Other Crap

How to make oneself appear downright dumb

An interesting follow-up to this would be. "How to make yourself appear to be a sleazebag." I'll kick it off:

Say "Are you calling me a liar?" This statement is just about 100% proof that the speaker IS a liar. If he were not, he would refute the point instad of resorting to an emotional outburst that tries to turn the issue back on the questioner. "But Senator, only 44% of your constituents support your position. That's hardly a majority, is it?"

• "But I said a majority of registered voters, not a majority of constituents. 63% of registered voters support it" means "I told the truth."
  
• On the other hand, "Are you calling me a liar?" means "I lied."
  

"I refuse to dignify that with an answer!" Virtually 100% proof that the speaker has something to hide. If he could give an honest, truthful answer without embarrassing himself, he would simply give it, not offer rhetoric. "Did you contribute to the American Nazi Party?"

• "No, of course not" means "no."
  
• "I refuse to dignify that with an answer" means "yes."
  

"I'm not sure that it is ... " or "I disagree with the whole premise , and ... (change subject)" This one must be in the official right-wing lesson plan. It's the official Bush-Cheney response to questions like "Mr. President and/or Vice-President, are you concerned about the polls that show more and more people in the world developing a negative opinion about America, and if so, what is your plan to deal with it?"

• "I am concerned that we are not selling our message properly, and we have to work on that" means "I know, and I regret it, but sometimes the unpopular stance is the right one, and we have to explain our positions better."
  
• "I'm not sure that's true" means "I know, and I don't give a shit."
  

"But this came from ... (list source)." This one comes from the equivalent left-wing lesson plan. It's sort of a wishy-washy version of Godwinism in that it doesn't usually mention Hitler personally, but employs the same technique. "But wasn't Al Gore's electricity consumption 191,000 kilowatt hours in 2006?"

• "No, he only used 8 kwh, less than the average hamster, and even less than Daryl Hannah" means "no"
  
• "This comes from a right wing blog (or scientist with an Exxon grant)" means "yes"