ever.

It's mainly a process story about how candidates must score an early victory to be able to gather enough money to compete on February 5.  It was all so eminently predictable, and the relative absence of any Presidential candidates or buzz in this state with a little more than 3 months to go until the primary is further proof.  The only way to end the prospect of Iowa and New Hampshire picking the nominee is to... stop having them pick the nominee.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Money isn’t everything, but, at this phase of the 2008 Presidential race, it’s the only thing. And Hillary Clinton is amassing a political war chest the way Joey Chestnut devours Nathan’s Famous hot dogs.

All day, talking heads have been salivating over the New York Senator’s eye-popping -- and altogether unexpected -- fundraising totals for this challenging third quarter, a historically fallow time for big-dollar political fundraising.

Her $27 million put to rest once and for all questions about her sustained fundraising ability in the face of Senator Obama’s relentless star turn.

It’s a long way to Denver -- and Presidential primary frontrunners are typically vulnerable to December surprises -- but Senator Clinton is the most vetted non-incumbent candidate in modern history and her campaign is starting to take on the distinctive and rarified air of error-free inevitability. At this point, a Howard Dean-type collapse looks about as likely as Clarence and Isiah Thomas appearing together on "The View."

On Sunday, I saw Hillary Clinton and her California operation up close in Napa County and Oakland.

The candidate was engaging, eloquent and self-aware, qualities that are usually imputed to Obama. Unlike Obama, she was specific. She was also surprisingly candid and funny.

There's more...

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Former California Governor Pete Wilson has endorsed Rudy Giulianiin the 2008 presidential race, reports the Bakersfield Californian.It’s a big one for Giuliani—assuming, of course, he’s trying to ditchthe Hispanic vote.

Inside Bay Area is taking a look at how absentee ballots have front loaded the primaries in California, which were moved up to February 5. Voters have the option ofsubmitting absentee ballots up to six weeks before the primary date, afull week ahead of Iowa’s primaries. Meaning that election seasonshould be just around the corner.

The US Senate is preparing to pass legislation expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, having voted 69-30, a veto-proof majority, to end debate on the bill,reports the Washington Post. The House, however, lacks such a majority.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has vowed to take up to the legislation“again and again and again” if Bush refuses to sign it.

by Mark Leno [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

This is one straight out of Karl Rove's political playbook. A group of Republican political operatives and their powerful special interests have hatched a desperate scheme to rig California's electoral process to their advantage. They're proposing a statewide ballot initiative to change how California casts its electoral votes for President. They've cleverly labeled it the "Presidential Election Reform Act," which would sound credible if it weren't so cynical.

But make no mistake, this wolf-in-sheep's-clothing has nothing to do with reform or protecting voters' interests or preserving the integrity of our Constitution. It's an audacious power grab by the GOP as it spirals into irrelevance leading up to the 2008 Presidential race.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Mark Leno
Member, California State Assembly

This is one straight out of Karl Rove's political playbook. A group of Republican political operatives and their powerful special interests have hatched a desperate scheme to rig California's electoral process to their advantage. They're proposing a statewide ballot initiative to change how California casts its electoral votes for President. They've cleverly labeled it the "Presidential Election Reform Act," which would sound credible if it weren't so cynical.

But make no mistake, this wolf-in-sheep's-clothing has nothing to do with reform or protecting voters' interests or preserving the integrity of our Constitution. It's an audacious power grab by the GOP as it spirals into irrelevance leading up to the 2008 Presidential race.

The Republican Party is in complete disarray. Wracked by scandal and corruption, the GOP has apparently concluded that it has little chance of appealing to voters on the merits. President Bush's poll numbers are melting faster than an Alaskan glacier and a recent nationwide poll showed that two-thirds of young voters surveyed believe that Democrats do a better job than Republicans of representing their interests.

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

There is no reason for a well-informed Californian not to know about the Dirty Tricks initiative to steal the 2008 election by changing the way the state apportions its electoral votes.  By now practically every newspaper in the state has written an editorial against it.  And now one of the deans of Sacramento, George Skelton, bluntly criticizes the maneuver.

The chutzpah award for this summer has a runaway winner. It's the small team of Republican operatives trying to rig the 2008 presidential race.

"Rig" means tilting the playing field to assure continued Republican occupancy of the White House -- perhaps for a very long time.

over...

by Sheri Divers [courtesy of Blog for America]

Face the Nation (CBS): Karl Rove on politics and the 2008 presidential race.

This Week (ABC): This Sunday, a live 90-minute debate with the Democratic presidential contenders on a special edition of "This Week With George Stephanopoulos."

The candidates: Senator Joe Biden, D-Del., Senator Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Senator Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., Former Senator John Edwards, D-N.C., Former Senator Mike Gravel, D-Alaska, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Governor Bill Richardson, D-N.M.

Find out how they tackle tough questions on the campaign issues that you care about-- from Iraq to healthcare, from immigration to education. Join us for the first Democratic Presidential Debate of the 2008 cycle and the first Democratic Presidential Forum of the 2008 cycle held in Iowa.

60 Minutes (CBS):  Deepwater
The country is less secure and the U.S. Coast Guard is in worse shape now than when it began its $24 billion "Deepwater" refurbishment plan years ago, says a congressman overseeing the maritime force. Steve Kroft reports.