I agree with you in principle, but I think the words you’re using are flawed.

The electorate have devolved into petty, schoolyard name-calling. Still, it’s possible to use that language of pettiness to point out the factual hypocrisy, dishonesty, duplicity and lies of the Republicans’ messaging, and maybe hang a couple of relatively harmless schoolyard labels on them with it.

But, why is it effective? Many times authoritarians are insecure in themselves, almost as a rule. Call a fascist a fascist and they’ll double down as they fantasize about their boot on your neck. Call them a weirdo in front of everyone else and suddenly they’re the part of the out crowd. They already feel victimized because there’s more of us than there are of them, so it sticks.

Sometimes it’s jarring enough for them to give them pause and make them ask if this is really who they are. If maybe there’s a way to get back into the in crowd.

We don’t need to play their dishonest game using lies, they give us so much to work with already.

Finally: yes, we can certainly use better judo than we have been to beat them at it. That’s why I agree with you.