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The modern landscape of American entertainment is filled with commentary on the state of the union. Viewers turn to The Daily Show instead of Fox or CNN, satirical films such as Wag the Dog, cartoons like The Simpsons, or controversial action dramas similar to 24 in order to learn more about current events in the United States. Popular culture is educating America more than the nightly news, aiding viewers in their quest to understand the American political system.

In Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture, Joseph J. Foy and other contributing scholars offer diverse political perspectives through the framework of popular culture. From the classic film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to the cutting-edge television program Chappelle's Show, a wide spectrum of entertainment media is used to explain the complexities of U.S. politics and how audiences engage with them. Popular culture and politics have never been so intertwined in the American consciousness as they are today. As political knowledge becomes increasingly fragmented, Homer Simpson Goes to Washington explains how popular culture can actually help connect people to their government.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Title Page, Copyright
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  1. Contents
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  1. Foreword
  2. Stanley K. Schultz
  3. pp. vii-xii
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  1. Introduction. American Idle: Politics and Popular Culture
  2. Joseph J. Foy
  3. pp. 1-6
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  1. Part 1. Setting the Stage: American Political Thought, Beliefs, and Culture
  1. 1. Aye on Springfield: Reasons to Vote "Yes" on Popular Culture
  2. Greg Ahrenhoerster
  3. pp. 9-18
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  1. 2. R for Revolution: Hobbes and Locke on Social Contracts and Scarlet Carsons
  2. Dean A. Kowalski
  3. pp. 19-40
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  1. 3. Political Culture and Public Opinion: The American Dream on Springfield's Evergreen Terrace
  2. J. Michael Bitzer
  3. pp. 41-60
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  1. Part 2. Cast and Crew: Actors and Institutions in American Government and Politics
  1. 4. Congress, Corruption, and Political Culture: Mr. Bulworth Goes to Washington
  2. John Grummel
  3. pp. 63-80
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  1. 5. The President as Hero: Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Bartlet
  2. Jennifer J. Hora
  3. pp. 81-96
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  1. 6. Seeking Justice in America's Two-Tiered Legal System: "I Plead the Fif"
  2. Kristi Nelson Foy, Joseph J. Foy
  3. pp. 97-116
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  1. 7. Madisonian Pluralism and Interest Group Politics: Inhaling Democracy, Choking on Elitism
  2. Joseph J. Foy
  3. pp. 117-132
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  1. 8. Entertainment Media and Political Knowledge: Do People Get Any Truth out of Truthiness?
  2. Christopher A. Cooper, Mandi Bates Bailey
  3. pp. 133-150
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  1. 9. Broadcast News and the Movies: Wagging Somebody's Dog
  2. Dick Flannery
  3. pp. 151-168
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  1. Part 3. Lights, Camera, Politics: Contemporary Issues in American Government
  1. 10. Torture, Terrorism, and 24: What Would Jack Bauer Do?
  2. Timothy Dunn
  3. pp. 171-184
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  1. 11. Civil Liberties v. Law and Order: Exploring Responses to Terrorism in The Siege
  2. Nathan Zook
  3. pp. 185-198
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  1. 12. Influencing American Foreign Policy through Popular Music: All the World's a Stage
  2. Brett S. Sharp
  3. pp. 199-216
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  1. 13. Twentieth-Century American Folk Music and the Popularization of Protest: Three Chords and the Truth
  2. Craig W. Hurst
  3. pp. 217-232
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  1. 14. Reevaluating Democracy in America: Profound Disappointment, Profound Hope
  2. Margaret Hankenson
  3. pp. 233-250
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  1. Afterword. Popular Culture, Political Punditry, and the Blrth of The Presidential Cool
  2. Joseph J. Foy
  3. pp. 251-258
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  1. Contributors
  2. pp. 259-262
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 263-276
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