Month: September 2009

Last week, President Barack Obama tried to change the message on the healthcare debate. As the American public has grown more skeptical of the President’s agenda, Obama’s team has tried to retake the initiative in the media and part of that was Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress. However, during Obama’s speech when he said that illegal immigrants would not receive coverage in his healthcare plan he was interrupted with a shout of “You lie!” by Joe Wilson, a Republican representative from South Carolina. For anyone who has not seen the video, it is worth a look just to see Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s facial expression after the incident.

Wilson’s remarks started a political firestorm. Some have argued that his actions demonstrate everything that is wrong with the Republican Party. Others have argued that there must be something bad in the water in South Carolina, where Republican Governor Mark Sanford is trying to fight off impeachment by January. Then there are those who believe Wilson did the right thing in standing up to Obama and calling him to task for a lack of enforcement mechanisms in healthcare legislation to keep illegal immigrants from getting coverage.

Considering that healthcare is a central tenet of Barack Obama’s domestic agenda and that the Republican Party is hoping to regain control of the House in 2010, it is important that we look at the Joe Wilson incident this week. To do so, this brief will break down the incident in two ways. First, we will look at the issue that raised Wilson’s ire: the coverage of illegal immigrants in the healthcare legislation before Congress. And second, we will look at the political fallout from Wilson’s outburst and if it works more in favor of Democrats or Republicans.

Wake Forest Live Update: What Time Is It? Finals Time!

By geniao44446

On September 13, 2009

In National Circuit News

Thanks to a lack of coordination, it took a while to acquire the extemp postings for finals. However, here are your final six at the 2009 Wake Forest National Early Bird (from a starting field of 39). All of the below extempers will earn the first points towards the 2009-2010 Extemp Central National Points Race.

Finals go off at 9:30, draw is occurring right now.

Judges: Jeff Warren, Elizabeth Cummings, Marcus Little, Heather Ney, and Mark Perrotta

1. Rohan Bhargava (Jackson High School, Ohio)
2. Karthik Sastry (Montgomery Bell Academy, Tennessee)
3. Matt Meeks (Perry High School, Ohio)
4. Emily Martin (Boone County High School, Kentucky)
5. Aaron Strickland (Jackson High School, Ohio)
6. Matthew Alonsozana (Loyola-Blakefield High School, Maryland)

Wake Forest Live Update: Semi-Finalists Revealed!

By geniao44446

On September 13, 2009

In National Circuit News

After four preliminary rounds of competition, the field of 39 has been narrowed to 12. Each of the semi-final rooms will have three judges and the top three competitors in each semi-final room will advance to the final round. The competitors are listed in the order they are listed to speak in, although there will be some changes as there are many doubling in Impromptu.

We have been told that the topic area for this round is “Energy and the Environment.”

Section 1

Judges: Steve Burgin, Libby Carter, and Georgi Perrotta

1. Nathaniel Donahue (Durham Academy, North Carolina)
2. Matthew Alonsozana (Loyola-Blakefield High School, Maryland)
3. Paavan Gami (Southside High School, South Carolina)
4. Matt Meeks (Perry High School, Ohio)
5. Taylor Thompson (Carrollton High School, Ohio)
6. Rohan Bhargava (Jackson High School, Ohio)

Section Two

Judges: Caroline Butler, Brianna Doyle, and Sheela Chokshi

1. Ben Denton (Pinecrest High School, North Carolina)
2. Ross Slaughter (Walt Whitman High School, Maryland)
3. Emily Martin (Boone County High School, Kentucky)
4. Aaron Strickland (Jackson HS, Ohio)
5. Karthik Sastry (Montgomery Bell Academy, Tennessee)
6. Brianna Willits (Perry High School, Ohio)

Wake Forest National Early Bird Participant List

By geniao44446

On September 13, 2009

In National Circuit News

The Wake Forest National Early Bird will feature 39 competitors this year, up from 33 from the previous version. All competitors are competing for the 50 points in the 2009-2010 Extemp Central National Points Race that will be awarded to the winner.

