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Column: How Trump uses the ‘Gish Gallop’ to flood debates with lies and nonsense
Los Angeles Times ^ | Sept. 5, 2024 9:09 AM PT | Lorraine Ali, News and Culture Critic

Posted on 09/06/2024 4:59:02 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Kamala Harris. Donald Trump. Gish Gallop.

All three are expected at Tuesday’s presidential debate, even if most of America is unfamiliar with one name in that lineup.

GG, as I’ve now come to call it, is a shell game/debate tactic that takes its name from Duane Gish, a prominent figure in the creationist movement who deployed dubious arguments, selective factoids, and rapid-fire lies to overwhelm his opponents in public discussions about the theory of evolution.

The disinformation technique, coined Gish Gallop in 1994 by the National Center for Science Education’s founding director Eugenie Scott, is essentially the art of burying one’s opponent in falsehoods, outlandish rhetoric and red herrings, making it near impossible for them to cut through the subterfuge and correct the lies within the timed confines of a debate.

Making the GG method work one’s favor requires criminal levels of confidence and showmanship. I’m not suggesting that former President Trump studied the late creationist’s playbook, if there is such a thing. That would require reading. But there is an instructional set of videotapes.

On those recordings, Duane Gish advises potential debaters to avoid talking about too many subjects on the public stage, steer clear of arguments that are too technical and stick with a few simple arguments, like insisting that fossils are not proof of human evolution but in fact fakes and hoaxes. Does this witch hunt sound familiar?

If the secret to Trump’s upward fail is available for purchase, why aren’t more morally flexible politicians cashing in on the technique? “There’s a lot of mini Trumps, Marjorie Taylor Green, Carrie Lake. JD Vance wishes he was one, but he has a personality of a....”

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Humor
KEYWORDS: crevo; deportlorraineali; disinformation; enemieslist; enemyjournalist; latimessedition; lorraineali; losangelestimes; lyingmuslim; muslimjournalist; muslimsedition; muslimterrorist; piltdownman; projection; storkzilla; trysellingthetruth; undesirablealien
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Alinski 101: Accuse your enemy of what you are doing.
1 posted on 09/06/2024 4:59:02 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I was gonna say this sounds like every “news” broadcast ever these days


2 posted on 09/06/2024 5:04:49 PM PDT by butterdezillion
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Hey, it’s the LA Times. Maybe they could explain how Trump won his 2024 debate with Biden by saying that Trump used alien mind control. Guaranteed 75% of their readers would believe it.


3 posted on 09/06/2024 5:05:15 PM PDT by Leaning Right (The steal is real.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I love how the left has to tell their voters how to interpret (cope?) with orange man bad.

Imagine being part of a party that has so little regard for your intellect.


4 posted on 09/06/2024 5:05:30 PM PDT by IncPen ("Inside of every progressive is a Totalitarian screaming to get out" ~ David Horowitz)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

This proves one and only one thing. That they are scared senseless about what’s going to happen in this debate


5 posted on 09/06/2024 5:08:57 PM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing Obamacare is worse than Obamacare)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

This *itch makes crap up out of whole cloth, LA slimes


6 posted on 09/06/2024 5:10:28 PM PDT by markman46 (engage brain before using keyboard!!!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

What a crock. Whenever I read leftist “analysis” it’s pure fantasy. The same “logic” they use to label republicans as “nazis” and justify jailing or killing them.
Basically, it’s that Trump and every other conservative are bad, evil and stupid in every way, and all of their ideas are crazy or lies.
I saw today an article by somebody claiming Trump has body odor, and they all lined up to say “it figures” considering how evil he is.


7 posted on 09/06/2024 5:18:36 PM PDT by Williams (Let's Focus On Electing President Trump)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Trump has smashed liberals in the face but only when they deserved it.

Liberals don’t like victims that fight back.


8 posted on 09/06/2024 5:18:51 PM PDT by jeffersondem
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

President Trump is secure in himself, he doesn’t pretend nor need to copy anyone.


9 posted on 09/06/2024 5:19:06 PM PDT by b4me (Pray, and let God change you. He knows better than you or anyone else, who He made you to be.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The “lies” Trump bamboozles everyone with include things like: Energy production is important, Law and order is good, there should be a border,prices should come down, taxes are too high, peace is better than war, drug epidemics are bad....

You know, all crazy stuff he made up.


10 posted on 09/06/2024 5:22:15 PM PDT by Williams (Let's Focus On Electing President Trump)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Gish is a good Smashing Pumpkins album.


11 posted on 09/06/2024 5:22:24 PM PDT by WeaslesRippedMyFlesh (there will come a day when FR rejects articles from the NYT, et al. as "Commie trash, no thank you"e)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

the art of burying one’s opponent in falsehoods, outlandish rhetoric and red herrings, making it near impossible for them to cut through the subterfuge and correct the lies within the timed confines of a debate.

This is exactly what Kamala’s spinners are doing on Fox: rapid fire lies. Responders need to call out the lies


12 posted on 09/06/2024 5:33:42 PM PDT by DeplorablePaul
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Leaked video of LA Times editor trying to think of excuses for Kamala before the debate starts.


13 posted on 09/06/2024 5:35:09 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

So now we have a name for the LA Times methods of reporting.


14 posted on 09/06/2024 5:40:52 PM PDT by blackdog ((Z28.310) Be careful what you say. Your refrigerator may be listening & reporting you.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

MSM = Horse Manure


15 posted on 09/06/2024 5:42:32 PM PDT by Chgogal (To paraphrase Biden: You vote Democrat? Then you ain't smart. )
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To: Leaning Right

Brain control beats mind control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGoMgkjbl2Q


16 posted on 09/06/2024 5:49:51 PM PDT by rey
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

i took it as parody

lot of laugh lines in there

“criminal level of confidence”?


17 posted on 09/06/2024 6:00:52 PM PDT by joshua c
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To: joshua c

I think everything the NYT publishes is hilarious it is so completely divorced from reality.

The frightening thing is, half the US population believes them.


18 posted on 09/06/2024 6:02:25 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is █████ ██ ████ ████ ████ █ ███████ ████. FJB.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Lorraine Ali. Yup! Another Muzzie in the “media”.


19 posted on 09/06/2024 6:35:41 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Liberals are FOS. The greatest threat to "democracy" is freeloader "immigration". Stupid morons.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I saw them trot this one out as an excuse for Biden’s debate performance. I don’t recall whether this came out before or after the other excuses such as his having a cold or jet lag, anything but his real problem, because we all know that Biden is just fine and ready to serve another term but graciously and selfless stepped down only to pass the torch to the younger generation.


20 posted on 09/06/2024 6:39:54 PM PDT by Southside_Chicago_Republican (God save the United States!)
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