And I could just as easily say that conservative debate largely consists of trying to dismiss, misrepresent or portray extreme liberal ideas as the general liberal consensus, because they know that they'd lose an actual, rational argument.

But that wouldn't accomplish anything.

Nothing will get accomplished until liberals stop seeing all conservatives as inbred, xenophobic, trigger happy, redneck warmongers, and conservatives stop viewing all liberals as anarchist, peacenik, promiscuous, communist hippies.