Today's Fresh Meat

by Brian O'Hara

Well I finally got my Obama VP text message at 7:37am this morning. I thought I was supposed to be the FIRST to know. I'll let it pass, David Plouffe, just this once...

So Senator Joe Biden (D-Delaware) is Obama's pick for Vice President. The Foreign Relations Committee Chair will bring on board business class moderates who had few degrees of seperation from World Trade Center devastation and have cast a glaring eye on Obama's optimistic foreign policy goals. Catch the Obama-Biden chemistry in Springfield, Illinois at 2:00pm Central Time today.

As Denver prepares for the Democratic National Convention, California's Democratic legislators continue to weigh possible attendance against the bad press the trip is attracting. The convention is being seen as a distraction from the state budget stalemate instead of as an opportunity to plug California's interests into a network of powerful federal and state officials.

The Liberal OC has a Denver scouting report from Misha Houser and Chris Prevatt. Born in Denver, Misha returned earlier this week to attend the National Stonewall Democrats Convention and will be a great source for next week's Obama drama. Her High Altitude Survival Guide for is a must-read for Sacramento flat-landers or anyone else going to Denver. Chris has the Stonewall Democrats response to the Biden pick, although it kinda reads like a fill-in-the-blank endorsement.

While you're there, check out the Liberal OC's spotlight on columnists who have had it with the GOP.

California's Water Wars won't be extinguished any time soon. The govenor's Delta Vision Task Force is rounding out it's proposals to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta but some aren't too sure about the means or the ends of the governor's strategy.

Meanwhile, Assembly Democrats have unveiled their own water proposal. It's a compromise measure that provides spending oversight and could get needed legislators on board for a budget vote.

In other legislative news, Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) had her dumpster diver i.d. bill passed through the Senate yesterday. Anyone cashing in on more than $100 in bottles and cans, or $50 in newspapers, would need to show some i.d. and would be paid in cash. A bill sent yesterday to the governor's desk would prohibit Californians from text messaging while driving. Patrick McGreevy at the Los Angeles Times rounds out other nota-bills.

That's it for Today's Fresh Meat!

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