The Second Negative Rebuttal (2NR) is delivered by the same person who delivered the 2NC. This speaker has a tough job in the debate, as I think the 2NR is one of the toughest two speeches in the debate (the other one being the 2NC).
The 2NR is the negative team’s last time to speak and they need to leave a positive impression on the judge while arguing that the affirmative plan is a net undesirable action.
In the 2NR, debaters should focus on a few key things at their first tournaments.
First, debaters need to extend any arguments from the 1NC that they expect the judge to consider when rendering his or her decision. This is true even if the other team didn’t respond to the arguments. And this is true for all arguments, not just the arguments the 2NC discussed. The 2NR must extend any negative argument the 2NR wants the judge to consider.
Second, debaters need to answer all of the affirmative arguments, even if you previously answered them. As with repeating any negative arguments, you must repeat all of your answers. And you must repeat your partner’s arguments from the 1NR as well.
Third, weigh. We will talk more about weighing later, but for now just think about how you will compare your arguments to the other team’s arguments. Why is protecting states’ rights more important than reducing pollution?