Today's Fresh Meat

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Signaling a change in the tone and tenor of the Democratic presidential contest, California is now closer to being in play than ever before, with Hillary Clinton's lead shrinking to 14-points and the number ofundecideds on the upswing, the Sacramento Bee reports. Clinton stillhas the advantage, but recent shifts suggest Californians will bewatching closely what happens before February 5, and it could influencetheir choice.

Former Controller Steve Westly, the wealthy former Silicon Valley executive who lost to Phil Angelides last year, is supporting Proposition 93, the initiative aimed at reforming term limits to allow members to servelonger in one house, according to the Bee. Another independentlywealthy pol, Republican Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, has comeout on the other side.

Senator Barbara Boxer is telling it like it is whenit comes to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's expecteddenial of a California waiver to allow regulation of emissions at astricter level, the Bee reports. The sad truth is that many of thesedecisions lead back to Vice President Dick Cheney's office, as Boxerput it, and the powers that be are not interested in giving Californiathis authority.

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Photo courtesy of The Onion.