VOA标准英语2008年-Obama Appears to Benefit From Campaign Focus on

The turmoil¹ in the U.S. financial markets is dominating the debate in the presidential election campaign, and Democrat² Barack Obama appears to be gaining because of it. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has more on the political impact of the crisis on Wall Street.

The news headlines are hard to ignore. The Wall Street Journal newspaper describes the financial upheaval³ as the worst crisis since the 1930s, with no end in sight.
　
Barack Obama campaigning in New Mexico, 18 Sep 2008

Voters tend to prefer Democrats⁴ during tough economic times. And Democratic nominee⁵ Barack Obama has taken every opportunity to link the country's economic woes⁶ to President Bush and the Republican candidate who wants to succeed him, John McCain.

"This is somebody who has been in Congress for 26 years, who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign. And now he tells us that he is the one who is going to take on the 'old boys network'. The 'old boys network.' In the McCain campaign that is called a staff meeting," he said.

Senator McCain has had his stumbles in trying to respond to the financial crisis. Early in the week, he said the fundamentals of the economy were sound, despite the current upheaval.
　
Senator McCain (left) and Governor Palin campaigning in Iowa 18 Sep 2008

McCain now says the economy is in crisis. But he says Senator Obama and the Democratic-led Congress are partly responsible.

"My opponent sees an economic crisis as a political opportunity instead of a time to lead. Senator Obama isn't change. He is part of the problem in Washington," McCain said.

Both candidates have said they want to strengthen the government's role in regulating the financial sector⁷. McCain also wants an independent commission to investigate the financial crisis similar to the panel that probed the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Recent public opinion surveys show Obama retaking a slim lead over McCain. A CBS News/New York Times poll has Obama ahead by a margin⁸ of 48 to 43 percent. The survey also found that voters believe Obama is more likely to bring change to Washington. That margin was 65 to 37 percent.

Obama also has a four point lead in a new Quinnipiac University poll and a two-point edge in the latest Gallup daily tracking poll.

"If we are focusing on economic issues, which has never been John McCain's strength and where Americans are looking for change, and where the CBS poll suggests one other problem for McCain, which is that a majority of Americans see him as a typical Republican, not as an agent of change. The change gap remains⁹ extremely strong, then Obama has a very significant amount of traction¹⁰ [i.e., has the potential to gain supporters]," said Norman Ornstein, a political analyst¹¹ at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.

Polls have long shown that voters consider the economy the number one issue in this year's election, a factor that should favor the Democrats.

But McCain surged in the polls following the Republican convention and his pick of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his vice¹² presidential running mate.

Don Frederick is politics editor for the Los Angeles Times newspaper. Frederick told VOA's Issues in the News program that Obama is still trying to find a way to connect with voters on economic issues.

"The economy is front and center, but it is sort of a vague discontent that people have that they can't really put their finger on. Obama has not been able to focus what their discontent should be. The other thing that has happened over the last year is that Iraq has really become submerged as an issue and, of course, that has helped the Republicans and hurt the Democrats," he said.
　
Sen. John McCain (l) smiles as running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, pumps her fist at a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio, 29 Aug 2008

The selection of Governor Palin has energized¹³ Republicans and boosted McCain with some women voters.

But some experts say the so-called "Palin poll bounce" that came after the Republican convention is fading, and the race appears to be settling back to what it was before both party conventions.

Ornstein says that means a tight race, with a slight advantage to Obama.

"The race right now is very much as it was a few months ago and I believe the underlying¹⁴ structure will likely leave it there for a while. And that is a three or four point Obama advantage on a terrain¹⁵ that remains more favorable to Democrats," he said.

McCain's prospects¹⁶ may suffer if the financial turmoil continues to dominate the political debate.

But Ornstein and other analysts¹⁷ also caution to expect more surprises in the final weeks of a presidential election campaign that has continually defied predictions and expectations.

 

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 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。

3 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

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 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

6 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

9 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。

10 traction   

n.牵引；附着摩擦力

参考例句：

• I'll show you how the traction is applied.我会让你看如何做这种牵引。
• She's injured her back and is in traction for a month.她背部受伤，正在作一个月的牵引治疗。

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 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。

13 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

14 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

15 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

16 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。

17 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。