California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses the public.
Sure, it's great for alternates, and it's a power move for Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the real importance of the 31 delegates who are California state senators and assembly members being forced to stay home and work on the way-past-deadline California budget is this: There are suddenly available hotel rooms in Denver.
When the Governator, furious that the state's congress can't pass a budget (he's paying state workers minimum wage until one is passed) chastised Democrats for partying while Sacramento burns, the Dems had to give up their hotel rooms or look like lazy, selfish pols. Personally, I'd go for lazy, selfish pols and see Death Cab for Cutie on Wednesday with emcee Sarah Silverman, but then again, I wouldn't want to live in Sacramento and argue about budgets.
The mad rush for the extra rooms has quietly begun with email addresses being passed among journalists, activists and anyone else with a connection to the California delegation. They should be gone by morning.