'Straw men' delay debate

Washington Times ^ | February 11, 2005 | Timothy J. Penny

[RWR8189]

A common tactic in political debate is to set up "straw men" and then knock them down. It is easy to win a debate this way — assuming people believe your assertions.
    "Straw men" are phony assertions about what your opponent stands for or about the policies he/she advocates. In other words — falsely assert your opponent proposes something awful — and then remind folks you stand for motherhood and apple pie.
    Opponents of Social Security reform are using this tactic in an attempt to convince Americans that Social Security is in perfect shape just as it is. Or, at the very least, they are trying to persuade Americans that whatever ails Social Security can be fixed with just a few painless tweaks. The problem for reform opponents is a large majority of the electorate — especially younger workers — have concluded Social Security is headed for trouble.

[kevkrom]

Good article... and written by a former Democrat congressman.

[Thommas]

It is interesting to note that Timothy J. Penny is a Democrat who is on a bipartisan committee looking into the Ponzi scheme that is Social Security.