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Debating the Politics Disad
A. How to pick your disad
1. Link Debate – certain affs just go a certain way. Gotta win that.
In my mind, need to win its unpopular or get another disad.
2. uniqueness debate – Based on the literature. In my mind, this is using the literature to find agenda items
that will pass.
3. Impact scenarios – external & internal.
B. Putting together the 1nc
1. uniqueness card that tells a story – mentions capital. I like disads with a uniq & pc key card
2. read as specific a link as possible
-prevents the link turns from mattering.
-helps with a net benefit to the counterplan
3. read an external impact early. Turn the case not necessary.
C. 2nc/1nr
1. overview
-do not explain the story
-do impact the external argument – read terminal impact cards where possible. Ochs, Bostrom, 1% Warming,
etc.
-do read an impact to access as much as possible
-do read additional external impacts if they have good defense
-do NOT read something that impact turning is possible/probable.
2. uniqueness -have to win it. This is where you have to invest your time b/c judges will be calling for cards.
-focus on evidence that cites obama’s capital as the reason it will pass first.
-reading quantity is good but focus on a diversity of warrants.
-read the aff’s evidence – we will have specific answers regularly – read those where necessary.
-handle uniqueness overwhelms the link well. Know your judge. Means a risk
-look for and lie about these things: vote count, momentum, insiders
3. Link Debate -read new links if necessary.
-read link uniqueness to go your way
-read old school theory cards to indict their link
-explain why their link turns don’t apply to your scenario
4. Handeling Theory Arguments
-Have blocks that are short and to the point – do not waste time.
-be prepared to debate “politics disads good”
-intrinsicness – Wake Forest people vs MSU people
-Most people it is about not falling victim to the tricks
-mini-voting issues for
5. Impact Debate – not an impact turn
-External – explained in the overview section
-Access as much as possible - heg, economy are your friends.
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-It is difficult on this topic to go for politics vs case. Very very difficult
-if it access everything and you kick it – it screws up everyone’s impact in the debate.
6. Impact Debate – an impact turn
-Focus on one that you can impact terminally
-Access all of their terminal impacts wherever possible
-focus on uniqueness to their impact turns
D. 2nr on Politics
-How much of the case do you solve/how much of the case do they win?
If the case is big focus on the magnitude of the impact
If the case is minimal focus on the link and uniqueness.
-If you have played your cards right you should be okay on the impact
-have a 2nr extension of the uniqueness ev written out before the debate
-talk about specific link warrants as tied to the bill. Not “political capital.”
-Think about it in a macro world. Healthcare/diseases vs De-Alert.
E. Questions Asked
How do I make politics in the 1nr more viable versus big affs?
Is it a net benefit to something less unpopular?
Yes – have to win that spin. Its about the risk of losing the vote.
Should you go for it with case or not?
F. Glossary
1. Types of disads
1. Rider DAs
2. Backlash DAs
3. Agenda Crowd-out DAs
4. Bipart DA’s
5. Bush agenda DA’s
2. Link argument glossary
1. Political Capital – it’s a lot like being a Don in the mafia – all about favors –
2. Flip Flops key to capital
3. Olive Branches/Concessions
4. Focus
5. Public Popularity
6. Base Support – the gold standard
7. Winners Win – lion tamer theory
8. Winners-Lose – banker [party will backlash]
9. Bipar/Partisan
10. Use these in conjunction – as long as they are unique
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Answering the Politics Disad
A. 2ac
1. Screwing with the neg block –
- great variety of answers
- do not read cards that make the same argument
-theory, theory, theory
-impact defense on their impact evidence
-read internal link take-outs. Usually the weakest part of the disad.
-feel free to sand-bag good uniqueness cards.
-link uniqueness in the 2ac
2. Strategic 2ac inclusions
-winners-win link turn – always
- multiple link turns specific to the aff
-link uniqueness
-thumpers
3. most strategic options
-impact turns to the bill
-theory arguments.
4. Consider the net benefit
-don’t read answers the cp sucks up. Be able to read that the difference isn’t popular
-counterplan is unpopular – be prepared to look through backfiles/analytical arguments.
B. 1ar
1. Have a strategy!
-do I want to straight turn
- am I extending impact defense to everything
2. extend lots of stuff
3. Things to consider while answering it in the 1ar
- is there value to argument uniqueness overwhelms the link – if the warrant for passage isn’t connected to the
link.
