[bigbob]

Rule #5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It’s hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage”.

Saul Alinsky, “Rules for Radicals” 1971

[jmacusa]

Ridicule is an ad homienum argument which is no argument at all. And ridicule in the face of a logical argument make the person engaging in ridicule look foolish and immature. This is a different world than it was in 1971. The major media networks are living fossils and the internet and the 24 hour news cycle and a more informed, albeit not always well informed populace is a harsh place. The more anyone tries to rely on a model of political intellect and debate that's forty years old the more ridiculous they'll look.