Category: U.S. Extemp Page 53 of 55

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 16th-22nd, 2008

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On September 16, 2008

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

1. Should the U.S. have bailed out Lehman Brothers?

2. How should the Obama camp take on Palin?

3. What do recent elections say about Angola?

4. How should the U.S. rethink the war on cancer?

5. Are voting irregularities fixed in time for the 2008 presidential election?

6. Can Stephen Harper and the conservatives win a majority in the upcoming Canadian elections?

7. Should Russia be expelled from the G8?

8. Will the recently brokered Zimbabwe power sharing agreement hold?

9. Should the EU admit Ukraine?

10. Will the U.S. Congress ratify the India nuclear deal?

Topic Brief: Public Opinion

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On September 15, 2008

In Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

topicbriefby Michael Garson

(Author’s Note: Some of the ideas, facts, and vignettes offered in this story are derived from a course taught by Dennis Chong at Northwestern University in the Spring of 2008. Most of the content is also lifted from a lecture given by Michael Garson for the National High School Institute in the Summer of 2008.)

Hopefully this isn’t news to any readers, but you won’t be seeing a Public Opinion round at a major tournament anytime soon. Further, you are unlikely to get “What is public opinion?” in any round. Unlike the overwhelming majority of topic-based articles, this one flies under the radar. However, I would argue in my boundless sense of self-importance that public opinion is as, if not more, important as any other issue. Understanding HOW and WHY public policy is devised and implemented is highly significant. Many extempers have little difficulty explaining why a particular policy is the most effective.  Yet is only the select few (like you, who is reading this article!) can understand how and if that policy can be enacted. Great ideas that are political impossible will never come to fruition. That is the beauty of understanding public opinion: it is one of the most abstract issues but has the most pragmatic and concrete of uses.

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Extemp Questions for the Week of September 9th-15th, 2008

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On September 9, 2008

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

1. Is John McCain’s surge in the polls sustainable?

2. Are bilateral trade deals more beneficial than multilateral ones?

3. Was the government’s takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac necessary?

4. How would North Korea be different without Kim Jong Il?

5. Should California change its budget-making process?

6. Was the recent EU-brokered Georgia-Russia peace deal a farce?

7. Is the state of US-Libyan relations one of President Bush’s top foreign policy achievements?

8. Should the world do more to assist improverished countries prepare for natural disasters?

9. Should Gordon Brown have endorsed Barack Obama?

10. Is Mexico making progress in its fight against corruption?

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 2nd-8th, 2008

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On September 2, 2008

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

1. Is Palin the right VP choice for McCain?

2. Were the GOP’s convention changes appropriate?

3. Should the U.S. be concerned about China’s space program?

4. What does the next generation of Libyan politics look like?

5. Who will be the next Japanese prime minister?

6. Is South Ossetia like Kosovo?

7. What has caused the recent outbreak of political violence in Thailand?

8. Is Europe too indecisive on Russia?

9. Has the U.S. begun to forget about Iraq?

10. What political fallout, if any, will come from the handling of Hurricane Gustav?

Extemp Questions for the Week of August 26th-September 1st, 2008

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On August 26, 2008

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

questions1. Was Joe Biden the right vice-presidential pick for Obama?

2. What is the future of traditional news outlets?

3. Is Russia serious in its threats to use military force to deter a U.S. missile defense shield in Europe?

4. Will disaffected Hillary voters give John McCain the 2008 election?

5. Were the Chinese Olympics a success?

6. Why have Cristina Kirchner’s poll ratings nosedived?

7. What can Southeast Asian nations do to deter sex tourism?

8. Should the West fear sovereign wealth funds?

9. Will Russia’s actions in Georgia change the political equation in Ukraine?

10. Will the U.S. leave Iraq during the next presidential administration?

Extemp Questions for the Week of August 19th-25th, 2008

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On August 19, 2008

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

1. Which presidential candidate gained more in their meeting with Rick Warren?

2. With Musharraf out of the picture, is Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal safe?

3. Can McCain afford to pick a pro-choice running mate?

4. Is a military strike the only way to stop Iran’s nuclear program?

5. Has the National League for Democracy lost its influence in Myanmar?

6. Should Kwame Kilpatrick resign?

7. Will Evo Morales’ win of a recall referendum allow him to break the constitutional deadlock in Bolivia?

8. Can a power sharing agreement work in Zimbabwe?

9. Should the U.S. be more aggressive in the war against cancer?

10. Why is the dollar on the rebound?

Extemp Questions for the Week of August 12th-18th, 2008

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On August 12, 2008

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

1. What are Russia’s war aims in Georgia?

2. Are the media biased for Obama?

3. How will Graham Greene govern Paraguay?

4. Has energy become the #1 issue of the 2008 election?

5. Is the ANC on the verge of a split?

6. Was the Filipino Supreme Court order to a halt a government-MILF peace deal unwise?

7. Are the Chinese Olympics reminescent of 1936 or 1988?

8. Is Italy’s use of troops to combat a recent crime wave too extreme?

9. Why is the Iraqi government open to a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal?

10. Is the U.S. prepared for a cyber war attack?

Extemp Questions for the Week of August 5th-11th, 2008

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On August 5, 2008

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

1. Is John McCain’s campaign guilty of using race to its advantage?

2. Will the decline in American gas prices continue?

3. Are border fences an effective immigration policy?

4. Will the recent ruling by Turkey’s constitutional court in regards to the AK Party bring a measure of stability to Turkey’s political system?