Here are the participants, in alphabetical order, in this year’s tournament. Apologies for any misspellings or lack of location for competitors:

Matthew Alonsozana (Loyola Blakefield High School, Maryland)
Antar Azan (Myers Park High School, North Carolina)
Rohan Bhargava (Jackson High School, Ohio)
Matt DeBari (Lake Highland Preparatory, Florida)
Joseph Calder (Cary Academy, North Carolina)
Ben Denton (Pinecrest High School, North Carolina)
Tyler Dillon (Oakwood High School, Ohio)
James Dingess
Nathaniel Donahue (Durham Academy, North Carolina)
Hala Elaki
Katie Fisher (East Chapel Hill High School, North Carolina)
Paavan Gami (Southside High School, South Carolina)
John Gilliam (Dikcson County High School, Tennessee)
Rachel Hanline
Katie Hoffman (Oakwood High School, Ohio)
Ziger Huffnagie
John Holsinger (Sherando High School, Virginia)
Tre Hunt (Durham Academy, North Carolina)
Harry Lambert (Cary Academy, North Carolina)
Auden Lawrence (Pinecrest High School, North Carolina)
Aaron Lutkowitz (Montgomery Bell Academy, Tennessee)
Julia Manchester (Lake Highland Preparatory, Florida)
Emily Martin (Boone County High School, Kentucky)
Matt Meeks (Perry High School, Ohio)
Lawrence Moore
Matthew Novak (Durham Academy, North Carolina)
Neil Ryan (Montgomery Bell Academy, Tennessee)
Karthik Sastry (Montgomery Bell Academy, Tennessee)
Anand Shah (Southside High School, South Carolina)
Dustin Shreve (Carrollton High School, Ohio)
Ross Slaughter (Walt Whitman High School, Maryland)
Rhett Spurlin (Collierville High School, Tennessee)
Will Stewart (Montgomery Bell Academy, Tennessee)
Aaron Strickland (Jackson HS, Ohio)
Nick Torian (Carrollton High School, Ohio)
Taylor Thompson (Carrollton High School, Ohio)
Isabel Williams (Myers Park High School, North Carolina)
Brianna Willits (Perry High School, Ohio)
Matt Zaloba (Brentwood High School, Tennessee)

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 8th-14th, 2009

By geniao44446

On September 8, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Has environmentalism overrun common sense in California? questions
2. Does China’s recent criticism of Myanmar show that it is taking the issue of human rights more seriously?
3. Should climate change denial be a crime?
4. Does the U.S. need more e-colleges?
5. How much change will the DPJ be able to bring to Japan?
6. Should Massachusetts legislators change state law to allow Deval Patrick to appoint an interim replacement for Ted Kennedy?
7. Is the West embracing Libya too much?
8. Does the current economic climate make immigration reform harder?
9. Is the high prevalence of private contractors in Afghanistan an impediment to success there?
10. Is Berlusconi’s government living on a prayer?

2009-10 Extemp Central National Points Race

By Logan Scisco

On September 4, 2009

In National Points Race

by Logan Scisco

Last month, Extemp Central gradually revealed the tournaments that would make up this year’s National Points Race. The only shakeup for tournaments was the decision to exclude the University of Pennsylvania’s Liberty Bell Classic from the National Points Race this season. The reasoning behind this was that the Liberty Bell Classic will run opposite of the California Invitational at Berkeley and the Harvard Invitational this season so its level of participation is in question.

Extempers also noticed when the tournaments were rolled out that the tier structure has been changed. Unlike last year, which featured only three tiers of tournaments, this year’s National Points Race will feature five tiers of competition. One of the criticisms that was mentioned about last year’s National Points Race are that smaller, more regional tournaments like the Wake Forest National Early Bird, the St. Mark’s Heart of Texas Invitational, and the California Invitational were worth the same amount of points as larger, more recognized tournaments like the Glenbrooks and Harvard. To reward extempers for their performance among larger fields, the tiers have been expanded so that the National Points Race can recognize the nation’s best extemper across a broad field of tournaments.

