Attack Ad on Elizabeth Warren

So I saw this political ad yesterday while eating my morning bagel:

This is produced by Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, connecting Elizabeth Warren to the “extreme left protests” and “violence” of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

This is an interesting but potentially dangerous game Rove’s hacks are playing here. They severely underestimate the popularity of Occupy Wall Street, especially in a state like Massachusetts. This kind of ad could really backfire and make people more sympathetic to Warren. On the other hand, it is possible that a cleavage in the public mind could develop between the principles of OWS and the actual people out there protesting. I definitely don’t think that has happened yet, but the response to this disgusting ad may tell us a lot about the contours of the 2012 campaign season.