Comment: It is a tightrope act, trying

It is a tightrope act, trying to be respectful sounding towards a person, while pointing out the absurdities of their beliefs. Ron Paul is pretty good at it, at least as far as I have seen.

He engages on an issue level most of the time, staying away (most of the time) from trying to assign ulterior motives to others. In fact, he will often acknowledge positive motivations in a philosophical enemy. He seems to focus on the inevitable results of a person's philosophy, and not accuse them of selfishness in holding any particular philosophy. I heard him in an interview say something like, "Hey, if I believed socialism could bring heaven on Earth, I'd be a socialist too." By such statements, he essentially says to a socialist opponent, "You may have good intentions, but your methodology is ineffective at best, and destructive at worst."

The bottom line is there is a way to approach others that is less likely to make them feel like they are being personally insulted, making your points more easily heard. But it is a tough road to walk consistently.