6-21-11: The Political Operative

It’s a term you hear often during campaign controversies: “political operative.” And you’ll find it in many a lede in stories about the indictment of Julius Henson and Paul Schurick on charges related to a deceptive Election Day robocall.

Who is The Political Operative? Who is he loyal to? Where does he draw the line? And are deceptive calls like the one placed on the evening of Maryland’s 2010 gubernatorial election protected as free speech?

We explore the role of political operatives with Todd Eberly, assistant professor and acting director of St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Center for the Study of Democracy, and Don Norris, Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Policy at UMBC.