Actually, I see the “Vast Right Wing..” as another favorite type tactic of theirs: broadcast the “company line” and the MSM will repeat it until it’s conventional wisdom. It works almost every time for the Dems.
But “Canardian” is when one of them restates (twists) an opponent’s position in terms that make it unpallatable.
I’ve wished for 10 years that Republicans would learn to watch for this and stop them right then and there: “Those are YOUR words, not mine. Feel free to state your own opinion, but stop misrepresenting mine! I don’t need you to tell people what I think...especially when you distort it!”.
Republican elected officials have no stomach for combative politics; except among themselves. They want to govern, not intimidate. They believe the public will gravitate to the GOP because they show they can govern well.
Well, they're wrong. I, like you, have wished for them to take the gloves off. I've stopped wishing. It's useless.