VOA标准英语2009年-US Economy Likely to Determine Obama's

Kent Klein | Washington 14 December 2009

 
President Barack Obama visiting a U.S. factory

As his first year in office nears an end, U.S. President Barack Obama is gearing up for his second.  The nation's economy, the war in Afghanistan and November's congressional elections may determine whether the president is able to advance his agenda. 

President Obama spent much of 2009 trying to heal a sick economy and promoting his administration's economic recovery plan.  And with many seats in Congress up for election in November 2010, Nathan Gonzales, the political editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, believes the president will spend much of the coming year the same way.

Nathan Gonzales

"The worst thing that could happen for the president and the Democrats¹ is for the economy to continue to deteriorate² and they get blamed for it," said Nathan Gonzales. "If both those things happen, it could be catastrophic results on election day."

Recent economic reports show that the American economy is starting to recover.  But the unemployment rate has also topped double digits³ for the first time in 26 years.

Former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie says many Americans blame Mr. Obama for the high jobless rate.

"And they will see President Obama's higher taxes, more spending, more debt, more government intervention⁴ in our economy, in the banks, in the auto⁵ industry, in health care and in energy as largely responsible for that lack of job creation," said Ed Gillespie.

Mr. Obama has not actually raised taxes. And his supporters say he has prevented further job losses. Robert Borosage is co-director of the Campaign For America's Future.

"What you have got is a president who has tried to do big things that are important to the country," said Robert Borosage. "And you have got an economy that his recovery plan has kept from being much worse and that will be growing."

Turning the tide in the Afghanistan war will likely be another major priority for President Obama in 2010.  Violence in Afghanistan is mounting, U.S. public support for the war is slipping and lawmakers in Mr. Obama's own party have criticized his plan to send tens of thousands more troops.  Political editor Nathan Gonzales says with Congressional elections looming⁶ in November, Mr. Obama is under pressure to show results. 

"President Obama needs to show that he has a plan for Iraq and Afghanistan, that he is implementing⁷ it, and that it is working," he said.

Former Republican chairman Ed Gillespie agrees that the president faces a difficult situation in Afghanistan.

"When you are president of the United States, they do not send you the easy decisions; they send you the hard decisions," he said. "By the time a decision gets to your desk, it is a hard decision.  And I think President Obama has seen now the difference between running for the presidency⁸ and serving in the presidency."

Besides Afghanistan and the economy, Mr. Obama also has other domestic concerns to consider - immigration policy, climate change legislation, and creating jobs in the clean energy industry.

Nathan Gonzales sees the election campaign getting in the way of the president's major initiatives.

"Going into 2010, it is going to be more difficult to get controversial legislation done, because Democrats in the House and in the Senate are looking at their own re-elections," said Gonzales.

Many of Mr. Obama's initiatives, such as health care reform, will not begin to show results until well after the November elections.  David Frum, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, says Americans are losing patience.

"None of us know what is going to happen in 2010, and maybe this will all pay off in the future," said David Frum. "But it sure ain't [is not] paying off now."

Yet Robert Borosage of the Campaign for America's Future says voters will understand that Mr. Obama is working in their best interests.

"I think if the president keeps fighting for reforms that are clearly about where the country needs to go, he will benefit and Democrats will benefit," he said.

The results of the November Congressional elections, and the fate of Mr. Obama's presidency, may once again hinge on his powers of persuasion⁹.

 

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 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

3 digits   

n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾

参考例句：

• The number 1000 contains four digits. 1000是四位数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The number 410 contains three digits. 数字 410 中包括三个数目字。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

5 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

6 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

7 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 persuasion   

n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派

参考例句：

• He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说，他才决定离开。
• After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后，她同意去了。