VOA标准英语2008年-Obama, McCain Joust Over Economic Issues

Economic issues dominated the U.S. presidential election campaign Wednesday. Democrat¹ Barack Obama said Republican John McCain would continue President Bush's economic policies, while McCain lashed² back at Obama over taxes and energy. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone is following the campaign and has a report from Washington.

Senator Obama told supporters in Missouri that his Republican opponent, Senator McCain, would continue what he called reckless economic policies being pursued by the Bush administration that have put middle class families in a bind³.

"He has embraced the Bush economic policies and promises to continue them, same policies as George Bush," Obama said. "He wants to continue the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and he wants to put another $300 billion tax cut on the table for corporations. Why not small businesses? Because he thinks it is o.k. the way things are going right now. Let me tell you, we cannot afford to keep on doing more of the same, and that is why I am running for president of the United States of America!"

In part, Obama was responding to stepped-up attacks from the McCain campaign that the Democratic presidential contender would raise taxes if elected and would block offshore⁴ drilling for oil because of environmental concerns.

McCain initially⁵ opposed President Bush's tax cut plan for wealthy Americans, but now supports their continuation.

McCain told a crowd of supporters in Colorado that Obama is intent on raising taxes and expanding the role of the federal government if elected.

"What he says and what he does are often two different things, and he does not seem to understand that policies he offers would make our policies worse, not better," he said. "Senator Obama says he is going to change Washington, but his solution is to simply make government bigger and raise your taxes to pay for it. And I want to look you in the eye and say I will not raise your taxes or support a tax increase. I will not do it!"

McCain has been pressed in recent days to restate his opposition⁶ to tax increases because in a recent interview he refused to rule out the idea of boosting payroll⁷ taxes to shore up the Social Security pension system, which most Americans count on in retirement⁸.

McCain's comments on taxes angered economic conservatives who traditionally insist that Republican presidential candidates rule out any tax increases once in office.

The focus on the economy is not surprising given public opinion polls that show voter concerns about the economy and high fuel prices as the top issues in the campaign.

The McCain campaign also released a new television ad depicting⁹ Senator Obama as a celebrity¹⁰ figure who does not have enough experience to lead the country.

"He is the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead? With gas prices soaring, Barack Obama says not to offshore drilling and says he will raise taxes on electricity?"

The ad combines pictures of Obama's speech in Germany last week with images of Hollywood celebrities¹¹ like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, suggesting he is more style than substance.

Obama leads McCain in most public opinion polls, but many experts believe the edge is smaller than expected given the Democratic Party's advantages in this year's election.

 

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 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

4 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

5 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

6 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。

7 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

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 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

10 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

11 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目