The rhetorical tactics of the political Left

In our interactions with the political Left, we have noticed recurring tactics among our interlocutors. These tactics are so pervasive as to have become predictable.

Some of those are:

• Reframe the issue

Example: "The national debt is too high."

Leftist rejoinder: "Don't you want to have police, schools, and highways?"

• Do not address the argument presented

Example: "Return the government to its constitutional limits."

Leftist rejoinder: "The real problem is tax cuts." 

• Blame the problem on the ignorance or stupidity of the other party

Example: "Unemployment among blacks has dropped 30% under Trump."

 Leftist rejoinder: "Stop watching Faux News." 

• Infer evil intent

Example: "Obamacare is a failure."

Leftist Rejoinder: "Do you want people to die?"

• Change the subject or divert the conversation to unrelated issues

Example: "Clinton was impeached for obstruction and perjury."

Leftist Rejoinder: "Why are you so interested in other peoples' sex lives?"  

• Provide platitudes for answers, often irrelevant or incorrectly applied

Example: "Taxes are too high."

Leftist Rejoinder: "Taxes are the price we pay for civilized society."

• Start new every day as if nothing has ever been done before.

Example: A shooting occurs.

Leftist rejoinder: "We need common sense gun control."

In addition, there is a predictable step-by-step progression we have observed in our conversations:

1. Generally amiable at first
2. Mocking/personal attacks
3. Accusing their opponents are shilling (knowingly or not) for corporate interests
4. Preemptively blaming a person's thinking on Fox (Faux) News or Qanon.
5. Moving the goalposts in order to make you prove a new point not originally under discussion
6. Refusing to admit they are wrong
7. Escalating profanity
8. Dismissing the entire argument with a profanity
9. Exiting the debate when they are losing, frequently with a parting personal insult.

Here's how to recognize when to use rhetoric in response, or if it's time for you to get out of the debate:

• If you logically refute their point and they repeat it as if it hasn’t been refuted.
• If they argue themselves into a corner then change the subject or begin nitpicking minor details.
• If they never offer rebuttal but simply mock you or accuse you of trolling, intolerance, homophobia, racism, exercising your privilege, or being anti-science.
• They associate you with someone who is known for their extreme views.
• They reword your rebuttal, leaving out key words so as to misrepresent your position.
• They treat you with disdain since you are obviously not even worth the time to answer.
• They summarily dismiss you as stupid or extreme. 

Lastly, we have created a new law, called Mountain Man's Law. It reads, "Everything a Leftist Democrat accuses someone of doing is actually being done by Leftist Democrats."