VOA标准英语2011--Drive Underway to Recall Wisconsin Governor

Drive Underway to Recall Wisconsin Governor

The governor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin faces a possible special election to remove him from office. Opponents are angry at Governor Scott Walker for backing legislation earlier this year that restricted the collective bargaining rights of public employees. They are now trying to gather enough signatures to force a recall vote.

On a cold morning in Madison, Wisconsin, a steady stream of vehicles pulls off to the side of the road, greeted by clipboard-armed volunteers like Ray.

“I’ve organized a group of about 80 people," said Ray. "Most of us are retired¹ teachers and we’ve set up what is called a drive-through. It’s kind of like a McDonalds' drive through where people will drive in, and sign our petition to recall Governor Scott Walker.”

Ray didn’t want to use his last name for fear of retribution for participating in the recall effort. but he says his drive-through petition is working.

“This is our seventh day, and we are at about 2,400 signatures right now," he said. "We are getting a little over 400 a day.”

A political action group called United Wisconsin is spearheading the effort to recall Governor Walker. And the group's director, Meagan Mahaffey, says the more than 540,000 signatures needed to trigger the recall vote are within reach.

“The first 48 hours, over 50,000 people had signed the petition to recall Walker," she said. "In the first 96 hours, we were at over 105,000 petitions that had been in our office in our hands to recall Walker. Over 20,000 people have gone online to download the petition and more and more do it every day.”

The uproar² began last winter, when Walker, a Republican, moved to balance the state budget with legislation that curbed³ collective bargaining rights for state employees. The bill passed after lengthy⁴ procedural roadblocks, and also requires public employees to contribute more towards their benefits.

“What this represents is a threat to the union movement within the state, and because the unions are so important to supporting Democrats⁵, a threat to the Democratic Party as well," said Professor Charles Franklin.

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Political Science Professor Charles Franklin says the recent rejection⁶ of similar legislation in Ohio was a victory for the labor⁷ movement. But he says there are stark⁸ differences between the two states.

“Ohio had a very clean vote, either for or against this specific bill that was passed," he said. "Here in Wisconsin it's not just about that bill, it’s about the governor as a person, it's about his other policies.”

Governor Walker is fighting back against his opponents, using TV ads that also appear on YouTube to send the message that his controversial legislation is working.

“I think this sets the theme," said Franklin. "That ad stresses how school districts have been able to deal with their budget cuts and issues because of the flexibility⁹ they’ve received with the changes in these union rules.”

Even if Walker's political opponents gather enough signatures to force a recall election, that does not necessarily mean he will be forced from office. Democrats also have to find a candidate who can beat the Republican incumbent¹⁰ in that special election.

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

3 curbed   

v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Advertising aimed at children should be curbed. 针对儿童的广告应受到限制。 来自辞典例句
• Inflation needs to be curbed in Russia. 俄罗斯需要抑制通货膨胀。 来自辞典例句

4 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

5 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》

6 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

9 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

10 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。