Horsetrading DACopy Anchor Link

The Horsetrading DA argues that passing the affirmative plan requires unethical political compromises, which will inevitably alienate voters or lead to broader corruption.

The four key parts of the Horsetrading DA are:

1. Uniqueness - The SQUO (status quo) relies on established legislative processes that are transparent and prioritize political merit over corrupt bargains or special interest negotiations.
2. Link - The affirmative is so controversial that policymakers have to engage in unethical bargaining such as offering political favors in order to secure the required votes.
3. Internal link - These compromises result in the abandonment of core democratic principles just to satisfy special interest groups (big lobbies like those in oil or pharma) or political allies.
4. Impact - The degradation of these democratic principles, processes, and institutions leads to a permanent loss of public trust in the government and/or sets a precedent for the creation of overall harmful policies solely for the appeasement of special interests.

To learn more about the Horsetrading DA, the 2024-2025 Policy Debate Opencaselist is particularly useful. Most horsetrading DAs from that year focused on big corporation interests and lobbying, because the topic was focused on intellectual property rights and their acquisition.