Top 30 Days

The spotlight has been bright, not necessarily kind to former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll , 71% of Americans do not feel that Palin is qualified to be President. That includes a sharp drop in Republican support, where 45% believe she is qualified compared to 66% who thought she was last fall. Overall, 37% have a favorable view while 55% have an unfavorable view of the former Alaska Governor.

With Democrat Jerry Brown finally declaring his candidacy for California governor today and billionaire Meg Whitman’s super-rich Republican rival Steve Poizner starting his own TV ad campaign against her, this seems a good time to talk about a big new negative theme about the rather tarnished Golden State. Is California America’s first “failed state?” That’s what a lot of people are saying.

Over 2,500 HuffPost citizen journalists have helped provide comprehensive coverage of the Tax Day Tea Party protests . Click here for the latest photos and video .To join our citizen reporting team, sign-up here . While a majority of the protesters who attended tea parties across the nation convened to oppose to taxes, many conservatives viewed these gatherings as a platform to voice their other political grievances.

Originally published on Youthradio.org , the premier source for youth generated news throughout the globe. By: Will Nelligan In 2004, after he underwent quadruple bypass surgery, a lot of Americans (including myself) were put a little more in touch with President Clinton’s own mortality. Now, as I find myself glued to my computer and television, awaiting information on his latest of heart troubles, I’m also thinking about the mortality of Mr. Clinton’s party.

… or she is willing to lie about when it’s okay to do so. From Greg Sargent at The Plum Line : Case in point: On Fox News yesterday, Palin explained why it’s okay that Rush Limbaugh used the word “retard” even as Rahm Emanuel’s use of the term “retarded” constituted a firing offense: PALIN: I didn’t hear Rush Limbaugh calling a group of people whom he did not agree with ‘f-ing retards’ and we did know that Rahm Emanuel has been reported, did say that. There’s a big difference there.

Sure, you’ve seen Rolling Stone’s picks and Pitchfork weighed in and even the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll has published its results. But it’s never too late to get a recommendation for great music. So here are my picks for the best albums of 2009. Happily, with artist web sites and MySpace, you don’t have to take my word for it. Whenever possible, I’ve linked the artist’s name to a site playing some of their music; if something intrigues you, go check it out. Chances are, if you’re a fan of the artist or the genre, you’ll enjoy it.

A First Look at Palin’s Primary Math
by Nate Silver @ FiveThirtyEight.com

With nearly three years to go before the 2012 presidential election, President Obama’s hold on the White House appears to be in jeopardy, according to the results of a Gallup Poll released Wednesday. Registered voters nationwide favor Obama by a slim margin — 44 percent to 42 percent — over a generic Republican candidate. That gap is within the poll’s 4 percentage point margin of error. Three percent said they would vote for a different candidate, and 11 percent had no opinion.

Robert Gibbs pokes fun at Sarah Palin from his presidential podium. Giving a high profile dig to someone not in office, running for any office, or having any official role anywhere in the country. That’s a lot of attention for someone who supposedly doesn’t matter. The White House getting a little sloppy with their arrogance. It’s not like Sarah’s viability has spiked. A new ABC/Washington Post poll finds her unfavorable numbers at 55%, with her support among Republicans down.