VOA标准英语2011--Romney Presidential Bid Hinges on Winning Conservative Support

Romney Presidential Bid Hinges on Winning Conservative Support

 

In U.S. politics, voters in the Midwestern state of Iowa begin the presidential selection process January 3 with the Iowa caucuses². Seven Republican contenders will vie for support as Iowans gather in their local communities to express their preferences. One of the favorites for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination³ this year is former Massachusetts governor Mitt⁴ Romney, who also ran in 2008.

In his quest for the presidency⁵, Mitt Romney is hoping the second time around is a charm.

Romney is banking⁶ on his background as governor, and more importantly as a businessman, to win the Republican nomination and face off against President Obama in November.

“We are Americans and we will not surrender our dreams to the failures of this president. We are bigger than the misguided policies and weak leadership of one man. America is bigger than Barack Obama’s failures!” said Romney.

National fame

Romney first came to national attention when he took over management of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, after a scandal left the original organizers in dissaray.

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney speaks as he campaigns in Bedford, New Hampshire, December 20, 2011.

As governor of Massachusetts, Romney often positioned himself as a moderate to find common ground in a state that is heavily Democratic. During this time Romney fashioned a health-care plan that in some ways became a model for the national reform plan signed into law by Obama.

The Obama plan is very unpopular with conservative Republicans and remains⁸ a weak point for Romney as he tries to build support among Republican primary and caucus¹ voters.

On foreign policy, Romney believes the Obama administration has been too tough on Israel, and not tough enough on Iran and China.

“I believe that the next century must be an American century. I believe our highest priority must be to maintain a people, an economy and a military so strong that no nation would ever, ever risk challenging it,” said Romney.

Deep campaign pockets

Romney is well organized for the primary campaign and has lots of money.

But he also has had his share of awkward moments, including a debate encounter with rival Rick Perry that reminded voters of his wealthy background.

“Rick, I will tell you what. $10,000 bucks⁹? $10,000 bet? Oh, Okay, Okay,” said Romney.

Romney likes to emphasize his business background on the campaign trail and says rivals like Newt Gingrich are merely career politicians. That brought a sharp retort from Gingrich during a recent debate in Iowa.

“Let us be candid⁷. The only reason you did not become a career politician is you lost to Teddy Kennedy in 1994,” said Gingrich.

Lingering doubts remain

Romney has long been considered the Republican frontrunner in 2012, but he still has to overcome doubts that he is conservative enough for much of the party, said analyst¹⁰ John Fortier.

“They find him acceptable. They believe he says what he means. But they are not sure if he says it with conviction and that in his core he is really a conservative,” said Fortier.

Romney also has worked to overcome concerns about his Mormon religion, which some Americans consider outside the mainstream¹¹.

Despite the doubts, expert Stuart Rothenberg said Romney remains a formidable contender.

“Mitt Romney is in the top tier. Mitt Romney appeals to about one quarter of all Republicans and he has built a large, established, experienced national presidential campaign. Whether that will be enough to get him the nomination we do not yet know,” said Rothenberg.

Given his organization and the money he has raised, Romney clearly intends to remain in the Republican race for the long haul.

1 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

2 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

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 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

5 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

6 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

7 candid   

adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的

参考例句：

• I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
• He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。

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 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。