Last year was the first official year of the National Points Race, with Stacey Chen of North Allegheny Senior High School in Pennsylvania claiming the individual championship and claiming the National Team Points Race championship for her school. A picture of the trophies can be found at this website. If you count Becca Goldstein’s unofficial victory in 2008, when the points were used to give a snapshot of how the 2007-2008 season would have worked out, women have won the last two National Points Race titles. So this year will be interesting to see if any male extempers step up and wrest away the championship.

The only question that was not answered from last month’s rollout of the tournaments is how many points they were going to be worth. This is the question that this article will answer. The points system is set up to reward victories at major events, but also to reward top three finishes. During the season, even if there are defects, the points scale will not be changed. This is meant to provide fairness and uniformity to the season’s rankings. By the next edition of The Ex Files, which will be released prior to the Glenbrooks, three tournaments in the National Points Race will have been completed. Come back to Extemp Central after the Wake Forest National Early Bird, the Yale University Invitational, and St. Mark’s to find out what is going on in the National Points Race standings.

Topic Brief: Budget Deficit Politics

By Logan Scisco

On September 3, 2009

In Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

By Logan Scisco

During the “off season” after NFL Nationals, the issue of the budget deficit has come to be a major one in American politics. It has the potential to shape the outcome of the midterm elections in 2010 and is playing a role in President Barack Obama’s declining popularity ratings. As extempers get ready for the 2009-2010 season, which starts in less than six weeks with the Wake Forest National Early Bird, they will face questions about an array of economic issues such as unemployment, the effectiveness of the stimulus package, and the level of international trade as well as the controversial issue of healthcare reform. All of these issues have something to do with the budget of the United States government and by proxy the deficit the U.S. government currently finds itself facing.

Americans in the late 1990s got used to seeing fiscal discipline on Capitol Hill between the executive and legislative branches. President Bill Clinton worked with Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, a relationship that was often tense through impeachment proceedings and a government shutdown, to craft a budget that was balanced and that ran a surplus totaling $128 billion. In fact, the major issue of the 2000 election between Vice-President Al Gore and then-Texas Governor George W. Bush was over what to do with this budget surplus, with Gore arguing that it needed to be used to shore up entitlement programs such as Social Security in a “lockbox” and Bush arguing that it needed to be given back to the American people in the form of a tax cut. After the first presidential debate between the two men in the fall of 2000, Saturday Night Live had a hilarious mock debate over this issue.

After Bush won the election, he was able to get Congress to approve his tax cut package and celebrated the occasion as a victory for small government. However, thanks to September 11^th and a U.S. recession that began after Bush was elected, the federal government started to see deficits early in the Bush administration. By the time Bush left office, he and Congress, which was controlled for six years of his administration by Republicans, left the country with nearly a $500 billion deficit. To put this into perspective, that number represents nearly three percent of America’s gross domestic product (GDP), the total value of goods and services produced within the U.S. in a given year.

Therefore, this topic brief will describe the state of the budget deficit under the Obama administration, how Congress and the Obama administration are trying to cope with it, and the political fallout on the budget deficit issue.

Extemp Roundtable

By Logan Scisco

On September 2, 2009

In Strategy, U.S. Extemp

with Nicholas Cugini, Mark Royce, Logan Scisco, Rob Warchol

Extemp Roundtable is a new addition to The Ex Files for this season. In this column a panel of recognized extempers will examine a question that could come up in a future round and they will reveal their feelings and how they would tackle the question if it was posed to them in a round.

This issues panel is made up of the following individuals:

Nicholas Cugini placed third in United States Extemp at the 2009 NFL National tournament. Last season, we was also the winner of United States Extemp at the St. Mark’s Heart of Texas Invitational and was a finalist at the MBA Round Robin and the International Extemp tournament at St. Mark’s. He attended Cypress Ridge High School in Texas and was coached by Scott Baker. In the fall, Nicholas will attend Yale University.

