In a whimsical moment, the Green Party National Committee has been thinking about a possible official animal that would symbolize the Green Party of the U.S., since the Democratic Party has the donkey and the Republican Party has the elephant. According to Green News and Opinion (here), the choices, in order of support, are (1) Turtle; (2) Frog; (3) not to have an animal symbol; (4) Bee; (5) Sunflower.

Minor parties have not generally been attached to animal symbols, although the Prohibition Party consistently used a camel; the 1912 Progressive Party used a bull moose; and both the Reform and Constitution Parties used an eagle.

On July 10, the California legislature passed SB 293. It lets the Republican Party bypass the normal deadline for a party to certify its presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the Secretary of State. The bill only applies to 2008 and only applies to the Republican Party. California had been the last state which had a deadline for a party to name its national ticket that was earlier than the actual 2008 Republican national convention. That convention won’t nominate for president until September 3 or September 4 (or, conceivably, if no one gets a majority on the first ballot, even a later date).

California’s AB 583, the bill to establish public funding for state office, had been scheduled for a State Senate Elections Committee hearing on July 10. However, the bill’s author, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, took the bill off the Committee’s agenda. California legislative sessions are two years, so the bill could still pass in 2008. It is likely that Hancock removed the bill from the agenda because she knew it would not pass on July 10.