Straw Man

An example often given of a straw man is US President Richard Nixon's 1952 "Checkers speech".[12][13] When campaigning for vice president in 1952, Nixon was accused of having illegally appropriated $18,000 in campaign funds for his personal use. In a televised response, instead of addressing the funds, he spoke about another gift, a dog he had been given by a supporter:[12][13]

It was a little cocker spaniel dog, in a crate he had sent all the way from Texas, black and white, spotted, and our little girl Tricia, six years old, named it Checkers. And, you know, the kids, like all kids, loved the dog, and I just want to say this right now, that, regardless of what they say about it, we are going to keep it.

This was a straw man response; his critics had never criticized the dog as a gift or suggested he return it. This argument was successful at distracting many people from the funds, and portraying his critics as nitpicking and heartless. Nixon received an outpouring of public support and remained on the ticket. He and Eisenhower were elected by a landslide.

False Causation (Post hoc ergo propter hoc = After this therefore because of this)

As ice cream sales increase, the rate of drowning deaths increases sharply.

Therefore, ice cream consumption causes drowning.

False Analogy

"Employees are like nails. Just as nails must be hit in the head in order to make them work, so must employees."

Hasty Generalization

An environmental group illegally blocked loggers and workers at a nuclear plant. Therefore, environmentalists are radicals who take the law into their own hands.

Ad hominem

Green Peace's strategies aren't effective because they are all dirty, lazy hippies.

Red herring

The level of mercury in seafood may be unsafe, but what will fishers do to support their families?

Moral equivalency

According to Ben Carson, the Republican primary candidate currently in 2nd place in the polls, America is “very much like Nazi Germany.” He also has referred to the Affordable Care Act as “the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery.” See article: “Why Ben Carson’s Nazi Analogies Matter.”

Slippery Slope

Ban bazookas, and pretty soon feds in black helicopters will be targeting innocent quail hunters!

False Dichotomy

"Either you are for the war [in Iraq] or you hate America"

"George W. Bush: great president or the greatest president?"