Bush, Kerry Campaign in Ohio, Pennsylvania

 

By Jim Malone

President Bush and his Democratic opponent, Senator John Kerry, took their campaigns into Ohio and Pennsylvania Saturday, two critical states in the November election.

The president focused on Ohio, a key state in his re-election strategy, and one that has been hit hard by job losses over the past few years.

Mr. Bush said his tax cuts are now creating new jobs and that a victory in November would ensure the U.S. economy remains¹ the strongest in the world.

The president also spoke² about the war on terror, which opinion polls indicate is a strong point for him with voters. "If America shows uncertainty³ and weakness in this decade, the world will drift towards tragedy," he said. "This will not happen on my watch."

Mr. Bush also went after his opponent, Senator John Kerry and his running mate, Senator John Edwards, for voting against an $87 billion funding bill last year to support U.S. troops in Iraq.

"Now, he is offering different explanations. At one time, he said that he was proud that he and his running mate voted against the funding for the troops," said Mr. Bush. "and then he said the whole thing is a complicated matter. There is nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat!"

Not far away, the Kerry campaign made a swing through Pennsylvania, considered a must-win state for the Democratic ticket in November.

Senator Kerry took issue with the president's upbeat assessment⁴ of the economy. He also criticized the administration for what he believes is a unilateral approach to foreign policy.

"And that means you have got to work with other people," said Mr. Kerry. "You need the best cooperation in the world, not the worst, and when I am president, we will respect the fact that working with other countries is a sign of strength, not weakness."

Senator Edwards, Mr. Kerry's running mate, also responded to the president's criticisms, saying Democrats⁵ are determined⁶ to keep their campaign positive in the weeks ahead. "We know what is coming in the weeks ahead, don't we? More negative attacks," he told the crowd. "Aren't you sick of it? Well, this is where you come in, because you, the American people, you can reject this tired, old hateful negative politics of the past, and, instead, embrace the politics of hope, the politics of what is possible. Because this is America, where everything is still possible."

The Kerry-Edwards campaign is in the early stages of a two-week, 21-state tour that will take the candidates to a number of crucial battleground states for the November election.

President Bush and Vice⁷ President Dick Cheney also have a busy campaign schedule in the weeks leading up to the Republican National Convention in New York City in late August.

Jim Malone, VOA News, Washington.

注释：
strategy 策略
tax cut 减税
opinion polls 民意测验
combat 战斗
upbeat 乐观的
assessment（为征税对财产所作的）估价
unilateral单方面的
positive 积极的

 

1 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。

2 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。

3 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

4 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

5 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》

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 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。