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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The US Capitol is seen Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008 in Washington, three days before the makeup3 of the two houses of Congress will be determined4 by the Nov. 4, 2008 election |
Most of the attention on the congressional races is focused on the Senate, where Democrats, who now hold a narrow majority, hope to win an additional nine seats to give them an influential5 60-vote majority.
That would be an important victory for Democrats, according to Alan Lichtman, political science professor at American University.
"A 60-seat majority is of enormous significance because that is a filibuster-proof majority. Republicans could not block legislation by in effect talking it to death, delaying it," he said.
Lichtman believes Democrats will increase their ranks, but fall a few seats short of the critical 60-vote majority. He argues that Democrats could win over enough moderate Republicans on individual issues to overcome any efforts to block their legislation.
Democrats are also expected to expand their 36-seat majority in the House of Representatives.
Analysts7 predict Democrats could win between 20 and 35 additional seats.
Congressional Republicans acknowledge they face a tough election battle. Among incumbents8 facing close reelection bids in the Senate are Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Senator Ted6 Stevens of Alaska, who was found guilty of corruption9 charges last month.
A number of Republican House members also are waging tough reelection campaigns, including Congressman10 Chris Shays of Connecticut - a political moderate who has often been at odds11 with President Bush, and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, who made a controversial call for investigations12 of U.S. lawmakers whom she had suggested hold "anti-American views".
If Democrat1 Barack Obama becomes president, larger Democratic majorities in the House and Senate could be key to swiftly implementing13 his legislative14 agenda, including withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq and implementing health care reform.
"Democrats have been out of power for some time. They have not controlled the presidency15 and the Congress since the early 1990s under Bill Clinton. Democrats are going to be hungry for real accomplishment," added Professor Lichtman.
But Steven Hess of the Brookings Institution says a Democratic Congress will not necessarily be in lock step with a Democratic president.
"Neither party is monolithic16. Both parties in a sense have regional interests that differ as well as conservative and liberal wings of the party," said Hess.
If Republican John McCain is elected president, Alan Lichtman says the veteran senator's record of bipartisanship could help in moving legislation through congress, although he says the partisan17 nature of his presidential campaign would make relations with Democrats more difficult.
"He has run a very relentless-negative campaign, and a campaign decried18 by even some Republicans. He would have a lot of mending to do in order to bring around Democrats who are very bitter about the negative campaign that he has run," said Lichtman.
The presidential candidate who loses the election will return to Capitol Hill as a U.S. senator, but likely with a higher profile than before his White House campaign.
1 democrat | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员 | |
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2 democrats | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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3 makeup | |
n.组织;性格;化装品 | |
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4 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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5 influential | |
adj.有影响的,有权势的 | |
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6 ted | |
vt.翻晒,撒,撒开 | |
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7 analysts | |
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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8 incumbents | |
教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 ); 教会中的任职者 | |
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9 corruption | |
n.腐败,堕落,贪污 | |
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10 Congressman | |
n.(美)国会议员 | |
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11 odds | |
n.让步,机率,可能性,比率;胜败优劣之别 | |
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12 investigations | |
(正式的)调查( investigation的名词复数 ); 侦查; 科学研究; 学术研究 | |
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13 implementing | |
v.实现( implement的现在分词 );执行;贯彻;使生效 | |
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14 legislative | |
n.立法机构,立法权;adj.立法的,有立法权的 | |
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15 presidency | |
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期) | |
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16 monolithic | |
adj.似独块巨石的;整体的 | |
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17 partisan | |
adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒 | |
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18 decried | |
v.公开反对,谴责( decry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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