1. Was the latest G-20 meeting a huge blow to Obama’s presidency?
2. How will the controversy over full body scanners and pat downs impact the airline industry?
3. Will cuts in defense spending tear the GOP apart?
4. Did Michael Bloomberg make a major error choosing Cathleen Black to run the New York City public school system?
5. Who will win Chicago’s mayoral election?
6. Are the recommendations of President Obama’s deficit commission DOA?
7. Will “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” help or hinder Sarah Palin’s 2012 chances?
8. How will Ireland’s economic problems impact the U.S.?
9. Was Keith Olbermann’s suspension from MSNBC justified?
10. How big of a distraction will Charlie Rangel’s trial be during Congress’s lame duck session?
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Until early November, extempers can expect to run into lots of questions about the midterm elections. These questions may ask you which party will win the elections, what the biggest issue in the elections is going to be, or about specific races happening throughout the country. Usually, if you get a question about a specific race it will be about a Senate or governor’s race because those typically attract more attention than House races. Extempers should have files on the major races and get to know the candidates in those races. To get an idea of what the major races are, extempers should go to the Cook Political Report or Real Clear Politics and see the races that are classified as “tossups.” The “tossup” label designates races where the Democratic and Republican candidates have a chance to win. If you are new to extemp, you will see this labels again in 2012 for the presidential campaign.
Once the midterm elections end, the next big political campaign will be the 2012 presidential election. While President Obama will likely be nominated by the Democrats for a second term, the Republican opposition has no clear frontrunner. Based on the midterm election cycle, the GOP presidential primary might be one of the most thrilling and competitive in years and might see a bloody civil war between social and fiscal conservatives. Such a battle has the potential to either strengthen the party and the candidates involved or devastate the GOP’s 2012 chances.