I tend to agree that debating Fascists won't convince them of anything. But that's not the goal. The goal is to convince others that Fascists are loonies.
I no longer believe debate in the sense of two people stand in front of a podium and present arguments in two-minute chunks. That's not an exercise in discussing ideas, it's just theatre. Skilled debaters use tactics to avoid and deflect uncomfortable questions while putting their opponents on the defensive with non-sequiturs. It's not about weighing an idea, it's about duping the audience.
One of the well known dishonest but successful debating tactics people use is called
"the Gish Gallop". You set out a series of strawmen and misrepresent your opponent's opinions, and your opponent spends their allotted time trying to correct this misrepresentation of their opinion instead of making their own case. This leaves the audience with the impression that you came equipped with a truckload of information and your opponent spent the whole debate on the defensive, and conclude that you've won the debate.
This dovetails with an idea cybercoma presented here a while back, the "Brandolini Bullshit Asymmetry Principle", which is basically that takes a lot less effort to create bullshit than to refute bullshit. It was presented in the context of explaining why fake news has been so successful and pervasive, but the same principle also explains why the "Gish Gallop" is such a successful debating tactic.
It's named after a guy named Duane Gish who was, I gather, a creationist who was also a tremendously successful debater. His success at leaving evolutionists flustered and exasperated during debates doesn't make creationism any more real or viable. It just illustrates the shortcomings of formal debate as a format.
And in a broader sense, this sort of Gish Gallop, Bullshit Asymmetry approach seems to be present everywhere from talking head interviews on TV or discussions on message boards. Think of this next time you watch Kellyanne Conway on TV or see 9/11 truthies spewing crap on message boards.
-k