I’ve seen enough of leftists arguing with conservatives on sites like Twitter, Facebook, and comment sections of conservative websites to have seen a very distinct pattern. Leftists routinely don’t give conservatives enough credit. The constantly underestimate them and, therefore, quickly stoop to name-calling and ridicule instead of taking the arguments seriously and addressing the counterpoints. Many conservatives will tell you it’s because leftists can’t win on the merits. That’s probably true, although I’ve debated with a few leftists who could hold their own and didn’t resort to such tactics. But I believe it’s because most leftists enter the conversation…
Debate tips (for when you don’t have any ideas of substance)
When I engage in political conversations with people who disagree with me – whether in person or on Internet comment boards – I often don’t get rebuttals that directly address my point. Too often, when I saw or heard criticism of Obama, the response went right to either “Well, Bush got us into this” or “Bush’s policies led to that.” The implication was that if you have an issue with one of Obama’s policies, you must have been a Bush supporter – which is irrelevant. It’s time people realize that it’s possible, and often the case, that the people…