VOA标准英语2012--Obama Rallies Democrats, Predicts 'Tough Election' Ahead

Obama Rallies Democrats¹, Predicts 'Tough Election' Ahead

Cheers and a standing² ovation³ greeted Obama in Cambridge, Maryland, where House Democrats met for three days to discuss their legislative⁴ game plan and sharpen their political message in this election year.
Relations between the president and his fellow Democrats often were strained in the first three years of his administration, amid difficult negotiations⁵ with Republicans over government deficit⁶ reduction and taxes.
Obama told members of the Democratic Caucus⁷ that the "tough votes" they took enabled progress made since the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009.
"Over the last 22 months we have seen 3 million jobs created, the most jobs last year since 2005, more jobs in manufacturing than we have seen since the 1990's. A lot of that has to do with tough decisions that you took," said Obama.
The president repeated key themes of his State of the Union address, including his call to ensure that all Americans have a "fair shot" in the economy, and "play by the same set of rules."
He said Democrats in the House, where majority Republicans have blocked many of his key jobs proposals, were willing to make tough cuts amounting to more than $2 trillion in deficit reduction.
As is often the case in a major election year, there is little expectation of being able to accomplish much legislatively⁸ in the months before Americans vote in November.
The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, this past week blamed the president for the absence of compromise.
"While I have tried to reach out and work with the president, I can tell you that for the last four months since last Labor⁹ Day, the president has been in campaign mode every day," said Boehner.
But Representative John Larson of Connecticut, a key Democratic leader who introduced Obama at the conference in Maryland, said Republicans were to blame for the gridlock in Washington.
"You have made every attempt humanly possible to get them to bring your legislation that will put this country back to work, to the floor. We stand committed, we stand with you, to make that happen in this session of Congress," said Larson.
Addressing the same gathering¹⁰ earlier in the day, Vice¹¹ President Joe Biden blasted congressional leaders for continuing to obstruct¹² the president's efforts.
Biden said the 2012 election will present "stark¹³ contrasts" between President Obama's vision and Republicans, and predicted that obstruction¹⁴ would eventually backfire on them.
"Guess what? The American people are figuring it out. [That Republicans] reject the word, they reject the notion of compromise," said Biden.
Lawmakers addressed Friday by Obama also are nervous about their re-election chances amid ongoing¹⁵ struggles between the president and Republicans.
Obama said they need to find ways to work with Republicans, but vowed¹⁶ he will not stand for more obstruction.
"We have got to be right there ready to meet them. On the other hand, where they obstruct, where they are unwilling¹⁷ to act, where they are more interested in party then they are in country, more interested in the next election than the next generation, then we have got to call them out on it. We have got to call them out on it. We have got to push them," said Obama.
It will be a tough election, the president said, because many Americans have "lost faith in the capacity of Washington to get anything done."

1 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》

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

4 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

7 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。

8 legislatively   

adv.立法地

参考例句：

• Indeed, experience with the legislatively imposed hybrid procedures has not been encouraging. 的确，立法规定的混合型程序的经历并不令人感到鼓舞。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• The criminal pattern kidnapping and killing the kidnapped person is contained and aggravated crime legislatively. 从犯罪形态来看，“杀害被绑架人”的立法属于包容加重犯。 来自互联网

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

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 obstruct   

v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物

参考例句：

• He became still more dissatisfied with it and secretly did everything in his power to obstruct it.他对此更不满意，尽在暗里使绊子。
• The fallen trees obstruct the road.倒下的树将路堵住了。

13 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

14 obstruction   

n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物

参考例句：

• She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty.她被指控妨碍警察执行任务。
• The road was cleared from obstruction.那条路已被清除了障碍。

15 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

16 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

17 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。