1. Do Blue Dog Democrats still have a role in the Democratic Party?
2. If inflation begins to become a problem, should the Federal Reserve raise interest rates even if unemployment is not at an acceptable level?
3. Should TSA employees be allowed to unionize?
4. Is the United States doing a good job integrating Muslim immigrants into society?
5. Have elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts shown that the “blame Bush” strategy is dead?
6. Will Obama be able to broker a significant Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement before the end of his first term?
7. What are the chances that Senate rules are changed to abolish the filibuster before the end of 2010?
8. Can the Democrats keep Evan Bayh’s seat?
9. Do U.S. students need more recess?
10. Can John McCain survive a primary challenge from J.D. Hayworth in Arizona?
Category: U.S. Extemp Page 48 of 57
1. Due to the fact that John Paul Stevens is reportedly considering leaving the Court, who should Obama nominate to replace him?
2. How can more bipartisanship be brought to Capitol Hill?
3. Should the U.S. label China as a currency manipulator?
4. How much of an impact will brake problems have on Toyota’s finances?
5. What does the U.S. need to do to gets it three hikers out of Iran?
6. Does the U.S. need to take missile defense more seriously?
7. Is the charge of ‘honest services fraud’ unconstitutional?
8. Should Zeituni Onyango be granted asylum?
9. Can Pat Quinn win the Illinois gubernatorial election this November?
10. Does the U.S. need to significantly reform its sex education initiatives?
1. Who was the winner of Obama’s meeting with House Republicans last week?
2. Now that New York City will not host the trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, where should that trial take place?
3. Should CBS not air the Tim Tebow antiabortion ad during the Super Bowl?
4. Was Obama’s swipe at the Supreme Court during his State of the Union speech inappropriate?
5. Is the acceleration of U.S. missile defenses in the Persian Gulf a constructive way of pressuring Tehran?
6. Do impressive fourth quarter GDP numbers signal a full scale economic recovery?
7. Is the tea party movement becoming a victim of its own success?
8. Should Obama get rid of Geithner?
9. How can the U.S. effectively reduce the national debt over the next decade?
10. Should Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be abolished?
1. How can Barack Obama improve his poll numbers among independent voters?
2. Would a failure to confirm Bernanke severely threaten the independence of the Federal Reserve?
3. How should Republicans use their enhanced position in the U.S. Senate?
4. Will Obama’s endorsement of an independent deficit commission give him credibility on fiscal issues?
5. Is Obama bad for the economy?
6. Will 2010 have more bank failures than 2009?
7. Would the use of spy drones in civilian areas for security purposes be constitutional?
8. Does the recent Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance spending help Republicans more than Democrats?
9. Will Obama’s decision to reconstitute the team that helped him win the White House significantly help Democrats in the 2010 midterms?
10. Is America losing Japan to China?
1. How will Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts impact the healthcare debate on Capitol Hill?
2. Will David Paterson’s spending plan pass in New York?
3. Why has America grown mute on the gun control debate?
4. Will the Supreme Court’s decision to not grant an injunction to close Chicago-area locks lead to the collapse of the Great Lake fishing industry?
5. How much is Obama to blame for Democratic setbacks in Virginia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey?
6. Has America taken on too much responsibility in Haiti?
7. How can the United States ensure that Ukraine does not fall back into Russian hands?
8. What sank Martha Coakley in Massachusetts?
9. How urgent is it that Congress pass an amendment to bar the EPA from using the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions?
10. Is the independent Pentagon review of the Fort Hood massacre too politically correct?
1. Is Obama’s focus on creating green jobs hurting the ability of the U.S. economy to cure rising unemployment?
2. Has Dodd’s decision not to run for re-election prevented Connecticut’s Senate seat from falling into Republican hands?
