Having watched the Republicans play their silly games for many years, I've come to the conclusion that they use a technique that I'll call "The Stupid Lie".
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Somewhat different, but related to, Hitlers Big Lie, the Stupid Lie goes like this: Tell a lie that is so utterly stupid that nobody with an ounce of intelligence would think to respond. As the lie goes unchallenged, it is repeated by the right-wing gasbags, religious wing-nuts and think tank experts until it becomes conventional wisdom. By then, challenging it simply adds legitimacy to the lie. The real damage done by such a strategy is that people end up believing believing things that are completely insane. For example, All homosexuals are pedophiles. The Swift-boat adds also come to mind.
The key to combating this crap is to immediately call them on the Stupid Lie before it can take root. By bringing attention to the shear stupidity of the lie, the persons telling it come off as absolute idiots. The hard part is spotting it early, before it grows legs.
This is my first diary. I hope I met the requirements. Please let me know if I've missed something!