VOA标准英语2010年-More Congressional Retirements on Road

This past week, additional members of Congress from both major U.S. political parties announced that they will not seek re-election.  The latest to announce include a conservative Republican and strong supporter of democracy in Cuba, a liberal Democrat¹ skeptical² of the U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, and the son of the late Senator Edward Kennedy. 

"My father instilled³ in me a deep commitment to public service, whether through elected office like he and his brothers or non-profit advocacy like my Aunt Eunice's work with Special Olympics. Now having spent two decades in politics, my life is taking a new direction and I will not be a candidate for re-election this year," said Congressman⁵ Patrick Kennedy from Rhode Island State.

The You Tube video announcement by Patrick Kennedy, son of the late Edward Kennedy and nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, lengthened⁶ the list of lawmakers from both parties declaring an end to their careers in the U.S House of Representatives.

The departure of Kennedy, who served eight terms since being elected from Rhode Island in 1994 at the age of 27, will also mark the first time since 1962 that a member of the Kennedy family will not be serving in Congress.

Earlier in the week,  an announcement by California Representative Diane Watson brought to 13 the number of House Democrats⁷ deciding to retire or seek higher office.

Watson was known for her sharp questioning of military officials under both Bush and Obama administrations, about military strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan, as in this remark last December to the U.S commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal.

"You have asked for additional forces to go in, we are giving a great deal, the lives of our military, our finances to a country that operates based on war and they can't seem to bring their people to a point where they can defend their own nation," said Watson.

On the Republican side, 18 House lawmakers have so far announced they will retire or seek higher office including the latest, Florida Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart, one of the first Cuban-Americans elected to Congress.

With his brother Mario, also a member of Congress, Balart has been a key critic of the Castro government in Cuba, a record he recalled when he announced his retirement⁸ in Florida. "One of the achievements of which I am most proud was the codification⁹, the writing into U.S. Law of the U.S. embargo¹⁰ on the Castro dictatorship," he said.
 
These and other announcements have added new fuel to the never-ending exercise by analysts¹² and polling organizations, always more intense in election years, of projecting the impact on the balance of power in Congress.

While some seats, such as Watson's in California, are regarded as solidly Democratic, others are seen as competitive, including one in Pennsylvania left vacant by the recent death of Democrat John Murtha.

Republicans' departures

Most departing Republicans are from solid Republican districts.  But analysts note that Congressman Balart's district in Miami voted 49 percent in favor of President Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

Where issues are concerned, incumbent¹³ congressional Democrats face pressure from the strategy House and Senate Republicans are using to portray¹⁴ President Obama's economic recovery policies as bad for the nation, and using media to link Democratic candidates to those policies.

After Republican Scott Brown won his father's Massachusetts Senate seat, Congressman Patrick Kennedy called it a sign Americans would be out for "blood" and that voters were seeking someone to blame for jobs and homes lost in the recession.

On issues such as the economy and health care, President Obama recently suggested to House Republicans that they might suffer at the polls if they maintain generally unanimous opposition¹⁵ to and hostile tone about his policies, and withhold¹⁶ bipartisan cooperation.

"The fact of the matter is that many of you, if you voted with the administration on something, are politically vulnerable in your own base, in your own party," said the president.

In the Senate, where Democrats have 57 seats to 41 Republicans, and two Independents, four Democrats and five Republicans have announced they will be leaving:  Democrats Christopher Dodd, Byron Dorgan, Roland Burris and Ted⁴ Kaufman;  and Republicans Christopher Bond, Judd Gregg, George Voinovich and Jim Bunning.

Some House lawmakers are seeking Senate seats or governorships. These include Florida Democrat Kendrick Meek¹⁷, Republican Mark Kirk in Illinois, and Missouri Republican Roy Blunt.  Arkansas Congressman John Boozman is among Republicans trying to unseat Senate Democrat Blanche Lincoln, one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats.

As they try to advance President Obama's agenda in coming months, Democrats have good reasons to be concerned about potentially substantial mid-term election losses - 20 House seats by some predictions 25 or more by others - in a generally sour national political climate. 

Republicans would need 40 seats to take back the House majority.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently discounted this, saying she sees her party coming out of the November elections with a majority at minimum.

The Gallup organization recently reported that Republicans and Democrats were tied at 45 percent regarding which party's candidates voters would if mid-term elections were held now.  Democrats led by six points in mid-2009.
 
On Senate races, noted¹⁸ political analyst¹¹ Charlie Cook has described Democrats' prospects¹⁹ as continuing to worsen, with Republicans posing serious challenges to a number of key Democrats, including majority leader Harry²⁰ Reid.

More congressional retirements²¹ are expected in coming months.  And one thing is certain - the debates about where the momentum²² lies for which party and which candidates will only intensify²³ in the run-up to the congressional mid-term elections in November.

 

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

3 instilled   

v.逐渐使某人获得（某种可取的品质），逐步灌输( instill的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Nature has instilled in our minds an insatiable desire to see truth. 自然给我们心灵注入了永无休止的发现真理的欲望。 来自辞典例句
• I instilled the need for kindness into my children. 我不断向孩子们灌输仁慈的必要。 来自辞典例句

4 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 lengthened   

（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
• He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。

7 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》

8 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

9 codification   

n.法典编纂，法律成文化；法规汇编

参考例句：

• In consequence there were numerous tentative measures of codification. 其后果是产生了很多尝试性的编纂方法。 来自辞典例句
• Civil Codification and Foreign Influence in China-Towards China's Own Civil Code? 中国民法的发展和外国的影响——走进中国的本土民法？ 来自互联网

10 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

11 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。

12 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

13 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

14 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

15 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。

16 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

17 meek   

adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的

参考例句：

• He expects his wife to be meek and submissive.他期望妻子温顺而且听他摆布。
• The little girl is as meek as a lamb.那个小姑娘像羔羊一般温顺。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

20 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

21 retirements   

退休( retirement的名词复数 )； 退职； 退役； 退休的实例

参考例句：

• We've had two retirements in our office this year. 今年我们办公室已有二人退休。
• Those may take the form of sackings redundancies, temporary layoffs or retirements. 这些形式有开除，作为编余人员，暂时解雇或退休。

22 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。

23 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。