James Morone

Here's a question you may not have asked yourself: why does the Republican party hold primaries and caucuses at all? Is there a better system than the long, drawn out process of staggered elections which push and pull the political momentum towards different candidates at different points in the cycle? Wouldn't it be easier to have all of the states elect their nominee at once? Or is there another way entirely to choose our political leaders? 

In a talk delivered in 2008, Rick Santorum asked the students of Ave Maria University, "If you were Satan who would you attack in this day and age?" The former Senator went on to answer his own question and said "Satan has his sights on the United States of America." Santorum's statements resurfaced this week on the blogosphere, leaving many pundits scratching their heads. 

When President Obama's political opponents describe his administration's ideological bent, harsh words are often tossed into the fray. Whether it's Socialism, Marxism or Fascism, the President’s first term has been marred with accusations of adherence to a number of controversial ideologies. Is there any truth behind these heavily loaded terms? James Morone, political scientist and author, speaks about the many "isms" used to describe the Obama administration.