Cicero's Rhetoric Part II: Responding to your opponent

If someone criticizes your ideology, frame them as bigoted and hateful.

Blame your opponent for what they blaming you for.

Take attention away from the argument by saying something outrageous

Paralipsis is a figure of speech in which the speaker emphasizes a point by deliberately saying something else.

I would never say that my opponent has an offshore account. I would never say that he has struggled with alcholism. I will leave out the misinformation he has spread. I will overlook his adulterous affairs.

Third-party testimonials of hypothetical people

Everyone knows that.

Most people say.

Some people have said

The walls themselves have witnessed his ghastly behavior.

Make a joke out of what people are saying instead of responding to it

Use props and visual aids to mock and caricaturize your opponent