The Trump effect
– DEBATE TRICKS – Why not write about Trump? Everybody writes about President Trump. Especially Trump.
Mastering the debate game
– DEBATE TRICKERY -The Rhetoric Referee offers a list of debate tricks and traps just in time for the Democratic debates.
The Curious Kavanaugh Case
– DEBATE TRICKS – The public doesn’t get excited over judicial philosophy. It does get excited over partisanship, and much more so over sex. Sex is, well, sexy.
Changing the Subject
– DEBATE TRICKS -People don’t understand legal procedures or judicial policy, but they do understand the drama of politics. When the Kavanaugh nomination process seemed to be proceeding smoothly, opponents changed the subject at the to something more dramatic.
Ad Hominem
– DEBATE TRICKS – Ad hominem, Latin for “to the man,” means smearing a person’s character instead of arguing the facts. A classic example turned a man’s name into a verb.