>>> pretend that that extreme postion is what the other person is saying, and discredit what he's saying on that basis. Erect a straw man, in other words.<<<

Pretend???

>>> Ed, your "Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism" sound like a capsule description of the USA in the present era, in almost every respect.<<<

You really ought to dial down the Bull Shipping, or at least pay attention to what YOU YOURSELF has said.