by Logan Scisco
The following topic area analysis is for extempers who will be competing next week at the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament at Flower Mound High School. Like our CFL and NFL topic area analysis in the past, this will attempt to provide some guidance for extempers as they prepare for the tournament. This topic area analysis will provide a brief description of the round in question and list some major issues that extempers will have to talk about in that round. For extempers who will not be competing at TFA and have their state tournaments later in the year, this topic area analysis can still help you since many states are using the same topic areas and categories that TFA is utilizing. As with all topic area analysis, this merely represents the opinions of the writer and in no way reflects what will actually happen at TFA State. Extemp Central is not affiliated with TFA and has not written the questions that extempers will compete with next week.
Topic Area #1: Social Issues
The first round of the tournament is the round that most United States extempers do not enjoy and to some degree fear. Social issues questions tend to center around obscure and/or controversial subject matter and extempers are often forced to go out on a limb with their answers. For example, during the 2003 NFL National Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, I drew abortion, slave reparations, and Title IX during the social issues round. There was no winning on those issues. What is good about having domestic social in the first round is that extempers can get it over with and not have to worry about it popping up in one of the big elimination rounds later. As with most topic draws, I highly advise extempers to steer clear of subjects on issues like abortion that are often heavily divisive. As a judge, I wouldn’t mind to hear a speech about the subject, but many extempers tend to present only one viewpoint and it hurts their analysis. Remember that if you draw a topic on education that you don’t bash the system too hard since your judges are likely going to be involved in the education system and are not going to appreciate you telling them in seven minutes or less that what they do is worthless. To build your files in this topic area, I highly recommend going to places like the Christian Science Monitor’s “USA” section and looking at all of the issues discussed there that do not include politics or economics. Also, since there is not a war on terrorism/security round, I would expect that you could get some questions about TSA screening policies or other homeland security policies in this round. Domestic social may not be fun, but if you anticipate some of the nuances that the round brings you can glide through it without incident.
Issues you might confront in this topic area include:
- How should America’s education system be changed? Are charter schools better than public schools? Should voucher programs be expanded?
- How can we fix Social Security? (if this topic area doesn’t pop up here, it’ll pop up in the domestic economics round because of its connection to entitlement spending)
- How can America solve the demand problem with the war on drugs?
- What grade does the Department of Homeland Security deserve? Do TSA pat downs at airports go too far?
- Are state laws against illegal immigration too harsh?
- Why are calls for more gun control falling on deaf ears?
- Is a federal war on obesity needed?
- Will the Affordable Care Act improve the quality of American healthcare?
- Does America need more Internet regulation?
- Should America invest more in the space program?
- Is the quest for “college for all” misguided?
Topic Area #2: Domestic Economics
Since the housing bubble burst in 2008, extempers have had to become mini-experts on economic policy. Whether it be interest rates, the housing market, inflation, gas prices, unemployment, unemployment insurance, trade, budget deficits, or financial regulation, extempers have had to learn about micro and macroeconomic issues if they want to do well at local, state, or national tournaments. Like I recommended for international extempers, extempers should see if they can obtain an economic textbook from their school and read sections that detail topics that they do not understand. Also, I would recommend putting this book in your files so that you can reference it if need be, or if you want to take your mind off of things while you are waiting to draw. The textbook is a published source and since it isn’t providing skeleton speeches or strategy, like this topic area analysis is, you can consult it. Extempers in this round should be careful not to speak quickly and take for granted that their judges know a lot about economics. Economics is a very difficult social science and although several of your judges may have taken an economics course in high school or college, it is probably not a highlight of their lives. As a result, make sure that you slowly take judges through complicated subjects and don’t assert things. Just because the unemployment rate dropped to 8.9% last month does not mean that more Americans are finding work. Instead, Americans who have given up or are no longer receiving unemployment benefits are not counted in the statistics and it can present a skewed view on the subject. Also, make sure that if you use statistics in this round that all of them are cited with a source, so the audience knows that you did not make them up, and explain why those statistics are relevant. It doesn’t gain you anything if you tell your judge that GDP went up three percent last year if you don’t explain what that means. Finally, make sure that you have up to date economic statistics. If you are citing things from December or early January that’s too late. Economic situations can change quickly, so make sure you are aware of any changes that might occur in the days leading up to the tournament or the day of the tournament.
