VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Faces Major Political Challenges

The 2010 congressional elections in November will be a major test for the president as voters judge his record on the economy, health care, Afghanistan and many other issues.

Jim Malone | Washington 29 December 2009

 
Photo: AP
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice¹ President Joe Biden, speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, 24 Dec 2009, after the Senate passed the health care reform bill

 

U.S. President Barack Obama marks his first year in office on January 20.  Politically, Mr. Obama has had a tumultuous first year marked by efforts to revive the U.S. economy, enact² health care reform and shore up domestic support for the war in Afghanistan. 

As the nation's 44th president, Barack Obama came into office eager to meet the public's demand for change.

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity³ of purpose over conflict and discord," said the president.

But the good will and high hopes so evident in January quickly gave way to the realities of trying to achieve results in politically polarized Washington.

Nathan Gonzales is a political analyst⁴ with the Rothenberg Political Report. "He came in with high hopes of a lot of Americans and with a lot of support, and legislating⁵ some of those goals has been difficult," said Gonzales.

Domestic challenges

The early emphasis was on stabilizing⁶ the faltering⁷ economy and pushing health-care reform.

But the drive for health-care reform ran headlong into opposition⁸ Republicans eager to regain⁹ their political footing after suffering defeat in the 2008 election.

The president won a major victory on health-care reform in the Senate near the end of the year.  It will be up to lawmakers to reconcile two competing versions of reform approved by Congress and get a final compromise bill to the president's desk early in 2010.

Republicans like House leader John Boehner continue to fight the health-care plan as too costly¹⁰ and too much government intervention¹¹.

"And the biggest problem that we heard from our economists¹² with regard to why employers are not hiring, it is all the job-killing policies that are being offered by this administration and this Congress," he said.

Public approval

Barack Obama entered the presidency¹³ with strong public approval ratings.  But the president's image has taken a hit in recent months as the opposition has gained traction¹⁴, and his approval rating in some polls is now under 50 percent.

"They like him.  Personally, Americans like Barack Obama," said Quinnipiac University pollster Peter Brown. "They are a good deal less supportive of his policies.  What he needs to do is convince voters that his proposals are in their best interest."

War in Afghanistan

While Republicans oppose his efforts on the economy and health care, several Democrats¹⁵ have raised concerns about the president's decision to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

Robert Borosage is co-director of the liberal group, The Campaign For America's Future.

"And like Lyndon Johnson he has this really ominous¹⁶ problem, which is if you escalate¹⁷ in Afghanistan and we end up in that swamp that will over time be a kind of constant drain on support and enthusiasm among young people, among minorities, among liberals, among progressives and it will really sap the president's ability to continue to energize¹⁸ this broad agenda," he said.

Republicans have generally welcomed the additional troops, and some conservatives have been surprised by the general direction of Mr. Obama's foreign policy.

David Frum is a conservative commentator¹⁹ and former speech writer for President George W. Bush.

"For people who were looking for a dramatic break in American foreign policy it is rather hard to identify it," he said. "In Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Guantanamo, in the handling of terrorism, in China, in India.  There has been much more continuity with the Bush presidency than I think anybody expected."

Political challenges ahead

Presidents historically lose congressional seats in the first midterm election, and analyst Nathan Gonzales says President Obama has a challenging political road ahead.

"The president needs to pass significant legislation and sell it to the American people in order to help Democratic senators and representatives in their re-election bids," he said.

Even Obama supporters like Robert Borosage acknowledge he will have to show some solid results in his second year to blunt a Republican resurgence²⁰.

"When he speaks he lays out the clearest discussion of where we ought to go as a country," he said. "It is quite an extraordinary gift.  I think that has all been a strength.  I think in terms of implementation²¹ and his strategy in terms of trying to pass things, it has been a weakness."

The 2010 congressional elections in November will be a major test for the president as voters judge his record on the economy, health care, Afghanistan and many other issues.
 

1 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。

2 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 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。

5 legislating   

v.立法，制定法律( legislate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Why are the senators sitting there without legislating? 为什么那些议员们做在那里不立法？ 来自互联网
• From legislating and protecting peasant's interests organizationally. " 从立法和组织上保护农民利益。 来自互联网

6 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

7 faltering   

犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 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。

12 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

15 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》

16 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

17 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

18 energize   

vt.给予(某人或某物)精力、能量

参考例句：

• It is used to energize the city.它的作用是为城市供给能量。
• This is a great way to energize yourself and give yourself more power!这种方法非常棒，可以激活你的能量，让你有更多的活力！

19 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

20 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

21 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。