VOA标准英语2008年-Black Republicans Few in Number, But Strong in

The crowd at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota last week was described as a sea of white faces by some reporters. The number of African Americans in attendance was significantly down from the 2004 Republican convention. And most black voters this year are supporting Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama, who is the son of an African father and a white American mother. But VOA's Houston-based correspondent Greg Flakus, who attended last week's convention, says black Republicans are solidly behind their candidate - John McCain.
　
Republicans at convention

Around 25 percent of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver last month were African Americans and candidate Barack Obama has enjoyed strong support from blacks across the nation.

By contrast, black participation¹ at the Republican Party, or GOP, convention last week was minimal². Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates were black, down from more than 100 at the 2004 convention.

Although he is not African American, one of the Republican Party's fastest rising stars is Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, whose parents came from India. His skin color and his ability to appeal to voters of all races has put him front and center in the Republican effort to attract more minorities. He was scheduled to make a major speech at the convention, but ended up canceling his visit because of Hurricane Gustav, which struck his state last week.

Blacks and other minorities who did attend the GOP event described themselves as fiercely loyal Republicans who stand by their ideals in spite of criticism from members of their own communities who see Obama's candidacy as a historic opportunity.

Many of black Republicans cite moral convictions as a reason for rejecting a person of their race who has already made history by winning a major party's presidential nomination³.
　
Gale⁴ Sayers critizes Obama's stance on abortion⁵

Gale Sayers, a black Republican from San Antonio, Texas, has strong views about Barack Obama.

"There are many reasons, one of the big ones would be his stance on abortion. He [says] it is above his pay grade to tell us when a baby or a person has human rights. That is really weird⁶." he said.

John Colon⁷ of Florida, a leader of the National Black Republican Association, says he has little in common with Barack Obama other than skin color.

"If Barack Obama had a proven track record and shared my values, I would be looking to vote for him as well. But he does not. That is the main point. He does not share my values," he said.
　
John Colon says Obama does not share his values

Colon says his religious beliefs require him to reject abortion and favor policies that promote morality and strengthen families. He also rejects the Democratic Party's stand on such matters as education and national defense⁸.

Colon says John McCain has proven his leadership and shown that he can work with Democrats⁹ to form consensus¹⁰.

"Everybody knows that he is a maverick¹¹ and that he can build consensus across the aisle¹². I have seen no bills that Barack Obama has built consensus with or reached across the aisle and worked with the other side," he added. "We all know that, in Washington, if you are not willing to compromise and reach across the aisle, you get gridlock."

Another prominent black Republican at the convention was former Maryland Lieutenant¹³ Governor Michael Steele, who has become a well-known figure on radio and TV political talk shows.
　
Michael Steele, former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele

Steele acknowledges the advantage Democrats have this year with blacks now that they have an African-American presidential candidate, but he says his party can compete for those votes in the years ahead.

"We have to get our act together sufficiently¹⁴ to be competitive and effectively engage the black vote, the Hispanic vote, the white vote, every vote in this country with a values message - an empowerment message, an ownership message that resonates with communities," he said.

How successful Republicans will be in their effort to attract blacks and other minorities to their cause may depend on how the November election plays out. Some prominent black conservatives have announced their support for Barack Obama and, analysts¹⁵ say, it will be difficult to counter what is viewed by many people of all races as an opportunity to heal old racial wounds and unite the nation.

Republican leaders say they remain committed to attracting more minorities to their fold. But many of them admit that this is probably not the year in which they will make much progress.

 

1 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

2 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

5 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

6 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

7 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 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》

10 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

11 maverick   

adj.特立独行的；不遵守传统的；n.持异议者，自行其是者

参考例句：

• He's a maverick.He has his own way of thinking about things.他是个特异独行的人。对事情有自己的看法。
• You're a maverick and you'll try anything.你是个爱自行其是的人，样样事情都要尝试一下。

12 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

13 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

14 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

15 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。