Given the level of animus directed at Dean, it's no surprise that one of the most notorious presidential primary ads in recent years was directed at him -- and financed by Democrats, no less. The ties those Democrats have to Gephardt were made clear in recent media reports, led by Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post's editorial page (Dec. 13 and Dec. 16).
The ads, which use a picture of Osama bin Laden to assert that Dean is weak on foreign policy, were financed by an organization run by one man, Edward Feighan, who has contributed $2,000 to Gephardt's campaign, and another, David Jones, who is a former Gephardt fund-raiser. The group's spokesman is Robert Gibbs, Sen. John Kerry's former press secretary.
While Americans for Jobs, Healthcare and Progressive Values, the organization that created the ad, has refused to immediately release its donor list, the Associated Press reported this week that at least two labor unions that have endorsed Gephardt have donated $50,000 each to the group.
"There are those who wake up every morning determined to destroy western civilization," the ad's narrator says. "Americans want a president who can face the dangers ahead. But Howard Dean has no military or foreign policy experience. And Howard Dean just cannot compete with George Bush on foreign policy."
The Dean campaign reacted angrily to the broadside.
In an open letter to the other Democratic campaigns, Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi wrote that the ad represents "the kind of fear mongering attack we've come to expect from Republicans and panders to the worst in voters. I'm writing to call on each one of you to condemn this despicable ad and demand it be pulled from the airwaves."
The ads could end up working counter to their purposes. Voters –- and reporters -– are typically tough on these sorts of ads from third parties and are skeptical of attempts to deny coordination.
"There is a history of activities like this by outside groups," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a campaign finance watchdog group. "[These sorts of ads] can be a two-edged sword: They can help a candidate they're trying to help, and they can often help a candidate they're trying to hurt. I doubt running ads featuring Osama bin Laden would be considered wise politics by the people these ads are supposed to help."
In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Gephardt distanced himself from the organization and the ads -- an important point, given that coordination would be illegal.
"I haven't seen the ads, I have no knowledge of them," he said. "I've had no knowledge of who is doing this or why they're doing it. And, for my part, I wish they would reveal the donors to the organization, whoever they are."
For now, the ads, and the seemingly coordinated efforts of the Washington establishment Democrats to gang up on Dean, have allowed him to perpetuate his outsider status, which seems to appeal to primary voters this year. Polls taken since Hussein's capture have shown Dean slipping some and Lieberman perhaps gaining some. But nothing would suggest at this point that Dean remains anything other than the frontrunner.
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