VOA标准英语2008年-Financial Crisis Dominates US Presidential Camp

The U.S. presidential race between Democrat¹ Barack Obama and Republican John McCain remained focused on the economy Monday, following congressional rejection² of a bailout plan for the U.S. financial system. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.
　

Sen. Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally in Westminster, Colorado, 29 Sept. 2008

Democrat Barack Obama took his campaign for the White House to Colorado on Monday.

Obama spoke³ shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives voted down the $700-billion financial rescue plan proposed by the Bush administration.

Despite the setback⁴, Senator Obama said he remains⁵ optimistic that Congress will eventually approve some sort of bailout plan.

"So I am confident that we are going to get there, but it is going to be a little rocky," said Barack Obama. "It's sort of like flying into Denver. You know you are going to land, but it's not always fun going over those mountains."

Obama also attacked his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain.

As he did in their first debate on Friday, Obama said McCain's previous support for President Bush's economic policies is the best argument for voters to support his call for change on Election Day.

"What we have seen over the last few weeks is the final verdict on this failed philosophy," he said. "This is the consequence of eight years of irresponsibility and it is time we had some adult supervision⁶ in the White House!"

Obama's Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, said it was time for Congress to go back to the drawing board in addressing the economic crisis.
　

Sen. John McCain (r), accompanied by his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, during a campaign rally in Bexley, Ohio, 29 Sep 2008

During a campaign stop in Iowa, McCain blamed Obama and congressional Democrats⁷ for the defeat of the bailout plan in the House of Representatives.

"Our leaders are expected to leave partisanship⁸ at the door and come to the table to solve our problems," said John McCain. "Senator Obama and his allies in Congress infused uneccessary partisanship into the process. Now is not the time to fix the blame. It is time to fix the problem. I would hope that all our leaders can put aside short term political goals and do what is in the best interests of the American people."

Prior to the House vote, McCain campaigned in the crucial battleground state of Ohio.

McCain defended his decision last week to suspend his presidential campaign to return to Washington to deal with the economic crisis.

McCain also launched a fresh attack on the way Obama responded to the financial crisis.

"At first, he did not want to get involved," he said. "And then he was monitoring the situation. That is not leadership. That is watching on the sidelines!"

McCain said a vote for Obama would guarantee higher taxes, fewer jobs and a deepening economic recession.

McCain appeared in Ohio with his vice⁹ presidential running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who is preparing for her only debate of the campaign on Thursday with Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden.

Palin has excited social conservatives within the Republican Party and could boost their turnout at the polls on November 4.

But recent public opinion surveys have also shown that a growing number of voters question Palin's readiness to be president, in part because of her uneven¹⁰ performances in initial television interviews.

Recent polls indicate Obama either maintaining or expanding his lead over McCain since their debate last week. Four national surveys on Sunday showed Obama with a lead of between five and eight percentage points.

In addition to Thursday's vice presidential debate in St. Louis, two more presidential debates will be held between Senators McCain and Obama - one on October 7, the other on October 15.

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 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

5 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。

6 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

7 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》

8 Partisanship   

n. 党派性, 党派偏见

参考例句：

• Her violent partisanship was fighting Soames's battle. 她的激烈偏袒等于替索米斯卖气力。
• There was a link of understanding between them, more important than affection or partisanship. ' 比起人间的感情，比起相同的政见，这一点都来得格外重要。 来自英汉文学

9 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。

10 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。