I've had an observation for some time, but it really hit home in this debate. Democrats, when defending their platform, rely on 2 things almost exclusively:
1. You're a racist. For years they insinuated this, but now they come right out and say it.
2. “You don't care about people.” If you don’t agree it’s because, you don’t care like me / we do.
They don't defend the effectiveness of their policies, only that you're racist or heartless if you don't agree.
This is known as an ad hominem attack, and in years gone by was considered the lowest form of debate - only used in desperation. Now we have a political party that relies on it almost exclusively.
Biden literally said "you're a racist" in the debate. Kamala wasn't quite as direct but came darn close.
I think politics is a battle for about 20% of the voting population that votes but pays almost zero attention to what's going on. And ad hominem works on these people.
It also causes division and hatred both ways.