Poisoning the Well

To poison the well is to commit a pre-emptive ad hominem strike against an argumentative opponent. As with regular ad hominems, the well may be poisoned in either an abusive or circumstantial way. For instance:

"Only an ignoramus would disagree with this bill." (Abusive)

"My opponents are a selfish lot, so of course they don't want to do what's right for America." (Circumstantial)

The well-poisoning, as do all ad hominem, attacks the messenger instead of the message.  Anyone bold enough to enter a debate that begins with a well-poisoner either steps into an insult, or an attack upon one's personal integrity. As with standard ad hominem, the debate is likely to cease to be about its nominal topic and become a debate about the arguer. However, what sets Poisoning the Well apart from the standard Ad Hominem is the fact that the poisoning is done before the opponent has a chance to make a case.

Hoo boy, you gota pay attention. You turned you back, and now they gona try again.