Top 30 Days

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.

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.

Jay Leno and NBC may be trying to win back fans lost during the Conan O’Brien debacle, but this doesn’t seem the best way to do it. In his “Tonight Show” return, Leno promoted Tuesday’s lineup, which includes Sarah Palin . In hyping Palin’s appearance, he said she “has never been on a late night show.” Palin, of course, appeared on the “Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” in December alongside William Shatner, where she read Shatner’s autobiography.

Man, policy-making is easy if you’re a Republican . You just ignore reality. Appearing on Fox News’s “On the Record with Greta Van Sustren” last night, Pawlenty said the federal law that mandates ER treatment should be repealed. “Well, for one thing you could do is change the federal law so that not every ER is required to treat everybody who comes in the door, even if they have a minor condition,” Pawlenty said.

Today, Feb. 27, is the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s speech at Cooper Union in New York City, which the eminent Lincoln historian Harold Holzer has called the speech that made him president. Why was his address that night so successful, and what does it mean for us today, including for President Obama? The answer is, a lot. On Feb. 27, 1860, the nation was in mortal crisis. A crucial issue of the day was whether the Federal government could forbid the extension of slavery into U.S. territories.

Andrea Fay Friedman, the voice actress who played the role of “Ellen” –the character depicted as having Down syndrome on the Valentine’s Day episode of Family Guy , has responded to the criticism of sometime-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Of special significance, Friedman herself has Down syndrome. Palingates has Friedman’s complete response : My name is Andrea Fay Friedman. I was born with Down syndrome. I played the role of Ellen on the “Extra Large Medium” episode of Family Guy that was broadcast on Valentine’s day.

Imagine a man born in Boston, Massachusetts, who after beginning his career as a writer in a local paper at age fifteen, develops into a legendary intellectual, author, and satirist, as well as a prominent scientist and politician. Being a competent violinist and harp player, he composes several original pieces of classical music for string quartets. At age 47, he is awarded honorary degrees from both Harvard and Yale — and shortly afterwards, a doctorate from Oxford.

The blogosphere, the fiber optic cables, and the airwaves have been buzzing with stories about Sarah Palin who, during a television interview connected with her speech at the conservative Tea Party convention, used crib notes written on her palm. You can see the infamous moment on YouTube . To compound the moment, Ms. Palin, threw a stone at the White House from her glass house during her speech when she said, “This is about the people. And it’s bigger than any king or queen of a tea party.

I think that when the history is written, it will turn out to have been George W. Bush’s tragedy that he allowed Dick Cheney to choose himself for Vice President. (Remember, Governor Bush asked Cheney to indicate who he thought would be the best #2 from a list compiled by the Bush staff. He rejected the list and chose himself). In a few respects Cheney fit the bill. He was an old Washington hand who would make up for Bush’s lack of Washington savvy. He was also a good debater, easily wiping the floor with Joe Lieberman in the single Vice Presidential debate.

A year and a half ago, a few weeks before the presidential election, Google CEO Eric Schmidt made a bold claim about the impact of the internet on our public life: “We are witnessing the end of Rovian politics,” he declared to Arianna Huffington .

Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) ripped into fellow Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin in a recent interview, saying she’s not “presidential” and accusing her of simply trying to sell books.
More here: 
Tancredo Blasts Palin As Not ‘Presidential,’ Rips McCain As ‘Nasty’ And ‘Mean’