NEVER as a uniqueness argument but as an indict to the link to the disad.
NEVER in the 2ac
Are your non-uniques related to the link argument
-did we sandbag good uniqueness evidence to read
4. If you are straight turning – Uniqueness focusing on warrants, multiple link turns, explain specific to
scenario.
5. If you are not straight turning – impact defense, internal link defense, specific link turns, a few theory
arguments. Quality and then shit-kicking
C. 2ar
1. You should have read the cards up till then – where are they the weakest.
2. have specific link turns you are ready to talk about at all times. Talk about what it means to win some or all
of the link debate for the risk of the disad
3. impact defense.
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4. make an assessment on uniqueness – can I decrease the risk – talk about what it means to win a chunk of
uniqueness.
5. don’t be pscyhophrenic
6. you will be behind on uniq & impact debate against good politics teams. You should be ahead on the link
debate and internal link debate.
Questions
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Researching Politics
Researching politics
1. Search the week before – Bush congress – to create a list of disads
2. make friends to find out what other disads are being read
a. college friends
b. camp friends from across the country
c. use cross-x and files to purchase indexes to find out what will be read
3. create your list of all possible disads and start researching
a. uniqueness both ways
b. mpx defense to most – unless uniqueness is overwhelming in a particular way you don’t need
c. IL answers to the impact you want to read
4. Once you decide uniqueness is one sided pick a disad based on that – all good debaters know this
a. Brute force strategy for researching politics
i. type title into google news & lexis-nexis and read EVERY article
ii. copy articles into WORD and change key words to bold to improve processing speed
b. finesse strategy for researching politics
i. refine your searches to make sure you cover everything that is in the lit
ii. cut enough articles to guarantee uniqueness – if you can’t guarantee – keep working
c. things you do regardless of your strategy
i. make a list of the non-unique warrants – cut/write answers for the block
ii. make sure Bush is key to the passage – research this including phrases like “political capital”
5. impact research
a. if you are aff don’t impact turn – research link turns & have uniqueness
b. make sure you have a big external and internal impact scenarios
c. be prepared for mpx turns before you read a disad
d. go old school to look for new and varied mpx
i. think tanks discuss proposed bills in congress
ii. congressional testimony is great for economy internal links
6. Link uniqueness file – research these for the aff & Neg
a. PC – yes/no
b. congress likes each other – doesn’t like each other
c. Bush getting wins now – Bush losing now
d. Bipart now / Partisan now
e. Bush making concessions now – no concessions now
f. bush popular / unpopular
7. Have a solid internal link file
a. produced one at most camps so they are online
b. research what is key to the agenda at the start of each semester to improve your link arguments
c. use old school cards to support your updated link & uniqueness arguments
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Line by Line Specifics
1. extend the 1nc
2. indict their evidence
3. when in doubt read more cards.
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1. Non-unique – won’t pass
1. You can’t lose to this – it has to be absolutely certain before you start picking your disad.
2. Read a card in the 1nc that answers the warrants for why it won’t pass.
3. reference political capital. Capital will insure it passes – the 1nc card should reference capital as overcoming
other problems that exist with the bill.
4. know the literature – is there a threat you could lose? Do your own work or at least familiarize yourself with
the aff n/u evidence.
5. when in doubt read more cards.
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2. Non-unique – other issues insure fights
1. This is the biggest rising and most popular of aff answers largely because they are easy to find and throw a
hole into the way most politics disads are debated. Often called thumpers.
2. focus on what the “thumper” is missing –
a. is obama using capital or is it just a fight?
b. does it say it will impact the agenda or are people just generally angry.
3. time frame – have top of the docket cards ready to go for yourself.
4. few other stock arguments
a. our authors assume other fights.
b. this doesn’t deny the link or the impact – just provides a brink - which is why PC is at a premium.
5. cut answers to them as you hear them.
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3. non unique – no PC
1. very few of these cards say “no PC.” They often say low or are assumptive of a weakened president.
2. evidence indicts because these are usually written from a very conservative set of news sources.
3. your evidence assumes this – says he has enough with specific groups. IF, for example, your card says he
has enough to win over particular groups to get votes then you are okay. BE careful if your PC key card is older.
4. cut a few. Sometimes tough but always written in some context. Not always use the phrase political capital.
