VOA常速英语2007年-Iowa Party Caucuses Kick Off Presidential Prima

By Jim Malone
Washington
20 December 2007

After listening to the candidates and their campaign promises for months, U.S. voters will get their first chance to weigh in on the 2008 presidential race January 3 in the Midwest state of Iowa.  The Iowa caucuses¹ kick off hotly contested nomination² battles in both major parties in advance of the U.S. presidential election in November.  VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has a preview.

After months of speeches, rallies and debates, it is almost time for the voters to begin having their say about who will be the major candidates in the 2008 presidential election.  And many experts predict the voters will be looking for change.

"There definitely seems to be an appetite for change in the public as a whole," said Karlyn Bowman, who monitors public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.  "Again, the Bush presidency³ has not been a success in the minds of most Americans, so in that sense I think they are ready to think about something new."

For Democrats⁴, that something new could be Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.

"I believe we can provide better economic security and that we can restore our standing⁵ in the world and that we can make sure that our children have a brighter future.  But we can only do it if we have the courage to change," she said.

Public opinion polls show Obama is in a tight three-way race among Democrats in Iowa with Senator Hillary Clinton of New York and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards.

Clinton has long been the frontrunner for the Democratic party's nomination, but an early stumble in Iowa could open up a fierce battle with the other contenders.

To counter Obama, Senator Clinton is emphasizing her years of experience as a member of Congress and a former First Lady.

"Some believe you get change by demanding it.  Some believe you get it by hoping for it.  I believe you get it by working hard for change," she said.  "That is what I have done my entire life.  That is what I will do as president."

Experts caution that Edwards could also be a factor in the January 3 caucuses.  Edwards remains⁶ well organized in Iowa after his strong second place showing in the Iowa Democratic caucuses in 2004.

Analyst⁷ Karlyn Bowman believes Obama will have an advantage if change becomes the central issue in the 2008 campaign.

"I think Obama is clearly the candidate who is benefiting from change," she noted⁸.  "That has been a signature theme of his throughout the campaign.  He is the new face.  He is something different.  We know Hillary Clinton very well.  Whether or not that will boost his fortunes in Iowa remains to be seen."

As volatile⁹ as the Democratic race appears, the battle for the Republican Party presidential nomination looks even more uncertain.

In recent weeks, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has surged to the top of the polls in the early contest states of Iowa and South Carolina.

"Our founding fathers had the idea that when we are elected, we are not elected as a part to be elevated up, but to truly remember who we work for," he said.

Huckabee's rise comes at the expense of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt¹⁰ Romney, who had been leading in Iowa for months.  Romney continues to hold a lead in New Hampshire, which holds the first presidential primary on January 8, five days after the Iowa vote.

Huckabee is also cutting into the lead in national polls long held by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows Giuliani tied with Romney for the lead among Republicans at 20 percent each.  Huckabee trails with 17 percent and Senator John McCain of Arizona is at 14 percent.  Giuliani had a double-digit lead in the same poll six weeks ago.

Surveys show that voters rate Giuliani as a strong leader based on his handling of the September 11th terrorist attacks.  But conservative Republicans take issue with his moderate views on social issues like abortion¹¹, gay rights and gun control.

Giuliani, who married the woman he was having an affair with while mayor of New York, has also been on the defensive¹² over his personal life.  But he remains upbeat about his chances.

"We are going to go, if I am President of the United States, in the direction of giving more money, more authority and more decision making to the people," he said.

Senator John McCain and former Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee also score well in polls of some of the early contest states, setting up what could be a lengthy¹³ battle for the Republican nomination.

Tom DeFrank of the New York Daily News has long covered U.S. politics and is a frequent guest on VOA's Issues in the News program.

"Usually, this [Republican Party] is more of a royalist party that settles on at least one or two logical nominees¹⁴.  That is not the case here," he explained.  "I think it is totally up for grabs, and the Republican contest is one that might go on for much longer than the Democratic contest."

The road to the White House in January goes through the early contest states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, then reaches a climax¹⁵ on February 5 when more than 20 states will hold primaries or caucuses.

1 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 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。

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 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 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。

8 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。

9 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

10 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

11 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

12 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

13 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。

14 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

15 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。