In public discourse, especially in societies with free speech, one of the most successful tactics to drain support from a cause is to discredit its spokesman. This tactic is similar to using an ad hominem argument in a debate. By discrediting the spokesman of a cause, the opponents of the cause hope that supporters or potential supporters will withdraw or withhold their support. In such a situation, the attitude seems to be: "If a person with this moral character or that level of intelligence supports the cause, it must be a bad cause."
In U.S. presidential politics, there is a long history of the use of discrediting tactics by one party against another. In the past, this activity was often referred to as dirty pool; currently, it is better known as mudslinging. For example, accusations of adultery date back to the early 19th century. Accusations of corruption, such as taking bribes for giving jobs to unqualified relatives, spring up with regularity.
Lists of damaging quotations
A successful and often entertaining variation on this theme is to use a public figure's words against him, whether authentic or fabricated. Some have even gone to the length of assembling entire books of such quotes. Typically, these collections include quotations intentionally removed from their context in order to sound more damaging. Other quotations are mere malapropisms. Some are distorted or deliberately misinterpreted. Occasionally, a straightforward statement is added to such a list, merely because the author wishes to rebut it in an atmosphere of ridicule.
In the last quarter of the 20th century, lists of so-called "Reaganisms", "Bushisms" and "Goreisms" have abounded. With the ascendancy of inexpensive computers and the Internet, it has become easier than ever to accumulate and distribute information such as quotation lists.
Unlike the "Yogiisms" of baseball great Yogi Berra, who always responded good-naturedly to teasing and seemed to court publicity through his often wacky sayings, lists of damaging quotations are used often intentionally to hurt and mislead.
To give just one example: former U.S. Vice President Al Gore helped obtain money for the research that supported the development of the Internet. In one interview, he said he "took the initiative" in creating it, which has since been distorted by others to a claim that he "invented the Internet". Partisans have many times attempted to use this distorted quote to discredit him, so much so that CERN (the inventors of the World Wide Web) and others have been forced to point out the error of the discreditors.
In the U.S. judicial system, discrediting tactics are often used to attack the credibility of a witness, plaintiff, or defendant, especially in cases with significant media attention or high-stakes outcomes.