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Post 20

Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 4:38pmSanction this postReply
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Mark,

Are you trying to convince the people you're arguing with? I mean actually convince them? Then you might want to change your approach, because the existing one clearly isn't working. Of course, if you want to be a voice who speaks only to the converted, you can continue to engage in ad hominem attacks on your website, and the people who already agree with you will continue to agree with you. "Opportunistic puppet" and "political hack" are clearly ad hominem attacks. They are attacks on the person's character not on her ideas.




Post 21

Saturday, September 25, 2010 - 5:17pmSanction this postReply
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(Aaaaand the bidding ain't over.)

Post 22

Sunday, September 26, 2010 - 1:30amSanction this postReply
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William,

In any debate the goal is to convince the audience, not your opponent.

I don’t think ARI Watch argues ad hominem. Even the latest article ("Birds of a Feather") overstates its initial apology (see the end of the Preliminary Remarks section) in that regard (see the beginning of the Conclusion section).

Defending Palin is a lost cause. I assume readers keep up with current events. Under her two previous incumbencies government spending rose significantly, yet now like any political hack she advertises herself as the small government candidate. Clearly someone else must be writing her speeches because she is inarticulate – glib but uninformed – on her own. She’s being puffed endlessly by neoconservatives like Bill Kristol, David Horowitz and Daniel Pipes to name just three. In turn she talks the usual neoconservative points: support Israel, bomb Iran. All this can be summed up in a few choice epithets.

Sure, "inarticulate" etc are in turn personal attacks. You want me to waste my time transcribing examples of Palin’s Q&A. And that’s not enough either, maybe the interviews were faked by Martians taking over the television transmission, so that must be disproved too.

Come on guys and gals, Palin is a fraud and it’s obvious. She’s Bush the third.


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Post 23

Sunday, September 26, 2010 - 11:44amSanction this postReply
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"she talks the usual neoconservative points: support Israel, bomb Iran"

What is a neoconservative? Do you have to be a neoconservative to support those points? If so why? And if one were to say I support Israel and I support bombing Iran and you called them a neoconservative, why should they care?

Do you think maybe you should argue rationally WHY one should not support those points?

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Post 24

Sunday, September 26, 2010 - 2:31pmSanction this postReply
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I'd say that on this forum, the purpose of debate is not to convince the audience, but to discover the truth.

Post 25

Sunday, September 26, 2010 - 2:54pmSanction this postReply
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What Dean said.

Ed


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Post 26

Sunday, September 26, 2010 - 2:56pmSanction this postReply
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I suspect he's fallen for the 'Palestinian victim/Israel terrorist' propaganda....

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