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This book examines the role of humor in modern American politics. Writtenby a wide range of authors from the fields of political science and communication, this book is organized according to two general topics: how the modern media present political humorthe various ways in which political humor influences politics. Laughing Matters is an excellent text for courses on media and politics, public opinion, and campaigns and elections.

ABSTRACTIn this article, we chronicle our experience in team-teaching large-lecture sections of "Introduction to American Government." A dual-instructor approach allows us to accommodate 250 students, which obviates the need for five separate sections (and instructors) of the course. In addition, our "Crossfire Approach," in which we engage one another in frequent and unstructured political debate, generates student interest in the course and in the political science major. Students who were enrolled in this course from 2007 through 2011 were significantly more likely to declare political science as their major than those who took it from any other instructor or either of us teaching it individually. This approach conserves departmental resources while simultaneously growing the program—a clear win-win situation.

Though few scholars compare presidencies, a recent collection by John Carey and Matthew Shugart (1998) compares the use of the presidential executive decree power in several countries. In a similar vein, we examine the oft‐neglected power of the presidential pardon in the United States and Russia. The power of presidents to grant pardons is typically unlimited, which fact alone makes it worthwhile to understand. Like Carey and Shugart, we look at the institutional factors involved in the potential and actual use of the pardon power in our attempt to explicate the foundations of and the constraints on presidential pardons, as well as any trends which may be evident in its use. The comparison highlights the difficulties in precisely defining "pardon," as well as illustrating the fact that this seemingly minor power in a newer democracy can be used as a powerful political tool.

Though few scholars compare presidencies, a recent collection by John Carey & Matthew Shugart (1998) compares the use of the presidential executive decree power in several countries. In a similar vein, we examine the oft-neglected power of the presidential pardon in the US & Russia. The power of presidents to grant pardons is typically unlimited, which fact alone makes it worthwhile to understand. Like Carey & Shugart, we look at the institutional factors involved in the potential & actual use of the pardon power in our attempt to explicate the foundations of & the constraints on presidential pardons, as well as any trends that may be evident in its use. The comparison highlights the difficulties in precisely defining "pardon," as well as illustrating the fact that this seemingly minor power in a newer democracy can be used as a powerful political tool. 1 Table, 1 Appendix, 42 References. Adapted from the source document.

Describes this executive power in the US and Russia, focusing on constitutional, judicial, and legislative framework.

Does late night political humor matter? Are late-night comedians merely entertaining, or do they have the power to influence the way we think about politics and politicians? Politics Is a Joke! situates late night comedy in the historical context of political humor and demonstrates how the public turn to this venue for political information, and are in turn affected by it. Using exclusive data collected by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, the authors conduct a detailed and exhaustive analysis of political jokes on late night TV shows dating back to 1992 in order to pinpoint the main targets and themes of late-night comedy. Politics Is a Joke! uses a wide range of examples, from jokes about politicians' physical appearance and sex scandals to jokes about Congress and even the news media, to assess and understand the impact of political humor on political institutions, politicians and their policies and behavior. Engagingly written with analysis of jokes from comedians like Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Politics is a Joke! is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the crucial role late night comedy plays in our political universe - and anyone who enjoys a good laugh.

Baumgartner, Kada, and thier contributors examine presidential impeachment in such varied settings as the United States, Russia, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, the Philippines, and Madagascar. In all of these countries there has been a serious impeachment attempt within the past decade or so. The results of each impeachment attempt vary, from unnsuccessful attempts to those which were successful; in the latter case, some resulted in presidents remaining in office, others in removal of the president, and, in one case, the forced resignation of a president.||The common framework of each analysis i

The authors argue in this study that religious beliefs play a significant role in predicting American public opinion on foreign policy issues in the Middle East. Their findings reveal that Evangelical Christians have remained strong supporters of a hawkish foreign policy toward the Middle East, even as overall public support for the Iraq War declines. They also find that Evangelicals are among the strongest supporters of Israel and hold more negative views of Islam than others. These results reinforce the growing importance of the "faith factor" in public opinion and American politics as a whole.