false claim - a statement that is directly contradicted by fact and can be easily proven untrue. (13 uses)

misleading claim - a statement with a few elements or kernel of truth, which can easily be proven deceptive or fundamentally untrue. (12 uses)

exaggeration - stretching the truth to make something seem more powerful or meaningful than it actually is. (8 uses)

post hoc - proclaiming that because something occurred after X, it was caused by X, when no causal relationship at all may exist. (6 uses)

cherry picking - presenting only evidence that confirms your position, while ignoring or withholding an often more significant portion that contradicts it. (4 uses)

slogan - a brief, striking phrase that people will remember, which typically acts on emotional appeals. (4 uses)

half truth - a statement that is essentially true, but lacking critical information and presented as the whole truth. (3 uses)

baseless claim - a bold statement that is presented as accepted or established fact, with no discernable evidence to support the claim. (3 uses)

common folk - establishing a connection with an audience based on being just like one of them and being able to empathize with their concerns. (2 uses)

virtue words - using words that are attractive to the value system of the target audience. (2 uses)

non-sequitur - response that doesn't follow logically from or isn't related to anything previously asked or said. (1 use)

innuendo - implying something without actually saying it, which can't be refuted because it wasn't actually said. (1 use)

dysphemism - replacing neutral language with more derogatory or unpleasant terms, to instill a negative association. (1 use)

fault as virtue - technique where a weakness is presented as a strength, by focusing on any positive aspect of it. (1 use)

guilt by association - using an opponent's links to another to assign the other's beliefs, misdeeds, or other unattractive qualities to the opponent. (1 use)

straw man - misrepresenting an opponent's position or argument to make it easier to attack, usually by exaggerating, distorting, or just completely fabricating it. (1 use)

fake polls - reacting to any undesirable polling data simply by characterizing it as inaccurate or biased. (1 use)

passing the buck - shifting blame onto someone else for self-exoneration or to direct attention away from those really at fault. (1 use)

appeal to anonymous authority - insisting something is true because an unnamed expert, study, or generalized group (like 'scientists') say it's true. (1 use)

adding qualifiers - adding an extra word or phrase to a response, which makes it ultimately meaningless, but still leaves the desired impression. (1 use)

minimization - characterizing something that you don't want to address as trivial or insignificant, in order to shift the focus away from it and onto "more important" things. (1 use)

the American people - promoting a position as having the overwhelming support of all Americans, while providing no evidence that it does. (1 use)

red herring - throwing an irrelevant fact into an argument to divert attention from the real issue at hand. (1 use)