That's okay for Internet trolls, but sometimes you'll have to confront people in Real Life. These people won't be aiming to make a point, they'll be aiming to discredit you, by whatever means necessary.

When I wrote this article, one of the scenarios I had in mind was "What if I was forced to confront Bill O'Reily (or some similarly hostile, dirty opponent) on the topic of Less Wrong, and how do I not only "not lose points" but actually come out making us look even cooler than before? Bonus point if he loses status, not among those who already despise him, but among his own fans". Ideally destroying his career, but that's a pretty big dream.