Counterplans


 * The Counterplan**

Sometimes the status quo really is a bad system and needs changing. Rather than sit around and pout about how you have no ground to defend the status quo, why not fix the system even better? COUNTERPLAN IT!

Definition: A counterplan is an advocacy presented by the opposition, which competes with the government advocacy. It should almost certainly be in the LOC.

In this context, "competitive" has a very special meaning. For a counterplan to be competitive, it should be superior to any combination of the plan and the counterplan, so long as that combination includes all of the plan.

That's a lot to swallow, but consider that a counterplan is meant to provide a competing alternative; a reason not to do the government proposal, but rather some other course of action. It is meant to highlight an opportunity cost, in other words. But if that opportunity still retains both its possibility and its value after doing the government proposal, then it's not really an "alternative," is it? It's just another idea.

Put simply: "eat a hamburger" and "drink a soda" are not competing alternatives. Doing both is fine. On the other hand, "eating a pickle" and "eating some ice cream" might be, since they taste terrible together; "eat a pickle" and "fast in religious observance" are wholly incompatible.

Some common ways of showing that a counterplan is competitive with the plan:


 * There is a disadvantage or kritik that applies to the plan but not the CP. (Competition through Net Benefits)
 * There are contradictory philosophies behind the CP and plan (Philosophical competition).


 * Counterplan Status**

Another important consideration is the status of the counterplan.

Some examples of popular Counterplan strategy are:

(counterplan/common net benefit claimed)


 * Courts/Politics
 * Congress/Judicial Activism
 * States/Federalism
 * Consult/Relations

Alternate Actor CP

Plan-minus CP

Alternative Implementation CP


 * Time Delay
 * Referendum
 * Consult
 * Study


 * Answering the Counterplan**

The first question you should ask yourself is, “Why is the Counterplan competitive with my plan?” The answer to this question is usually one of the following:

There is a disadvantage that links to the plan but not the counterplan The counterplan is the opposite of the plan

So let’s say the first is true, in that case, you need to focus almost all of your attention on the disadvantage and very little attention on the counterplan proper.

In the second case, the opposite is true, you need to focus on answering the counterplan fully and completely.

So, what kind of arguments should you run against a counterplan?

Disadvantages – not just for opp debaters any more! Vagueness – use POI’s to make sure the opp develops a stable advocacy and plan text, just like your plan has to be specific, so does theirs Permutation! – this is the most important thing you can say against a counterplan. You are going to prove that the CP and the Plan do NOT compete for the judges attention, why don’t we just do both? For example:

Plan: Let's play cards. Counterplan: Let's watch TV. Perm: Let's play cards in front of the TV!

Somewhat more serious:

Plan: Give Native American Nations electoral votes. CP: Allow Native American Nations to vote to secede from the United States. PERM: It is entirely possible to both give them a right to secede and give them electoral votes.

Topicality – know your critics and your region to decide if this is a compelling argument