2024-07-07

I am concerned that Pierre Poilievre might adopt Donald Trump’s “Gish gallop” strategy for future debates with other political party leaders. Will Pierre start using this tactic or avoid debates as he did a couple of years ago, even though he won the leadership contest?

The “Gish gallop” is a debate tactic where someone overwhelms their opponent with a rapid series of claims, half-truths, and lies, making it very hard to respond to each point effectively. It’s named after Duane Gish, a creationist who used this approach. The main idea is that it’s much easier to make many false or misleading statements quickly than it is to refute them one by one.

This technique is effective in public debates or political discussions because the audience doesn’t have the time or resources to fact-check everything on the spot. By overwhelming the debate with many points, the person using the Gish gallop can make their argument seem stronger since the opponent can’t debunk each point due to time limits.

This tactic also takes advantage of our tendency to believe repeated statements, whether they’re true or false. The sheer number of claims can make it seem like the person really knows what they’re talking about.

One way to counter the Gish Gallop is to point out that the other person is using this overwhelming tactic instead of giving solid arguments. It’s also helpful to focus on debunking the most important or obviously false points rather than trying to address every single point. Setting clear debate rules or having good moderators can help manage this tactic by ensuring a balanced discussion and enough time for responses.

In summary, the Gish Gallop is a tactic that seeks to mislead by using quantity over quality, taking advantage of limited time and attention to create the illusion of a strong argument.