We could call them "Ad Hominem Liberals/Socialists", but that would be redundant.
I'm glad the author tacitly accepts when there are a few cases in which the character, circumstances or actions of a person do have a bearing on a person's argument. IMHO, this is like a very special purpose tool in the rhetorical toolbox, that has its certain applications. Many on the right seem to have abandoned its use altogether, even on those rare occasions when it would be perfectly appropriate and devestatingly effective.
Glad you discovered and publicized that site. I’ve been using it for a long time now and find it very useful in understanding how to recognize and defeat illogical arguments.
Thanks for posting this - I’m glad to know about this site. How did you come across it?
:)
It’s not just the left. Ad hominems are the domain of anyone with a poorly thought out or indefensible position that relies on faith, not facts.
Try disagreeing with a Birther, for instance. If you don’t sip the kool aid, they’ll immediately call you an Obama plant or a troll. They’ll have a few facts handy, but their appetite for more drops off fast if it contradicts what they want to hear.
It’s no different than ‘Lower taxes for the rich are racist’ argument I’ve heard from a liberal co-worker. There’s no intelligent way to argue this; either you believe it or you don’t. If you try to argue it, then your motives as a human being become suspect, and the Believer has no need to treat you or your words with respect.
It’s faith masquerading as intellectual laziness. That’s why they attack right away on a personal level. They know perfectly well that thinking the issue further through is not helpful to maintaining the logical integrity of their beliefs, and in fact leads to heresy.
liberals use ad hominems and the fallacy of irrelevant thesis
in order to avoid addressing the actual points of an argument on any issue.
It’s because they are incapable of forming a valid argument about these issues because they don’t examine any issue beyond the point of “this is something that makes me a good person for supporting/opposing it”.