Issues you might confront in this topic area include:
- How can the federal government lower the unemployment rate?
- Is a new stimulus package needed and if so, how should it be implemented?
- What should the federal government do about entitlement spending?
- Does America need to scrap existing free trade agreements and work from a position of fairer trade? Can the U.S. afford to take a more aggressive trade stance on China?
- Was a shift to a service economy a bad move for the United States?
- Are fights against public employee unions necessary to improve state budgets?
- How can the federal budget be balanced? Should it be balanced with new taxes, spending cuts, or both?
- If America is going to cut parts of the federal budget, what should it target?
- Is America headed for stagflation?
- Will the Fed’s quantitative easing policy backfire?
- How will rising food and gas prices impact the U.S. economy?
- What policies would revive the domestic housing market?
- Will the federal government eventually have to bailout state governments (i.e. California)?
- Did President Obama make a mistake in extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy?
- Are high speed rail networks in America’s best interest?
Topic Area #3: U.S. Foreign Policy
The U.S. foreign policy round is where International Extemp and United States Extemp meet and I’m happy to report that over the last several years both extemp categories have become more differentiated from each other. Since the war on terrorism began in 2001, there was a lot of overlap, but with less attention being directed towards international affairs because of the economic situation, extempers are giving fewer mixed speeches than they used to. That said, the U.S. foreign policy round demands that United States extempers focus on global events. This will be the last preliminary round, so it will determine which competitors advance to elimination rounds and extempers cannot afford to bomb this round after navigating the first two topics. Unlike International Extemp, the U.S. foreign policy round here should center on why America is pushing for certain policies and what it should do with some of the chaotic situations in the world. For example, what should the U.S. do about Libya, did the U.S. make the right call in not backing Mubarak against Egyptian protesters, and is a nuclear free world in America’s best interest. Foreign policy sources like Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and the Council on Foreign Relations are excellent sources for the U.S. foreign policy round because they break down American policies across the world and describe their impacts in detail. It also doesn’t hurt that many of these analysis are written by esteemed college professors or people who help to shape America’s foreign policy like Robert Gates or Hillary Clinton. For younger extempers, this summer I would highly recommend reading Henry Kissinger’s book Diplomacy. It’s lengthy and dense, but provides some excellent historical information and theory when it comes to American foreign policy approaches. Like the other two topic areas prior to this one, extempers will likely be called upon to analyze President Obama’s decisions in the White House as they pertain to this subject and you may be asked if Hillary Clinton is proving her worth as Secretary of State. Finally, although this topic area does not have a political dimension to it on its face, don’t forget that there is a presidential election in 2012. The Republican field will attempt to show that President Obama’s foreign policy has been weak and has eschewed American exceptionalism. Furthermore, President Obama is well aware of 2012 and that may impact some of his future policy decisions. It’s never too late to start running 2012 impacts for speeches, especially since that is the next major election cycle.
Issues you might confront in this topic area include:
- Does the U.S. need to adopt a less friendly policy towards Russia?
- How should the U.S. respond to Chinese flirtations with Taiwan?
- Should the U.S. have backed Hosni Mubarak against protesters in Egypt?
- Should the U.S. impose a no fly zone on Libya?
- Has President Obama forgotten about Iraq and Afghanistan?
- Should the U.S. withdraw troops from Afghanistan?
- How should the U.S. handle North Korea in lights of its recent calls for food aid?
- What grade does Hillary Clinton deserve as Secretary of State? Would Joe Biden make a better Secretary of State?
