The problem is they try to negotiate with fascists, extend the olive branch and create a “big tent.” They use scare tactics because leftist candidates are “too far left” and they want to woo ancient voters who will be dead in 10 years to leave us with a dystopian future.

Don’t try to reason with fools. They’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”

• Jean-Paul Sartre