IN THE NEWS - John Kerry Chooses John Edwards for Vice Presi

IN THE NEWS - John Kerry Chooses John Edwards for Vice¹ President
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Saturday, July 10, 2004

This is Bob Doughty² with In the News, in VOA Special English.

The Democratic National Convention begins July twenty-sixth in Boston. The party will officially nominate its candidates for president and vice president in the November election. This week John Kerry chose John Edwards for vice president.

 
John Kerry, left, and John Edwards
The two senators competed against each other earlier this year for the nomination³. But Mister Kerry says they share values and a belief in strong international alliances and a strong military. He say they will work together to seek support from independent voters as well as Democrats⁴.

Many people who liked John Edwards as a presidential candidate said they liked his energy and his message. He says President Bush has created "two Americas," one for the wealthy and one for everybody else.

Mister Edwards' father was a textile worker. His mother was a letter carrier. But Mister Edwards became a trial lawyer. He won big cases for injured people. He earned millions of dollars.

The choice for vice president is usually the first major decision for a presidential candidate. The vice president becomes president if ever the president cannot carry out the duties of office. Vice presidents also act as president of the Senate. They make the deciding vote if the Senate is evenly split.

Presidential candidates traditionally choose a vice president from another part of the country to provide geographical⁵ balance. But not always. In nineteen-ninety-two, for example, the Democrats won with two Southerners: Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Al Gore⁶ of Tennessee.

John Edwards is from the South. John Kerry is from the Northeast. Democrats say the addition of the senator from North Carolina should help Mister Kerry win more Southern votes. They hope it will also strengthen the Kerry campaign in states where the vote is expected to be close.

These so-called battleground states include Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Ohio. Some people say Ohio, in the Midwest, could decide the race.

Mister Edwards had never served in public office before North Carolina voters elected him to the Senate in nineteen-ninety-eight. He decided⁷ not to seek a second term this year. He ran for president instead, but won only a single state in the Democratic nominating elections. That was South Carolina, where he was born.

Critics say Mister Edwards lacks political and foreign policy experience. Republicans say his Senate record is too weak and too liberal. President Bush said this week that Dick Cheney is better prepared to be president.

In any case, political experts say vice presidential candidates usually have little effect on elections. They say voters in November are likely to consider issues like the war in Iraq and the economy far more important.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Bob Doughty.

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 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 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》

5 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

6 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。