How Much Did the Club for Growth Ad Hurt Dean?

Looking back on Iowa, there were a number of attacks which accumulated and really started to erode Dean's support in the last two weeks.

The one that sticks out to me in hindsight is the Club for Growth TV spot in which the elderly couple said: "Howard Dean should take his tax-hiking, government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading Hollywood-loving, left-wing freak show back to Vermont, where it belongs."

A lot of middle Americans respond to that charged language at a primal level -- even those who vote Democratic. I suspect it had a powerful effect, even though the picture it painted bore no relationship whatever to Howard Dean.

The thing that worries me now is that virtually the same ad can be run against Kerry. This regional and cultural aversion is very troubling to me, and I don't even know how to address it effectively.

with people if they let such silliness sway the way they think about a person, or, God forbid, sway their VOTE?? Based on that crap??
Man, we're in worse trouble than I care to admit if that kind of shit works...

with the snarfy elderly couple talking about how they didn't want the government in their medicine cabinet. That ad alone deep-sixed the plan.

It IS scary, but I think it resonates with a lot of average people. And I don't know how to combat it.

the average Iowa Caucus voter was the least bit influenced by that ad.