Kulpa,+Dane

POLICY DEBATE Background: I debated at Desert Vista High School for 4 years (AZ School); graduated in 2007. I debated at ASU for 1 year. And coached for 2. I have since completed law school and passed the New York Bar.

Judging Preferences: I will listen to any kind of argument. I follow an offense/defense paradigm, but will vote on presumption if need be. Also, I do have my preferences. They are as follows: I like straight up debate more than anything. In my opinion, a good case and counterplan debate is better than any other kind of debate. Critiques, on the other hand, lack the specificity to generate the same kind of topic specific education. My bias does not mean that I won't vote for a critique, but you should not let me do the work on the flow.

- Framework Debate: I think policy debate is about policy making. Of course, some of you will tell me that that is silly. If you appear to be more "right" on the flow, you win the framework flow. If you don't, then the other team will win the framework debate

- Topicality/Theory: Good to go. These are maybe my favorite parts of debate (which may be clearer in a moment).

- K Affs: I think for debate to achieve the purpose for which it was created—achieving duplicative policy debates about what the USFG should do on a given topic, so that young persons can become educated and capable of framing policy—affs need to defend a policy action implemented by the USFG. Moreover, I think these debates create an unfair allocation of links, such that the negative is forced to defend either a similar social advocacy, in which case we are comparing two imagined worlds, which are not mutually exclusive (and not a very productive discourse), or they force the negative to argue indefensible positions. Finally, the efficacy of these advocacies make me question the forum choice; there are plenty of speech and debate events or similar corollary activities that give a voice to young adults more effectively.

Of course, if you can beat a team on that argument not being true, then I will have no choice but to listen to the debate and vote accordingly. I'll be a curmudgeon about, but I will do it. However, it is very persuasive to me that these affs should lose for topicality reasons.

My advice: Clash. Clash. Clash. Do the line-by-line, talk about what they say. I know it sounds silly, but if you don't tell me how to vote, I am left to my own devices.