Fresh Politics, New Media

I published two research articles on public opinion toward same-sex marriage this week. The two solo-authored research articles extend my previous research on attitudes toward this controversial issue . The first piece,  What’s marriage (and family) got to do with it? Support for same-sex marriage, legal unions, and gay and lesbian couples raising children   was published by Social Science Quarterly . The article examines the impact of marital and family status and views on the purpose of marriage on support for gay marriage, legal unions, and gay and lesbian couples raising children. The bottom line: while ideological and religious values still matter most when it comes to predicting opinions on gay civil rights issues, it's also important to look at the role that marriage, family, and views on the purpose of marriage have in shaping the debate. The second piece,  Determinants of public support for same-sex marriage: Generational cohorts, social contact, and shifti...

Jon Stewart offered his own commentary on the latest Rush Limbaugh incident on Tuesday's broadcast. In the clip, Stewart mentions that Limbaugh is criticizing a private citizen but doesn't capitalize on this distinction. Instead he focuses on how the Right responded to Limbaugh's comments. Their answer: criticize Bill Maher, a liberal comedian with his own show on HBO, for calling Sarah Palin the "c" and "t" word. Do note that Sarah Palin is a very, very public person but Sandra Fluke is simply a Georgetown University law student. The clip continues by discussing Fox News' targeting of comedians. Did you know that comedians wear helmets according to Fox? By the end of the clip, Stewart tells the network to "Shut the F@#k Up!" The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook Regardless of the helmet fiasco (mocked nicely during the Will Ferrell interv...

We've been hearing a lot more about Iran these days -- whether it's during the Republican presidential debates, in the wide range of  reporting on the speeches of Barack Obama and the 2012 GOP hopefuls at this year's AIPAC conference, or the coverage of Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with Barack Obama. Even  The Daily Show weighed in this past Tuesday with a carefully constructed, graphically pleasing, and incredibly poignant discussion of the current controversy and the influence that the 2012 election season has had on the rhetoric surrounding the debate over what to do about Iran. I used to write a column for The Baltimore Sun  pointing out the best political comedy clips each month. I can honestly say that this clip would have made my list for March and perhaps for the entire winter season. Check it out for yourself: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook Stewart...