7/3

stuff to work on tonight:

Melissa and Sadie

1. cut new evidence on:
- politics. more links and ILs.
- more uniqueness - specifically brink ev for jackson-vanik
- better cards for privatization - specifically against nextgen
2. Prepare 1NCs against NextGen and Mass Transit
3. Write 2AC blocks

Mindi and Ambria

1. Write 2AC blocks
2. Read through your files (esp. spending, politics, and security) and write 2NC blocks

Maddie and Marina

Both of you should read through your aff file and the negative arguments against it
Maddie should start writing 2AC blocks. At least against spending and against some of the prominent neg case arguments
Marina should read through the spending file and start writing 2NC blocks against the arguments below

2AC argument against the Spending DA

1. no impact
1a) competiveness is a lie
[ev from the competitiveness core]
1a) economic decline doesn't cause war

2. no link. plan doesn't spend enough to trigger the link.
combine with a non-uniqueness argument that the FG spends tons of money all the time. much more than the plan

3. plan saves money. next gen maybe, by being efficient. NIB by taking in money via loans, etc.
[if we're neg, we want to make a perception link argument here. that the plan causes short term perception of fiscal problems]

4. downgrade doesn't hurt the economy
(a no impact argument distinct from the 'no impact to the economy' argument)

5. non unique. we were already downgraded in 2011. empirically disproves the impact.

6. Non-unique. no fiscal discipline now

7. Non unique. Recession inevitable / economy terrible now

Tips for writing 2AC blocks

- You want a diversity of arguments. give yourself options
- 6-7 arguments is a good length to shoot for. Try to include something against the uniqueness, link, internal link, and impact.
- Include at least one or two analytics
- It's often good to leave space in there to make specific analytic arguments against the evidence read by the negative
- Don't link turn and impact turn! That's a double turn and you will lose
- Link turns need offense to really be effective.

Writing 2NC blocks

- don't overdo it. You will usually not have time for more than a card or two
- make them flexible. people will make variations on lots of arguments
- prioritize quality over quantity. One good warrant, well-extended and supported is far better than 5 mediocre cards that make different arguments.
- That said, for some arguments (uniqueness most often), sheer quantity is important.
- Ask questions! Talk to the library staff, talk to me. The correct answer often depends so there are no hard and fast rules.

Reading through a file:

- make sure you understand the argument
- identify the best cards and mark them
- highlight it! That means highlight down - don't just trace over the underlining
- write 2NC blocks to prominent neg arguments

How to spot the best card:

1. reasonable length - debate is a timed activity
2. good warrants
3. recent
4. qualified
Once you have a good card, fix the underlining/highlighting so only the essential stuff (the claim and warrant and support) are included