2006年VOA标准英语-Republicans, Democrats Battle for Control of US

By Jim Malone
Washington
14 September 2006

New public opinion polls suggest President Bush has helped Republican congressional candidates by refocusing this year's campaign debate on the war on terrorism. Despite the latest results, opposition¹ Democrats² remain optimistic they will gain seats in the November midterm congressional election and perhaps take over one or both chambers⁴ of Congress. 

----

George W. Bush    
  
Two new polls, one by ABC News and the other by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal newspaper indicate a bump in support for President Bush and Republicans in their handling of the war on terror.

The poll results follow a series of speeches by Mr. Bush to refocus public attention on the war on terrorism as the central issue in this year's congressional election campaign.

On the fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States, the president warned against a quick withdrawal⁵ of U.S. military forces from Iraq.

"Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone," said Mr. Bush. "They will not leave us alone. They will follow us. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad."

Opposition Democrats are counting on public dissatisfaction with the president's handling of Iraq to carry them to victory in November.

 
Wesley Clark,  September 5, 2006 
  
"The war in Iraq was a mistake," said retired⁶ General and former Democratic presidential contender Wesley Clark. "The policies that this administration has trumpeted⁷ have not worked. It is time to change the course and to do that we must have a change in [congressional] leadership. That starts in 2006."

The latest polls also indicate a majority of Americans still believes that the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Mike McCurry, who served as former President Bill Clinton's White House spokesman, says this year's election climate remains⁸ volatile⁹.

"It is as polarized and as nasty and as mean, as sulfurous, as I have ever seen it in the 30 years that I have lived here and worked in Washington," he said.

Most political analysts¹¹ continue to predict Democratic gains in November, primarily because of the angry mood in the electorate¹², especially among Democrats and some independent voters.

"What is their [the public's] overall mood? Right now, to say that voters are pessimistic is kind of putting it nicely. Why does that matter? It matters because intensity¹³ matters in campaigns," commented Amy Walter, a senior editor with the non-partisan Cook Political Report, a Washington-based political newsletter. "Anybody who has been in a campaign, anybody who has worked on a campaign knows that you really want the kinds of people who are angry, who are motivated, who are frustrated¹⁴. Those are the kind of people who come out to vote."

But Republicans are fighting back, both on the Iraq war and the overall war on terrorism.

Many public opinion surveys suggest Democrats want a change in direction on Iraq, but that relatively¹⁵ few support an immediate¹⁶ withdrawal of U.S. forces. Many Democrats running for Congress this year reflect that view.

"They [Democratic candidates] do not want timetables [for withdrawal]. They want a plan, an exit strategy," commented David Lightman, Washington bureau chief for the Hartford Courant newspaper and a frequent guest on VOA's Issues in the News program. "They want more hearings in Congress. They want more accountability. But they do not sound that much different from the Republicans and again I think this shows you the murkiness¹⁷ of the American mood over Iraq."

Most analysts believe Democrats will gain seats in November in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Several experts are already predicting that Democrats will pick up the 15 additional House seats they need to retake control of the 435-member chamber³ for the first time since 1994.

Democrats need a pickup¹⁸ of six seats to regain¹⁹ control of the Senate. Thirty-three of the 100 Senate seats are being contested this year.

Analyst¹⁰ Amy Walter says Republicans are worried that some of their supporters will stay home in November while Democrats are more energized²⁰ and more likely to vote.

"What Republicans are fearful about is not that they go out and they vote for Democrats, I think that is pretty clear, but that they do not go out and vote at all. And it does not take a big margin²¹ to switch some of these races," she said.

But many Republicans are confident that they will be able to motivate their supporters to get out and vote on Election Day, November 7. Republican get-out-the-vote efforts were superior to the Democrats' in both the 2002 congressional elections and the 2004 presidential election.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

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 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

4 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 trumpeted   

大声说出或宣告（trumpet的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Soldiers trumpeted and bugled. 士兵们吹喇叭鸣号角。
• The radio trumpeted the presidential campaign across the country. 电台在全国范围大力宣传总统竞选运动。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

13 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

14 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

16 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

17 murkiness   

n.阴暗；混浊；可疑；黝暗

参考例句：

• There is a mass of murkiness which neither moonlight nor sunlight can penetrate. 日月无光。 来自辞典例句
• Ms Munro comes from southern Ontario, an area of considerable psychic murkiness and oddity. 芒罗女士(MsMunro)来自南安大略，一个奇特古怪的地方。 来自互联网

18 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

19 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

20 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

21 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。