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4. Fiat t/o the link
A. magic wand – passes magically.
B. not a should question – shouldn’t have to debate it.
1. Prefer the quality of the link evidence – says getting it passed requires the president to get involved.
2. backlash to having it got done. If their magic wand notion of debate is accurate congress will be like a new
born child, they’ll start crying b/c they have no idea how that happened.
3. presidents get pulled into everything.
4. this is an older theory that the plan actually requires PC in order to pass. That is one argument there is also
a backlash argument. Combined with president gets drawn in this isn’t an issue.
C. “vote no” 1. silly. Not an accurate representation of what happens in the debate round.
2. makes the neg have to defend something worse than the status quo.
D. policy maker
1. read specific evidence about politics on this particular topic.
2. focus on your link evidence.
3. the president has to engage in these types of internal negotiations all the time – health care vs. the economy
vs. warming.
E. bottom of the docket
1. kills all disads b/c don’t know when –
2. the 2012 budget got moved all the way to the next year.
3. makes the cp to do the plan at the top of the docket competitive – plan can’t sever doing it at the bottom b/c
they’ve used it for a strategic benefit.
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5. PC isn’t key – to this bill
1. it isn’t about the buzz word of PC it is about the warrant of PC
2. need to make sure this isn’t true – if you can’t explain why passage involves the president you will lose to
this argument and every other argument.
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6. only ideology matters – PC irrelevant – theory
1. Dickinson is the most popular.
2. indict these cards as a general study of the way politics have worked. They are technically correct. On a
majority of issues they are simply pass or won’t pass and have little to nothing to do with the president.
However, on any very close bill capital, popularity, swag becomes an important tie breaker.
3. default to the specificity of warrants. Example – it might be true that economic theory is unlikely to cause
war – that doesn’t mean that no war has ever started because of economic decline – just unlikely.
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7. missing internal links –
a. PC doesn’t t/off between things
1. need to coherently explain why either –
Little a – this is an issue that interacts with the other.
Little b – the general president’s capital has everything to do with passage. If I do something unpopular I lose
sway with people because my party will distance itself and the opposition won’t go along.
2. read evidence that are link magnifiers that speak to the general aff.
b. one issues doesn’t spillover
1. yes they do – you need to know that they do and have a coherent reason why – little a & b above still apply.
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8. Plan popular
It isn’t about being popular or unpopular – see my article in the 3nr journal. Something can be both popular
and unpopular – it is about the relative power of that group for the particular bill vis-à-vis the other people.
You need to generally control this.
a. public
1. good cards exist in the abstract & better cards exist in election years.
2. good evidence saying that the public response takes time to build up
3. public popularity is used for the election
b. congress
1. this is the only true link turn in my mind. BUT need to point out who it is talking about and why they are
relevant.
2. needs to speak to congress NOT to individual members of congress – they are totally irrelevant.
c. generally
weigh the popularity versus the unpopularity of a group.
Old People, Big Industries, Israeli Lobby – these are powerful. A lot of others aren’t really all that pouplar.
d. lobbies
I don’t care unless they provide political cover.
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9. plan is bipart
1. this phrase just means that there are members of both parties that like it – not that it is popular with a
majority – a single democrat makes a bill bipartisan. That isn’t really all that revelant.
2. no evidence that “bipart” is key to the actual passage of the bill. Need to focus on the importance of political
capital to the passage of the bill.
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10. winners-win
What does it mean to be a win? A president has been pushing for the passage of something and gets it done. A
win is something you fight for not something that just falls in your lap. It helps if:
a. it was tough to get done/unpopular
b. it results in the image that someone is awesome.
The lion-tamer theory of political capital.
These do not require you win any other part of the link turn debate – IF they win that winners-win then
everything else is irrelevant. BUT, winning the other stuff doesn’t hurt the winners-win argument.
Answering it
1. plan isn’t a win
2. obama can’t win – too much backlash
3. if true – long time frame
When in doubt read cards.
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11. entropy
Use it or lose it.
Not true – president is using it.
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12. bill fails
Need to be able to defend the bill and the internal link from it to the actual impact that you are reading
2. have a “wall” written and ready to go – perception, not passing it, passing it solves, fixes the markets.
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13. impact defense
Read more impact evidence.
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14. future bill solves
This is stupid.
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15. impact turns – terminal
Covered this above.
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16. impact turns – to the bill.
These are my favorite.
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