When in reality, it's just them projecting their own view. Libs or the media do it all the time when "defund the police" comes up. They say "well, it just sounds like you're getting rid of the police entirely and your messaging is off. Its gonna turn off people in middle america." or something.
I think there was a segment of a Citations Needed episode that talks about this.
Saul Alinsky called these people "Do-Nothings":
The real problem isn't that they're criticizing a specific policy/message, it's that they have no solution themselves. The subtext is always that people should stop working against the status quo and keep doing what already isn't working. The contrast between "defund the police" and "8 can't wait" is a good example. Leaving aside whether "defund the police" is an effective message, it's a clear policy position, and represents a meaningful change to the status quo. "8 can't wait" on the other hand is a list of reforms that are mostly already implemented. People who oppose "defund the police" and support "8 can't wait" are basically arguing for doing nothing.
Good stuff!
I keep running into it on reddit, and I would love to have an articulate argument against that thinking..
Its so devoid of a point, that it's hard to attack sometimes
Don't overthink it. Demand that they tell you why they believe what they believe. More often than not, there's no argument. Who, specifically, will be turned off by X? In what way? What would be a more effective way of addressing X? You're right, there is no point, so ask what their point is and force them to either concede or out themselves as polite conservatives.