- How much credit does the U.S. deserve for ensuring a peaceful referendum in Southern Sudan?
- Should aid to Haiti be cut off?
- Should the U.S. end the embargo on Cuba?
- Has the Obama administration helped or hindered the Middle East peace process by getting tough with Israel on settlements?
Topic Area #4: Federalism & the Judiciary
For a quarter-final topic, this one is going to be tough. The question writer can choose three paths with this topic area: they can write questions that are about the relationship between the states and the federal government, they can write questions about the judiciary, and/or they can write questions that combine the two. If I were doing the topics, I’d do all three. During the 1990s and 2000s, there was talk that federalism was a dead constitutional concept. The federal government had expanded its reach into most facets of American life and even in education, which has been a large issue for state governments to deal with, the federal government took a more aggressive stance with No Child Left Behind and told states like Connecticut that if they did not comply with regulations that they would lose their highway funds. However, with red ink piling up in Washington, I believe that we are witnessing the rise of a new federalism, where state governments are wrestling more power away from Washington. For example, look at Arizona and the actions of other states that are taking a more aggressive stance on illegal immigration because they allege that the federal government has failed to do its job. Furthermore, Republican governors are seeking to balance budgets by going after public employee unions, a battle that may be coming to Washington within the next five years. Also, Republican state governors like Rick Scott of Florida are rebuffing federal infrastructure projects, like high speed rail links, and are challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act because they believe that it will impose significant costs on their state budgets since Medicaid rolls will grow. The judiciary part of the topic area can stress the Supreme Court’s recent rulings, for example in the Westboro Baptist Church case or that prisoners have a right to DNA testing, and future cases the court may have to deal with, like South Dakota’s move to require mandatory consultations before abortions or the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. There have also been concerns that President Obama’s judicial nominees are being stalled by Senate Republicans. This is an issue that has plagued most presidential administrations and it’s reaching crisis level since the process has gotten slower and more blocked with each new presidency. When it comes to blending the topic areas, extempers should look to drug laws, which are a bifurcation of federal and state statutes, a push by Arizona to redefine birthright citizenship, and the constitutionality of state moves on immigration and the healthcare legislation. You may also receive some hypothetical questions concerning what powers states should have and what powers the federal government should have over social or economic issues of concern.
Issues you might confront in this topic area include:
- Should drug laws be under state or federal control?
- Should a constitutional amendment be passed to give the federal government control over the nation’s education system?
- Should No Child Left Behind be scrapped?
- Should birthright citizenship be redefined?
- How should the federal government handle state challenges to its authority on immigration policy?
- Is federalism dead?
- Will federal deficits give more power to the states on issues of domestic concern?
- Should the Senate speed up confirmations of President Obama’s judicial nominees?
- How have President Obama’s Supreme Court picks impacted the Supreme Court thus far?
- Was Alito right about the Westboro Baptist Church?
- Is healthcare reform unconstitutional?
- Will the Affordable Care Act bankrupt the states?
Topic Area #5: American Businesses
After reading the topic heading, some may have taken a second glance and said “Wait, don’t we already have a round for economics?” The answer is that yes, there is another round in prelims, but that one is macroeconomics, while this one should be microeconomic. Whereas the “domestic economics” topic area will focus on national trends, like the unemployment and inflation rates and the growth of the economy as a whole, this one will focus on smaller issues when it comes to business operations by sectors of the economy. Think of the auto industry, airline industry, green industries, computer industry, etc. Extempers will analyze the growth of these industries (or lack thereof) and what they can do to be competitive. Also, you may get some questions about what the federal government can do to help small businesses and start ups. When handling these questions, make sure that you understand federal legislation that affects these businesses and make sure you know which businesses are making money and which ones aren’t. The business sections of most major domestic newspapers will have this information and the Economist does a fantastic job breaking down business regulation on a weekly basis. Most of the comments I had about the domestic economics round apply here: don’t go fast and don’t bog down the judge with concepts and statistics that you don’t care to explain. This is the semi-final round and by this point some judges will be tired, while others will want to judge another event besides extemp. Most judges like when they can enjoy a round and yet rank it with ease and if you err in not explaining things or going too fast, then you will most likely not find yourself in the TFA state final. Overall, this round is just like domestic economics, but it’s just more specialized. If you are unaware of different sectors of the economy, I’d suggest that you start reading about them now so you have a lay person’s knowledge about them and can feel more confident when you face this round.