5. Should there be a nationwide ban on plastic bags?

6. Will the GOP’s unofficial floor sessions to protest Congress’ recent vacation curry favor with voters?

7. Does U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East need a more realist focus?

8. Will Bolivian voters recall Morales?

9. What will be the biggest problem confronting the next Israeli prime minister?

10. Is Berlusconi going back to his old ways to the detriment of Italy?

Extemp Questions for the Week of July 29th-August 4th, 2008

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On July 29, 2008

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

1. Was Obama’s trip abroad politically successful?

2. Will the housing bailout legislation get the housing industry back on track?

3. Has al-Qaeda been defeated?

4. Should the U.S. open up more land for offshore oil drilling?

5. Will the ICC’s actions against Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir lead to more violence in Darfur?

6. Is Mitt Romney the only viable vice-presidential choice for John McCain?

7. Why has there been a change in tone in South Korea’s foreign policy towards North Korea?

8. Are recent charges against Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim politically motivated?

9. Can “Club Med” live up to the hype?

10. Why is Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s presidency in peril?

Extemp Questions for the Week of June 17th-23rd, 2008

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On June 17, 2008

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

1. Are Musharraf’s days as Pakistani president numbered?

2. Is McCain running for George Bush’s third term?

3. Who will shape the new world order?

4. Will the recently brokered Somali peace deal bring stabiity to the country?

5. Is a windfall profits tax a good idea?

6. How can Lee Myung-bak best counter protests against his imperiled government?

7. Should there be a national ban on bilingual education?

8. Is Daniel Ortega undermining democracy in Nicaragua?

9. Should online gambling be legalized?

10. Did Hillary Clinton lose the Democratic nomination or did Barack Obama win it?

Topic Brief: Oil

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On June 12, 2008

In International Extemp, Topic Brief, U.S. Extemp

Overview

So, with it being NFL time and all that, we here at Extemp HOTtopics decided to revisit the topic of oil.  Now I’m sure you are all saying: “We’ve already talked about OPEC and how monetary policy affects oil prices.”  While that is true, this briefing is going to be a little different.  Specifically, since it is so late in the season, this briefing is going to focus a little less on facts and a little more on strategy.  Thus, while we will cover some new issues regarding oil (mainly the windfall profits tax) this briefing is more about explaining how oil as an issue can be the save all “I need another point” saving grace of extempers.  Therefore, this brief will go over some basic oil things that everyone should know, then examine how you can use oil to add a new level of analysis to all your rounds (including domestic social), and finial pose some non oil questions and give you an idea of how oil can be used to make your analysis more slick… Get it? Get it?

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Extemp Questions for the Week of June 10th-16th, 2008

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On June 10, 2008

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

1. How much influence does the Dalai Llama have over Tibet?

2. Should Olmert resign?

3. Why is consumer confidence in the U.S. economy falling?

4. Has Africa become the new “great game” for the major world powers?

5. Should OPEC be happy about the current price of oil?

6. Has the EU expanded too quickly?

7. Will the 2008 electoral map be drenched in purple?

8. Is Scott McClellan right about President Bush?

9. Will stricter visa rules make the U.S. safer from terrorism?

10. Would a Obama-Clinton ticket sacrifice governability for electability?

Extemp Questions for the Week of May 28th-June 2nd, 2008

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On May 28, 2008

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

1. Did China respond effectively to its recent earthquake?

2. Would Bobby Jindal be a good vice-presidential pick for McCain?

3. Should Venezuela be labeled as a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. State Department?

4. Why are India-Pakistan negotations over Kashmir getting nowhere?

5. Will the California Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage help the Republican Party in the 2008 elections?

6. Why has violence against immigrants increased in South Africa?

7. Would a new Afghan government increase the chances of stability in the country?

8. What grade does the recent U.S. farm bill deserve?

9. Should race and culture be used in evaluating adoptions?

10. Who won the most from the recent political agreement in Lebanon?

Extemp Questions for the Week of May 21st-27th, 2008

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On May 21, 2008

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

1. Should the U.S. talk to Iran without preconditions?

2. Has the media been too harsh on Hillary Clinton?

3. Should Bush veto the new GI bill?

4. Why is drug violence so hard to stop in Mexico?

5. Is microfinance ethical?

6. Will Ma Ying-jeou be able to successfully smooth over relations between Taiwan and China?

7. Does the defection of Nelly Moreno show that Colombia’s government is winning its civil war with rebel groups?

8. Has the GOP’s outreach to black voters failed?

9. Why is inflation becoming a serious concern for Latin American economies?

10. Is an oil price of $200 a barrel by summer a realistic possibility?

Extemp Questions for the Week of May 14th-20th, 2008

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On May 14, 2008

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

1. Should the Labour Party ditch Gordon Brown?

2. How much longer should Hillary stay in the Democratic race?

3. Is enough being done to stave off a famine in North Korea?

4. Should polar bears be put on threatened species list?

5. Is the GOP headed for a massive defeat in this year’s midterm elections?

6. Should Thailand’s constitution be changed?

7. Would a suspension of the gasoline tax really benefit U.S. consumers at the pump?

8. How should the West deal with the political situation in Russia?

9. Is a proxy war imminent between Chad and Sudan?

10. Should the next U.S. president distance the United States from Israel?

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