Yesterday, I started a new series of posts called "Fournier's Fallacies" in which I dissect every column from Washington's most famous "Obama must lead" terrible pundit and point out the very obvious logical fallacies (have I mentioned that he's bad at his job?). Lucky for us, Fournier is out with a new gem this morning, so we can really start to get this series off the ground!
Straw Man: I think the essence of this column is a giant straw man argument. Partisans may argue that their side is "less bad" than the other side, but they know that this is not a very effective slogan, nor a way to consistently win elections. Ideally, a party wants its policies implemented. When the popular ones aren't implemented, a party wan to explain WHY they're not implemented. Usually, it is because the other party has gone out of its way to STOP the policy from being implemented (our system allows for that!) Nobody is actually proud of being the "less bad" party, but sometimes it is still important to emphasize the negative implications of voting for another party.
False Cause: We got a a great "false cause" argument today. Take a look:
When both parties in a two-party system measure themselves not by promises kept and problems solved but by the Pyrrhic victories awarded to least-lousy combatants, you get what we've got in this country: Record-low trust in government, a broken political system, and a deeply disillusioned public.
This is classic Fournier. This is what he WANTS the cause of record low trust in government and a disillusioned public to be, because that would confirm the thesis of every article. But there are far more plausible explanations, like unprecedented Republican obstruction, a stilted economic recovery from a Great Recession etc.
Black or White: In this column, Fournier doesn't consider the fact that the "other party is worse" argument is a secondary argument that compliments, instead of replaces, a party's key argument, which is that their policies are better. If you gathered a full sample of political advertising, political speeches and Congressoinal testimony, you would find some instances of a party making the "other party is worse" argument, but that doesn't mean that it is each party's ONLY argument. In fact, it most decidedly is not. It's just something Fournier assumes so that he can write his stupid column.
Ad Hominem: Lastly, we have a nice ad hominem attack on Media Matters' Eric Boehlert. He calls him a "liberal mouthpiece." Much easier than engaging in the substance of his work!