File Release: Politics

DEBATE-Kansas City has created a new comprehensive Politics File. You will need a password to download the file.  Some things to know about the file:

The main negative argument is a Health Care Politics DA. The argument says that Obama and the Democrats are very close to passing major health care reform. The plan will disrupt the current political process and prevent health care from being passed. Pay close attention to the 2NC Overview and the 2NC link dump. These are designed to help the 2NC/1NR extend the DA.

The file can also be used to answer the Health Care Politics DA. When answering the DA you need to either link turn it or impact turn it, but not both. You can make a creative argument and say that health care passage will lead to cap and trade passing. Then you would argue Cap & Trade is BAD. Or you can simply use the health care bad turns. I would advise impact turning over link turning because the uniqueness debate is hard to win for the affirmative.

The file can used to answer any politics DA. Most politics DAs argue that some item is on the agenda of the current political system, and that plan somehow disrupts whatever is on that agenda. So to battle uniqueness, you need to argue other issues are actually on the agenda. For example, if someone argues that Obama is trying to pass a jobs bill, and that the plan will prevent the jobs bill from passing, then you should argue that other issues like health care, are actually the top of the agenda. This proves plan would not uniquely affect the jobs bill. Then you need to examine the link. If the DA claims you cost Obama political capital and prevent him from passing something like a jobs bill, then you would argue winners-win and claim that the victory of passing the plan will make Obama more powerful in accomplishing his agenda.

The file also contains a front line to the START DA.  Some DKC teams reported trouble with this argument. Get to know the answers because they are a little complicated, but could nab you a win if you make the proper extensions.

For a review of politics DAs see the following video blog.