Patt Morrison is a live two-hour public affairs show. The program is known for its innovative discussions of local politics and culture, and for its presentation of national and world news as it affects Southern California.

Socialist! Communist! Marxist! These are just a few of the accusations hurled at political candidates during hotly contested election cycles.

Since the 2008 presidential election, many of Barack Obama’s critics and challengers have used the term ‘socialist’ as a derogatory term to describe his policies, but what does the word really mean?

Obama’s critics were far from the first to use such tactics - Joseph McCarthy threw fuel on the hot fire of the cold war with anti-communist rhetoric that carried right on through Ronald Reagan and beyond.

Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines ‘socialism’ as “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”

WEIGH IN:

Do people who accuse others of being socialists comprehend exactly what they’re saying? How is doing so an effective tactic in campaigns?

Guest:

Geoffrey Nunberg, linguist, professor, School of Information at UC Berkeley; his latest book is "Ascent of the A-word," coming out this summer

Paul D'amato, managing editor, "International Socialist Review;" author, "The Meaning of Marxism" (Haymarket Books 2006)