Issues you might confront in this topic area include:
- Are more mergers in the airline industry’s future?
- Will GM need another bailout within a decade and if so, should the federal government grant them one?
- What should be done to ensure that electric cars become the way of the future?
- Will Apple falter without Jobs?
- Is Microsoft still relevant to the computer industry?
- Has Toyota restored its public image after last year’s recall debacles?
- Are regulations from the federal government hurting small businesses?
- What should be done to help small businesses and start ups grow?
- Will the NFL/NBA have lockouts next season?
- How can unions grow their membership in the private sector?
- Should the U.S. build more nuclear power plants?
Topic Area #6: Political Concerns
Domestic politics was always my favorite extemp topic area and it still is. Despite this round being labeled “political concerns” I would imagine that this is just a domestic politics topic area under a new name. All of the usual domestic extemp topics can be found in this round: the political impact of President Obama’s recent policies, whether there will be a government shutdown and who may benefit, will the Democrats lose the Senate in 2012, who will win the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, how Obama might win or lose re-election in 2012, etc. Extempers should be aware of public sentiment on whichever domestic topic they have to speak on in this round and polling agencies like Gallup, the Pew Research Center, and Rasmussen provide analysis of current events. Also, extempers should look at RealClearPolitics, who has already begun preliminary presidential polling for 2012. This can help you make a convincing case about why a certain GOP contender is better than another or why that contender might be able to defeat Barack Obama. The crucial thing that extempers in this round need to remember is to pay attention to the question. I have seen several speeches this year where extempers have a topic about who is going to win the GOP primary and they devote most of the speech to talk about why a certain candidate will win the presidency because they are moderate and have money. The problem with this approach is that they never talk about why the candidate in question is going to win the GOP primary and THAT is what they need to focus on. Remember, primaries tend to favor candidates who appeal to the base and have superior organizational skills. Also, make sure you know what the primary calendar looks like. Iowa voters are very different from New Hampshire voters, who are very different from voters in Nevada and South Carolina. Finally, although it isn’t a source I’d cite in a round, I’d go to Wikipedia and look at what Senate races will occur in 2012 and make sure that you have a good understanding of where the Democrats are going to be vulnerable. The Democrats will have a lot of seats to defend in 2012 and political analysts expect them to lose control of the Senate regardless of what happens in the presidential contest.
Issues you might confront in this topic area include:
- Who will be the Republican presidential candidate in 2012?
- How will the Tea Party impact the GOP primary in 2012?
- Which Senate seat is most likely to be taken by the GOP in 2012?
- Should Tim Kaine run for Jim Webb’s Senate seat in 2012?
- Can Scott Brown win re-election in 2012?
- Would a government shutdown help Democrats or Republicans or hurt both of them?
- Can President Obama win re-election even if unemployment remains high?
- Does President Obama have a public relations problem with middle America?
- How can the Obama administration bolster its poll numbers among white men?
- How should the GOP address immigration in its 2012 platform?
- Which state that went for Obama in 2008 will likely flip to the GOP in 2012?
- Will Gabrielle Giffords run for the Senate in 2012? If so, would she win?
- Will Sarah Palin opt to not run for president in 2012?
- Who will come out ahead in the 2011 governor’s races?
- Will the Senate flip in 2012?
- Have President Obama’s foreign policy stances in the Middle East hurt him domestically?
- Will foreign policy be a dominant issue in the 2012 election?
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