Red Herring

The red herring fallacy distracts the person from the original argument with an irrelevant topic.

For Example:
“Senator, why have you decided to vote against additional funding for public schools?”

Senator: “Our public schools are very important to the future of America. If we are to think about the future we need to be prepared. That’s why I think that preparedness is a key attribute we need to have in our state.”

Did the senator answer the question or address the argument? Hardly. Instead the argument was diverted to a new topic, “preparedness” for the future.