Mark Royce was the runner-up in International Extemp in 2002. He coached at Montgomery Bell Academy, and is now a Ph.D. candidate in political science at George Mason University.

Logan Scisco was the national final round champion of United States Extemp at the 2003 NFL National tournament. He was a four-time national finalist in extemp while competing for Danville High School in Kentucky and for Western Kentucky University. He currently coaches for Boone County High School in Kentucky and for Western Kentucky University, where he is pursuing a masters degree in history.

Rob Warchol competed for Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngtown, Ohio. With the help of Karen Wright, he was a 3 time state qualifier, and a 2 time national qualifier in United States Extemp. He placed 7th at the 2009 NFCL National Tournament and 8th at the 2009 NFL National Tournament. Rob is continuing his extemp career under Jason Warren at George Mason University, where he plans on majoring in Government and International Politics, with an aspiration of law school.

National Points Race Champion Interview with Stacey Chen

By Logan Scisco

On September 1, 2009

In Interviews

by Logan Scisco

Last year was the first official year of the Extemp Central National Points Race and Stacey Chen of North Allegheny Senior High School in Wexford, Pennsylvania emerged victorious by a wide margin over the rest of her competitors. Chen’s season saw her win the Glenbrooks, the Harvard Invitational, the Extemp TOC, and arguably her biggest title of the year, the International Extemp national championship at NFL Nationals. She also managed to win the final round national championship, and the tournament, by one rank over Will Rafey of Bellarmine College Prep in California enabling her to capture the National Teams Points Race trophy for her team as well.

Stacey has agreed to become a writer for the Ex Files this season and as her first assignment, she decided to sit down and discuss her goals, accomplishments she earned last season, and offer advice to extempers who would one day like to achieve her level of success.

Logan Scisco: Thanks for deciding to sit down and share your thoughts with the extemp community Stacey and congratulations on being last year’s first Extemp Central National Points Race champion.

Stacey Chen: You’re welcome! Thanks for the opportunity to share with the extemp community… I apologize in advance for rambling.

Scisco: That should be okay, more is better than less with these interviews. Tell us how you got started with extemporaneous speaking.

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 1st-7th, 2009

By geniao44446

On September 1, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Is China doing enough to curb environmental pollution? questions
2. Who is Mexico’s most dangerous drug cartel?
3. Are attempts at a bipartisan solution to healthcare futile?
4. How can the U.S. military increase the mental health of its troops?
5. Does Bernanke deserve another term?
6. Are Democrats politicizing Ted Kennedy’s death?
7. Does Angela Merkel need to become more aggressive after local election setbacks for her party?
8. How can opium be eradicated in Afghanistan?
9. Will the High Value Detainee Interrogation Group be a better way to get information from terror suspects?
10. How will the DPJ adjust Japan’s relationship with the United States?

Topic Brief: 2009 Afghan Elections

By geniao44446

On September 1, 2009

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

Two weeks ago, the nation of Afghanistan held its second presidential election since the U.S. invasion of the country in 2001. President Hamid Karzai was looking for another term in office against 39 other candidates, the most notable of which was Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, a ethnic Tajik who was a former foreign minister in the Afghan government. The election was seen as a measuring stick of how stable, or unstable, Afghanistan has become over the last several years.

By most military estimates, Afghanistan is in danger of being lost. Years of ignoring the country’s internal development due to the war in Iraq have allowed warlords to continue to hold control of parts of the country and the Taliban to spread out. Areas in northern and western Afghanistan which had before been pacified by American troops and NATO forces are now under more influence from the Taliban. Afghan experts are fearing that a Taliban insurgency could become a wider rebellion against the Afghan government.

While the Afghan election result is still uncertain and it is possible that there will be a runoff in October, extempers would be wise to consider the possibilities of the result and the impact the result will have on U.S. Afghan policy, the war in Afghanistan, and the country’s internal political structure. As such, this brief will detail some crucial events in the run-up to the Afghan election, the behavior of the vote, and why it matters for Afghanistan’s future.