Strawman Fallacy

Strawman arguments are really a distraction technique, a shiny object to direct attention away from other matters or issues.

This disingenuous ploy attempts to mischaracterize an opponent's position. It's basically an ugly lie.

Or, a strawman argument often answers a question no one has asked, or passionately defends against a position no one's taken. This verbal card trick is meant to confuse and obfuscate the truth.

A simple example would be a pundit declaring "The other party won't decide for all of us how much cancer is acceptable!", in a debate about health care funding sources. The demagogue statement creates a bogey man just to knock down. The strawman argument and fallacy is a cheap rhetorical stunt, often tried by weaker or losing debaters.