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: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Kelly has supported most Biden policies, but has NOT backed Biden every single time.^[1]

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Masters once brought up social security privatization as an option for future generations, NOT for current recipients.^[2]

: common folk - connecting with an audience by giving the impression that you understand and share their everyday struggles and concerns.
: By sharing a personal anecdote about financial hardship, Kelly shows empathy and an understanding of the current economic challenges faced by average citizens.

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Masters once brought up social security privatization as an option for future generations, NOT for current recipients.^[2]

: half truth - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth.
: Masters blames only Biden's policies for giving rise to inflation, while ignoring the greater stimulus spending that occurred under Trump.^[3]

: half truth - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth.
: Masters mentions Biden energy policies for oil prices surging, while ignoring greater contributing factors like Covid and the war in Ukraine.^[4]

: half truth - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth.
: Masters blames stimulus spending only under Biden for giving rise to inflation, while ignoring the greater stimulus spending that occurred under Trump.^[3]

: passing the buck - shifting blame onto someone else for self-exoneration or to direct attention away from those really at fault.
: For inflation only to Covid, when many economists say the decision to flood the economy with stimulus money helped fuel inflation.^[5]

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Masters once brought up social security privatization as an option for future generations, NOT for current recipients.^[2]

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Kelly has supported most Biden policies, but has NOT backed Biden every single time.^[1]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: If the IRS uses the funds to hire new agents, it won't be immediate, but over 10 years, to replace 50,000 IRS agents who will be retiring.^[6]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: While Mark Kelly voted for stimulus checks under the American Rescue Plan, he never voted to send those checks to illegal aliens.^[7]

: fear mongering - spreading exaggerated rumors or dire warnings about impending danger on an issue.
: The statement exaggerates the threat of hiring additional agents, using terms like "sicking" and directly addressing the audience ("you"). This personalizes the threat and amplifies the perception of malice behind the hirings without offering any concrete evidence to support the dire warning.

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: Kelly rejected a GOP proposed amendment that required hiring 18,000 border patrol agents BEFORE a single IRS agent could be hired.^[8]

: exaggeration - stretching the truth to make something seem more powerful or meaningful than it actually is.
: While roughly $1 billion was granted for Customs and Border Protection, only about 10% went toward increasing border patrol agents.^[6]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: Kelly voted against an amendment that required hiring 18,000 border patrol agents BEFORE a single IRS agent could be hired.^[8]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Record numbers of illegal aliens when they cross the southern border are arrested and over 1/3rd are deported.^[9][10]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Undocumented immigrants are not treated better than U.S. military service members.^[11]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Arrests along the southern border for 2022 are the highest ever recorded and about 36% of those crossing the border are deported.^[9][10]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Kelly's action taken while in office indicate he does not support open borders and has pushed Biden to do more.^[12]

: guilt by association - discrediting an opponent by linking them with a person, group, or entity viewed negatively by the target audience.
: Masters uses the state of illegal immigration on the southern border to suggest that the drug cartels support Kelly, transferring negative perceptions of drug cartels onto him.

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Arrests along the southern border for 2022 are the highest ever recorded.^[9][10]

: baseless claim - a bold statement that is presented as accepted or established fact, with no discernable evidence to support the claim.
: 90% of border patrol agents would say they are disgusted with Mark Kelly.

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Arrests along the southern border for 2022 are the highest ever recorded.^[9][10]

: false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue.
: Arrests along the southern border for 2022 are the highest ever recorded.^[9][10]

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Kelly did sponsor a bill that would allow abortion up until the moment of birth, IF the life of the mother is at risk.^[14]

: guilt by association - discrediting an opponent by linking them with a person, group, or entity viewed negatively by the target audience.
: Masters uses Kelly's vote for the Women's Health Protection Act to group Kelly with Warren, Sanders, and AOC, framing him as extreme by association.

: projection - accusing an opponent of using the same underhanded tactics or committing the same misdeeds the accuser is guilty of.
: Masters, who recently changed his radical positions on abortion, accuses Kelly of having radical positions on abortion.^[15]

: red herring - throwing irrelevant information into an argument to divert attention from the real issue at hand.
: Masters brings up the positions he has on his website now, which does not directly address the positions he had on his website two months ago.^[13]

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Kelly's legislation would allow abortion up until birth, IF the life of the mother is at risk.^[14]

: red herring - throwing irrelevant information into an argument to divert attention from the real issue at hand.
: Masters brings up Arizona's 15-week law and Graham's bill on abortion, which does not directly address the position he held on abortion two months ago.^[13]

: ad hominem - attacking the character or motive of the person making an argument, rather than addressing the argument itself.
: Kelly dismisses Masters' credibility—not by engaging with his policies or positions, but by attacking his character, portraying him as arrogant and out of touch.

: straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it.
: Kelly's policy would allow abortion up until birth, IF the life of the mother is at risk.^[14]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The FBI warned Facebook and other big tech companies about amplifying Russian disinformation before the election and played no direct role in suppressing the Hunter Biden story.^[16][17]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The FBI didn't "work with" big tech and big media to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story. Big tech did that independently.^[16][17]

: misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue.
: The FBI was not "working with" big tech or the media and played no direct role in suppressing the Hunter Biden story. Big tech did that independently.^[16][17]

: appeal to compromised authority - insisting something is true because an expert on the issue says it's true, when that expert has a vested interest in the outcome.
: The statistics Masters cites are, by his own admission, from his "internal" polling.

: appeal to tradition - suggesting that moving away from or abandoning a long-standing practice could have detrimental or even dangerous implications.
: Masters appeals to a time when the military did not recognize non-binary identities, suggesting that policies promoting gender inclusivity could undermine its effectiveness and readiness.