"Well, give me a few minutes with that one."
* * * * * * * * * *
This actually isn't a bad response by Lew. Mostly because when somebody wants to debate you on something you just expressed freely in conversation, it's usually because they have some "intellectual trap" ready to spring on you. A lot of "debate" mostly relies on some person hating what other people think and learning to parrot arguments that are difficult for a person who has reached their conclusion through empathy and compassion and not abstruse legal precedents or distorted historical facts. Bombarding somebody with standard pundit arguments well-learned from propaganda and misinformation isn't meant to engage in fair debate; it's meant to get the person with actual feelings and belief in justice off their footing, hounding them with unanswerable questions because the facts the questions are based on are either lies or purposeful misunderstandings of the topic. Even saying "give me a few minutes" probably makes the other side feel justified that the person, like themselves, is simply parroting some political figure's beliefs.
I learned a long time ago that the only way to win a debate with a jerk that wants to debate is to not debate at all. Thanks, WOPR! Although WOPR didn't teach me the skill of mocking them mercilessly. I learned that on my own.
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