3. Should Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab have been classified as an enemy combatant?
4. Why has the gay marriage movement failed to win victories at the ballot box?
5. Will the recent cold snap in the United States doom efforts at installing a cap and trade system?
6. If Harry Reid loses re-election in 2010 who should become Senate Majority Leader?
7. Will 3D TV be a bust?
8. Should Brit Hume be fired for his comments about Tiger Woods?
9. Does the forgiving of Harry Reid by the Democratic Party show that there is a political double standard about race?
10. Will GM be able to turn a profit in 2010?
1. Should Napolitano step down?
2. Will the recession benefit the GOP in 2010 but not in 2012?
3. Should more of NASA’s work be outsourced to the private sector?
4. Which would be more beneficial for the US economy: electric powered vehicles or biofuel powered vehicles?
5. Does the U.S. need to look into some form of profiling to protect the nation’s airlines?
6. Is the Cornhusker Compromise unconstitutional?
7. Will the U.S. be forced to bail out California in 2010?
8. What was Obama’s most significant accomplishment in 2009?
9. Can cap and trade pass the Senate?
10. Why are economists projecting weak U.S. economic growth next year?
1. Are efforts to construct a “green” economy too optimistic?
2. Is Obama’s offer of assistance to small business coming too late?
3. Should the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions be audited by Congress?
4. Will General Motors ever find its way back into the black?
5. Should TARP funds be used for job creation?
6. Did the Supreme Court make the right ruling in Smith v. Alvarez?
7. Should the U.S. government play a stronger role in guiding the nation’s food and nutritional choices?
8. What does the Atlanta mayoral race say about race relations in America?
9. Is Obama’s foreign policy alienating allies and failing to win friends?
10. Will the Blagojevich trial help the GOP capture Obama’s old Senate seat?
1. With a reported deal on healthcare in the Senate does that mean that healthcare reform is finalized?
2. Will Congress get more serious about cutting the deficit next year?
3. Is Obama’s AIDS policy insufficient?
4. Should the University of North Dakota drop its Fighting Sioux nickname?
5. Were the conclusions reached by the Congressional Oversight Panel concerning the TARP Program accurate?
6. Will the one drug method of lethal injection quell criticisms of the practice?
7. Does the media need to leave Tiger Woods alone?
8. Will Martha Coakley be the next senator of Massachusetts?
9. Have Democrats failed to clean up Capitol Hill?
10. Should the U.S. significantly increase the amount of its drone attacks in Pakistan?
1. Is the Salahi issue overblown?
2. Why are Obama’s approval ratings falling among white voters?
3. Is Obama’s foreign policy projecting weakness?
4. Are the cost estimates for healthcare reform legislation too optimistic?
5. Would an Ensign resignation held or hinder GOP efforts to defeat Harry Reid in 2010?
6. Will this week’s jobs summit produce any significant results?
7. Is the White House ignoring Climategate at their peril?
8. Will David Paterson’s unilateral action on the New York state budget help his re-election prospects?
9. Is a second stimulus package needed?
10. Does the GOP need the “birther” movement to go away?
1. Will major modifications have to be made to the healthcare bill in the Senate in order for it to pass?
2. Can Obama follow through on a planned pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2020?
3. Could Lou Dobbs be a serious presidential contender?
4. Should the way teachers get tenure be re-evaluated?
5. Will the RNC’s idea of denying funding for candidates that do not support establish party principles only leave the GOP in the political wilderness?
6. Has the gay marriage movement lost its momentum?
7. How realistic is a push for comprehensive immigration reform next year?
8. Will Sanford be impeached?
9. How would a News Corp. alliance with Bing affect the search engine business?
10. Will unemployment remain above nine percent through the end of 2010?
Yesterday, we began our discussion of the current Healthcare Debate in the first part of our topic brief. As we wrap up your week of preparation for The Glenbrooks, we dive in further to help you better understand some additional complexities concerning the debate.
by Logan Scisco
Abortion Debate
While the Republican Party fought a small civil war over the 23rd New York House district a couple of weeks ago, Democrats are gearing up for their own civil war over the abortion issue. One of the misconceptions made in the healthcare debate is that the Republican Party is pro-life and the Democratic Party is pro-choice. While it is true that it is hard to imagine the Republican Party rallying behind a pro-choice candidate (just ask Rudy Giuliani) or the Democratic Party rallying behind a pro-life candidate, both parties have a mixture of ideas about the abortion issue in their camps.
By Logan Scisco
Since the summer, the Obama administration has attempted to push healthcare reform through Congress. With 46 million Americans uninsured, the administration and its Democratic colleagues have emphasized the urgency of passing healthcare reform that would provide insurance to these individuals who do not possess insurance because of choice, their economic condition, or because a pre-existing medical condition excludes them from obtaining quality health insurance. The current economic situation in the country, where the official unemployment rate is the highest in 26 years at 10.2% (some have the actual number of unemployed at 17%), would seem to help the administration pass this reform. Another added advantage of the administration going into the healthcare debate is that the Democrats control both houses of Congress and have a crucial filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
However, Obama’s initial push to pass healthcare reform by the end of the summer bit the dust and when representatives went back to their constituents they faced hostile town meetings. While the media debated the merits of these meetings, they showed how divisive healthcare reform can be as violence was reported at some of the town halls and one man even had a finger bit off. Furthermore, although the House of Representatives succeeded shortly after the 2009 elections in passing a healthcare bill, the Senate is facing a series of complications in ensuring healthcare reform can clear its chamber.
This topic brief will provide an updated focus on the healthcare debate. It will examine the future of the public option, the new controversy involving abortion in the healthcare legislation, and the chances of the Democrats getting a healthcare bill through the Senate.
As a side note, I cannot recommend enough that extempers read as much as possible about the healthcare debate, looking at medical journals such as the American Journal of Medicine and other publications to get a sense of the problems that effect American healthcare. It would also be wise for extempers to read about other “national” healthcare systems that exist in Canada, Great Britain, and France because comparisons in speeches are never a bad idea.
1. Is Obama making a major political mistake in putting Khalid Sheikh Mohammed on trial in U.S. federal court?
2. Does Lou Dobbs departure from CNN spell trouble for the network’s future?
3. Will the Stupak amendment sink healthcare reform?
4. How will the filibustering of David Hamilton impact Obama’s selection of judicial nominees?
5. Is it too late for Obama to get serious about cutting federal spending?
6. After a dismal showing in the New York mayoral race, has Bloomberg ceased to be a presidential threat?
7. Is Bernanke’s insistence on having low interest rates negatively impacting the dollar?
8. Will GM ever make a profit again?
9. How can the U.S. Postal Service be saved?
10. Will David Paterson’s attacks on Obama pay off?
1. If healthcare reform fails, is Obama’s presidency doomed?
2. Should Obama get rid of “don’t ask, don’t tell”?
3. Did failures in U.S. intelligence lead to the Fort Hood shooting?
4. Should Obama have attended the Berlin Wall celebrations?
5. Are U.S. economic policies growing too hostile to private businesses?
6. Does the New York Times have an anti-Catholic bias?
7. Are government bailouts of the newspaper industry something that should be explored?
8. Is Harry Reid’s Senate seat in serious jeopardy next November?
9. Can Rajiv Shah revitalize USAID?
10. Should the Obama administration explore New Deal style public works programs in order to help America’s economic recovery?