This cuts both ways --- I would argue (without any real evidence) that the most receptive audience for an ad hominem attack is also the sort of audience that would believe in statements uttered by certain people regardless of whether they make sense or not. The same people who applauded Farage for his (disgraceful, in my opinion) speech would believe his statements unquestioningly because he is a bloke just like them.

Source author: André Xuereb andre.xuereb@um.edu.mt