VOA标准英语10月-US Presidential Campaign Enters Final Phase

The U.S. presidential campaign headed into the home stretch Thursday following the third and final debate between Republican candidate John McCain and Democratic candidate Barack Obama. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.
　

Sen. John McCain waves to supporters on the tarmac below as he deplanes with his wife Cindy McCain in Philadelphia, 16 Oct. 2008

MARGIN¹²-TOP: 0px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">McCain supporters and several independent analysts² thought the Arizona senator turned in his strongest performance to date, challenging Senator Obama on his tax plan and raising questions about his character.

McCain sought to build momentum³ after the debate with a campaign rally in the northeastern state of Pennsylvania, where polls give Obama a lead.

McCain said the next president will have to immediately tackle some daunting⁴ economic and foreign policy issues, and that the country cannot afford a new president who requires on-the-job-training.

"And to that, he will need experience, courage, judgment⁵ and a bold plan of action to take this country in a new direction. We can't spend the next four years as we have spent the last eight, waiting for our luck to change. As I mentioned last night to Senator Obama, I am not George Bush and if he wanted to run against George Bush, he should have run four years ago," he said.

McCain is desperate to put some distance between himself and the Bush White House.

National polls indicate McCain has suffered in recent weeks because voters want the country to change direction and to a large extent blame President Bush for the current economic problems.

For his part, Senator Obama campaigned in the northeastern state of New Hampshire Thursday, another state where the polls show a close race between the two major party contenders.

Obama said McCain was on the attack during Wednesday's debate, but he said voters were more interested in hearing about solutions and policy proposals.

"Here is what Senator McCain doesn't seem to understand. With the economy in turmoil⁶, with the American dream at risk, the American people don't want to hear politicians attack each other," he said. "You want to hear about how we are going to attack the challenges facing the middle class each and every day. I'm not running against George Bush. I'm running against all those policies of George Bush that you support, Senator McCain."

During the debate, McCain also continued to hammer away at Obama's tax plan, noting the objections of a plumber⁷ named Joe from Ohio who recently confronted the Illinois senator on the campaign trail. The plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher of Holland, Ohio, now seems destined⁸ to become a minor⁹ celebrity¹⁰ in the campaign.
　

Gov. Sarah Palin, acknowledges the crowd during a campaign stop at in Bangor, Maine, 16 Oct. 2008

The anti-tax theme was picked up Thursday during a campaign stop in Maine by McCain's vice¹¹ presidential running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

"We want to cut taxes because we think like Joe or Jane the plumber thinks," she said.

Obama counters that he would cut taxes for 95 percent of working Americans, and that he would do away with the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

Instant polls following Wednesday's debate gave the edge to Obama.

A CNN poll found that 58 percent thought Obama won the debate, while 31 percent sided with McCain. A CBS News poll gave the debate to Obama by a margin of 53 to 22 percent.

Across the country, voter reaction was mixed. These military veterans watched the debate in Washington State.

"They ought to stick more to the point and quit the nasty stuff," one voter said. "It totally confuses everybody."

"Whoever gets it has an ugly job," another voter said. "Whoever gets it, I bless them and wish them the best."
　

Senator Barack Obama disembarks from his campaign plane in Manchester, New Hampshire, 16 Oct. 2008

Experts question how much of an impact McCain's performance will have in blunting Obama's lead in the polls in the closing days of the campaign.

CBS analyst¹ Vaughn Ververs says Obama continues to be the political beneficiary of voter worries about the national economy.

"Voters right now are siding with Barack Obama as the best person they think to deal with the economic issues, not John McCain, and I didn't see anything that changed that," he said.

Recent national polls have given Obama a lead of anywhere between four and 14 points, largely because of voter concerns about the economy.

In the last two weeks of the campaign, the candidates will focus on about ten so-called battleground or swing states where both campaigns are competitive. The candidates need to carry most of those states to win enough of the electoral votes that are awarded on a state by state basis.

Obama is campaigning hard in states that Republican presidential candidates won in recent elections - states like Virginia, North Carolina and Colorado, where some polls have shown Obama pulling slightly ahead of McCain.

McCain meanwhile is focused on holding larger swing states seen as critical to his chances such as Florida and Ohio. President Bush won both of those states in the 2000 and 2004 elections.

1 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。

2 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。

3 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

4 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

5 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

6 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

7 plumber   

n.(装修水管的)管子工

参考例句：

• Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗？
• The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。

8 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

9 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

10 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

11 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

12 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。