2006年VOA标准英语-Democrats Shift Balance Of Power In Washington

By Jim Malone
Washington
08 November 2006

U.S. Democrats² won a major congressional victory in midterm elections Tuesday, taking control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994 and gaining seats in the Senate. As VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington, public discontent over the war in Iraq was a major factor in the Democratic gains.

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Voters use electronic voting machines to cast their ballot³ in Cedarville, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2006  
  
Democrats had all along hoped to make this year's midterm congressional elections a referendum on the war in Iraq and it appears they largely succeeded.

An exit poll survey conducted by the Associated Press found about six in 10 voters unhappy about the war in Iraq and disapproving⁴ of the way President Bush is handling his job.

The poll also found that 75 percent of those asked said congressional scandals played an important role in their vote.

Democrats have been the minority party in the 435-member House since the Republican sweep of 1994.
 

Nancy Pelosi  
  
California Democrat¹ Nancy Pelosi is now in line to become the first woman Speaker of the House. Pelosi thanked ecstatic Democrats at party headquarters in Washington and said her party stands ready to meet what she believes is a desire for change among voters.

"And nowhere did the American people make it more clear that we need a new direction than in the war in Iraq," said Nancy Pelosi.

Democrats also made gains in the 100-member U.S. Senate, seizing Republican held seats in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Democrats also seized governorships previously⁵ held by Republicans in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Colorado.

Democratic control of the House means Democrats will set the congressional agenda and have the power to launch committee investigations⁶ of the Bush administration, including its handling of the war in Iraq.

Stephen Wayne is a political expert at Georgetown University in Washington.

"There would be a great incentive⁷ to investigate the executive branch, and the Democrats would try to drag the administration through with non-stop investigations for the next two years, " said Stephen Wayne.

Some Democrats are already urging the incoming congressional leadership to focus more on substance and less on political recriminations.

Senator Barrack Obama is a Democrat from Illinois and a possible presidential contender in 2008.

"Democrats also have to show that we are going to move forward aggressively on agendas that actually make a difference with the American people, things like [increasing] the minimum wage, things like lowering the cost of health care," he said. "The American people want progress. They do not want payback [political revenge]."

Republicans meanwhile are trying to assess where they went wrong and how to fix it in time for the next election.

Former Republican Congressman⁸ Dick Armey appeared on MSNBC television.

"I think we will come out of this a Republican Party that is stronger," said Dick Armey. "I do not think there is a repudiation⁹ of the fundamentals of the Republican Party. There is a disappointment of current Republican officeholders in not having lived up to the ideals of our party."

Historically, the Republican losses in the House and Senate are not unusual in the sixth year of a two-term president. Since World War II, the party that controls the White House has lost an average of 31 House seats and six Senate seats in the sixth year of a second presidential term.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

4 disapproving   

adj.不满的，反对的v.不赞成( disapprove的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mother gave me a disapproving look. 母亲的眼神告诉我她是不赞成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her father threw a disapproving glance at her. 她父亲不满地瞥了她一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

7 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

9 repudiation   

n.拒绝；否认；断绝关系；抛弃

参考例句：

• Datas non-repudiation is very important in the secure communication. 在安全数据的通讯中，数据发送和接收的非否认十分重要。 来自互联网
• There are some goals of Certified E-mail Protocol: confidentiality non-repudiation and fairness. 挂号电子邮件协议需要具备保密性、不可否认性及公平性。 来自互联网