I stumbled upon this list of logical fallacies yesterday. It is really spectacular, and explains in depth why conservatives on the internet are terrible. The good thing about conservatives on the internet is that no one really listens or pays attention to them. On the other hand, lots of people pay attention to National Journal resident "Obama must lead" expert Ron Fournier. Even though his articles are terrible, they're often picked up by other media outlets, especially conservative ones, because he supposedly represents the pure centrist mainstream.
Well, I've had enough. It's time to employ this logical fallacy list to tear down every stupid Ron Fournier column. Let's start with today's, entitled "Mr. 'I, Me, My': Obama Oughta Know He's Not the Hero."
Today's Fallacies:
Bandwagon: Fournier believes that the President's sliding approval ratings (which really haven't slid in awhile) are proof that his thesis is correct!
Appeal to Authority: This is a Fournier classic. Of course, one of the key sources for Fournier's hypothesis that Obama sees himself as a hero, is a "Democratic operative" who works "intimately with both the administration and Hillary Clinton's team." So since one anonymous guy believes it, it must be true! Thesis confirmed!
Anecdotal: Another Fournier specialty! My favorite anecdotal part of today's piece is when he says "Even Democrats are starting to tire of their president sounding less like a leader than a kindergartener – whiny." Fournier does not cite any data here, so presumably this is based on one conversation with an anonymous "Democratic operative"
The Texas Sharpshooter: I think this one might be the most relevant to today's article. Fournier is cherry-picking several incidences of Obama talking about himself, or calling himself "the Bear" without even mentioning the thousands upon thousands of speeches he's given that focus excluslively on the American people.
I think those are the fallacies for today's piece. We'll be back next time he decides to write a crummy article! Did I miss any fallacies??