6 tactics on how to debate a leftist

Arguing with a leftist can feel a lot like arguing with a kitty litter box. Your words reach the box, but they fall on deaf kitty dung.

1. Pulling the race card
A leftist or Democrat will pull the race card because that's all they have in their toolbox. When (not if) they do, never try to defend yourself because it's useless to try. Defending yourself only shows that you feel a sense of guilt over the claim, even though you're not a racist.

You cannot reasonably argue with a leftist when they resort to using the race card. When they, for example say, "You're a racist for wanting Confederate monuments to remain in place," you need to be prepared with an answer.

A weak answer would be something to the effect: "No, I'm not. I have friends of all colors and creeds, and blah, blah, blah."

A strong answer would be: "And based upon what you know about me, calling me a racist just proves that you're an ass rag."

2. Take the first punch
You know the left likes to castigate and insult. You need to be able to take it and jump right into the fray, take the leftist head-on. 

Then verbally get in the first punch and don't hold back. In order to make that punch effective, you need to be prepared. You want to make it a knockout punch and end the discussion as quickly as possible, so know the issues better than your opponent.

When a leftist uses an ad hominem attack on you, understand that you've won the debate. Don't stoop to his/her level--just smile and say something like: "So that's your best argument? You sound pathetic." 

Or say nothing--sometimes silence can be deafening.

3. Frame the leftist
Leftists have only one tool in their toolbox--attacking you personally and depicting you as an evil human being who doesn't care a fig about other people.  You can use that knowledge to your advantage at the get-go.

Simply put, the left's ploy is to characterize you as a bad person, as Ben Shapiro points out in his lovely pdf booklet How to Debate Leftists and Destroy Them.  

Shapiro suggests a strategy in which you "make it toxic for your opponent to slur you."

While you can't convince someone that you don't hate him or her, you can convince them that your opponent is a liar and a hater. 

For example, without knowing you and then accusing you of being a racist, you can convince those watching your debate (those are the only folks who matter, not your opponent) that your accuser is the hater, liar and thus a racist him- or herself because they dilute the term 'racist' to mean anyone who disagrees with them.

4. Force the leftist to define terms (aka buzzwords)
Neuter the buzzwords right out of the gate. Don't accept the premises of their arguments, which are supported by buzzwords. You can't argue against nonsense or empty terms.

When you ask a leftist to define what they mean by, say, 'immigration reform' tell them you agree it's needed, but ask them exactly what do they mean by the term.

According to Shapiro, the left's favorite three lines of attack are: (1) you're stupid; (2) you're mean; and (3) you're corrupt. Thus, the left calls Sarah Palin stupid; Mitt Romney mean; and Dick Cheney corrupt. Shapiro says that if you take away these lines of attack, you can see the left's discomfort.

5. Force leftists to answer questions.
They love to ask questions, but hate to answer them. That's because their main mode of debate is to attack and that's done by asking ridiculous questions or more often, by character assassination.

When they argue with you, try to spot their inconsistencies in what they say. Most of the arguments are filled with these inconsistencies because very few leftists will acknowledge their actual agenda, because it's obviously very extreme. 

For example, they will tell you that Robert E. Lee's statue must be removed from public display because of its association with slavery, but they really want all remnants of American history removed for their deeper agenda. Trump was correct in musing that they may eventually call for the removal of Thomas Jefferson's and even George Washington's statues and homesteads because they were slave owners. 

But even that is not the entire story. 

If we give in to the left on these apparently smaller issues, they will eventually go for the  Declaration of Independence will go, and then the U.S. Constitution as these were authored in large part by slave holders.

6. Don't allow them to throw you off your game plan.
Watch how whenever you make a point, the leftist will throw an unrelated point into the discussion. Shapiro calls this "Leftist Tourette's. 

He writes, as an example of this ploy: "Why did Obama blow out the budget?" And the left responds: "BUUUUUUUSHHHH!!!!" Then he warns us not to be fooled into following the "idiotic rabbit down into his Bushy rabbit hole . . ."

You must force the leftist to answer the question. That's what's going to make him uncomfortable and you will be viewed as the winner of the debate by those observing it--not by the leftist who's unable to see his loss.

Finally, don't feel that you need to defend the entire Republican Party or others who are on your side. The debate isn't about that. Also, if you don't know something, don't pretend you do--people will see through you and you will come off like a charlatan and everything you said before that point will be flushed down the drain. 

Remember, whenever you're debating, body language counts, and you want observers to like you.


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