US Election Enters New Phase

 

By Jim Malone

The U.S. presidential election campaign has entered a new phase, with both major party candidates criss-crossing the country in search of votes.

After ceding¹ the week to John Kerry and the Democrats², President Bush got back out on the campaign trail Friday with a stop in Missouri, one of several key swing states in the November election.

Public opinion polls indicate more Americans believe Mr. Bush is better able to handle the threat of terrorism than Senator Kerry, and the president was quick to make that point on Friday.

"You see, you cannot talk sense to the terrorists," he said. "You cannot hope for the best. You cannot negotiate with them. We will engage those enemies around the world, so we do not have to face them here at home."

The president has begun a campaign swing through several so-called battleground states in the Midwest, including some of the same states that John Kerry will visit over the next several days.

At their convention, the Democrats and Senator Kerry made it clear that they will not back away from the security issue between now and the election on November 2.

"I defended this country as a young man, and I will defend it as president," he said. "Let there be no mistake, I will never hesitate to use force when required. Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response."

With the Democratic convention now over, attention will focus on the Republican convention scheduled for late August in New York City.

But before then, political analyst³ Jack⁴ Pitney of Claremont-McKenna College in California says, the newly-nominated Democratic ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards will hit the campaign trail, hoping to build on the momentum⁵ they picked up from their convention in Boston.

"You will see both Kerry and Edwards criss-cross the country, do a lot of traveling, a lot of campaign events," he said. "And you will see them getting endorsements⁶ from officials, and trying to stake out more specific positions on the issues. It is a bit of a danger there, because the more specific you get, the more you open yourself up to attack from the other side."

President Bush and Vice⁷ President Dick Cheney will also be making campaign swings through a number of key states before their convention begins.

Analyst Jack Pitney says the Democrats' generally positive tone at their convention could have an impact on the Republicans when they gather in New York.

"Well, first they need to get ready for a good convention," he said. "The Democrats had a pretty good convention, and Republicans need to maintain a positive tone at theirs. They need to stay out on the campaign trail, and hope that events on the international scene and the domestic economic scene work to their favor."

The general election campaign will begin in earnest after the Republican convention concludes on September 2. The next major events in the campaign cycle will come in late September and early October, when a series of debates will be held, three for the presidential contenders and one for the vice presidential candidates.

With polls showing the race very close, most experts believe the relatively⁸ small pool of undecided voters probably will not make up their minds until just before the election, making this year's debates a crucial stage in the election process.

Jim Malone, VOA News, Washington.

注释：
criss-crossing 指频繁的参加选举活动
cede 放弃
Missouri 密苏里州
negotiate 谈判
analyst 分析家
Claremont-McKenna College 克莱蒙特·马基那学院
momentum 动力
maintain 继续
conclude 做出决定
contender 竞争者

 

1 ceding   

v.让给，割让，放弃( cede的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was ceding line but more slowly all the time. 他正在放出钓索，然而越来越慢了。 来自英汉文学 - 老人与海
• Settlement would require ceding some Egyptian territory. 解决办法将要求埃及让出一些领土。 来自辞典例句

2 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》

3 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。

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

6 endorsements   

n.背书( endorsement的名词复数 )；（驾驶执照上的）违章记录；（公开的）赞同；（通常为名人在广告中对某一产品的）宣传

参考例句：

• He must make much money on those tennis shoe endorsements he does. 他替那些网球鞋珍重广告，就赚了不少钱。 来自互联网
• But celebrity endorsements remain an important promotional tool for marketers. 尽管如此，邀明星助阵仍是营销人员重要的推广手段之一。 来自互联网

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。

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。