Today's Fresh Meat

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The Democratic presidential contest is getting closer to California,both on the map and on the calendar, as the Los Angeles Times reportson a heated exchanges between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on theNevada campaign trail. More California representatives are starting to make endorsements too—of note recently are Rep. George Miller and State Sen. Gil Cedillo for Obama.

Women and Latinos in California will be key to the chances of both Democrats Obama and Clinton as well as the Republicancandidates, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. But California is alsoa far cry from the wind mills and rural diners of Iowa and NewHampshire—the retail part of the campaign is largely over, and much ofthe battle will be over the airwaves and in newspapers and pressconferences. With two female Senators, a female Speaker of the U.S.House and a swelling Latino population, these groups are targetedheavily.

A competitive contest in California is good for this state and the nation ,because many of our concerns are closest to the global problems thatthe next president must confront, writes John Diaz in the Chronicle. Asa coastal state, climate change is paramount; we share a border withMexico; and our young population is interested in straight talk onSocial Security. And this year, our state matters.

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Photo courtesy of the Washington Post