VOA标准英语2010年-Jennifer Glasse 20 May 2010

Senator Arlen Specter gives his concession¹ speech to supporters on stage with his wife Joan Specter, center, and son Shanin Specter, right, in Philadelphia, 18 May 2010

American voters appear to have taken out their anger and frustration² at Washington, D.C, voting for the challenger over the incumbent³ in three of four major congressional races across the country.  Analysts⁴ say this is likely to be a very tough year for current officeholders in the November congressional elections.

 Democratic Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania saw his 30-year Senate career come crashing to an end Tuesday night, losing to Pennsylvania Congressman⁶ Joe Sestak in a Democratic primary vote.

Specter had been a Republican senator up until last year, when he switched to the Democratic Party, with the backing of President Barack Obama.  His challenger, Joe Sestak, broadcast blistering⁷ TV ads saying Specter had switched parties because he was worried about saving one job - his own.   Congressman Sestak savored⁸ his victory late Tuesday.

"Too many career politicians are a bit too concerned with keeping their jobs, rather than serving the public, rather than helping⁹ people," said Sestak.  "This is what democracy looks like.  A win for the people over the establishment, over the status quo, even over Washington, D.C."

Sestak will now face Republican candidate Pat Toomey in the November election for this key senate seat.

 In Arkansas, centrist Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln failed to win a majority of votes in the primary against a left-leaning challenger, and is headed to a June run-off for her party's nomination¹⁰.

David Hawkings is managing editor of Congressional Quarterly Weekly, one of the leading print and online news media covering Congress.  Hawkings agrees that there is an unmistakable and prevailing¹¹ anti-incumbent mood in the country.

"It is going to be a big anti-incumbent year, and a big anti-Washington year, and what is still left a little bit up in the air after last night is how much that anti-incumbent wave, how disproportionately that anti-incumbent wave, will wash over the Democrats¹²," said Hawkings.  "Or whether it is really even a wave."

Hawkings says Democrats say there is no upcoming Republican "wave" which will sweep scores of them from office, pointing to a special election for the U.S. House seat for the late Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania.  Long-time Murtha aide and Democrat⁵ Mark Critz won that seat Tuesday in a conservative district that voted for Republican John McCain over Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

There was another anti-incumbent slap in the face for establishment Republicans in Kentucky.  Rand Paul, a grassroots conservative activist¹³ candidate, running under the "Tea Party" banner, scored a blowout win over the hand-picked Republican establishment candidate, Secretary of State Trey Grayson.  Rand Paul, the son of libertarian presidential candidate Ron Paul, issues this warning in his victory speech.

"I have a message, a message from the Tea Party, [a] message that is loud and clear and does not mince¹⁴ words.  We have come to take our government back," said Paul.

David Hawkings said the victory shows that the Tea Party is a force to be reckoned with.

"It is a clear sign that the Tea Party movement has some lasting¹⁵ staying power, that is has an ability to galvanize disaffected¹⁶ voters, and not only did Rand Paul win in Kentucky, but a Tea Party candidate won in a House race in Louisville, [Kentucky] defeating another establishment candidate," said Hawkings.

But Hawkings said the Tea Party victories could actually turn out to be a disadvantage for Republicans in the November general elections, because Tea Party candidates tend to be viewed as too far to the right ideologically¹⁷ by moderate voters.

"It is an age-old problem in politics, where in general in American politics, the candidate who appeals most to the most fervent¹⁸ members of the party wins the primary and then often has a very difficult time appealing to the broader electorate," added Hawkings.

The party that controls the White House historically loses congressional seats in a new president's first mid-term elections.  The question for President Obama and Democrats is how many seats they will lose.  Republicans would need a 40-seat gain in November to take back majority control in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hawkings and other analysts caution political observers not to read too much into Tuesday's results, because there are still more than five months to go until the November elections.
 

1 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

2 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 blistering   

adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡

参考例句：

• The runners set off at a blistering pace. 赛跑运动员如脱缰野马般起跑了。
• This failure is known as preferential wetting and is responsible for blistering. 这种故障称为优先吸湿，是产生气泡的原因。 来自辞典例句

8 savored   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• We savored the barbed hits in his reply. 我们很欣赏他在回答中使用的带刺的俏皮话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We savored, (the pleasures of) mountain life to the full. 我们充分体会了山居生活的乐趣。 来自辞典例句

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 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。

11 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

12 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》

13 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

14 mince   

n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说

参考例句：

• Would you like me to mince the meat for you?你要我替你把肉切碎吗？
• Don't mince matters,but speak plainly.不要含糊其词，有话就直说吧。

15 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

16 disaffected   

adj.（政治上）不满的，叛离的

参考例句：

• He attracts disaffected voters.他吸引了心怀不满的选民们。
• Environmental issues provided a rallying point for people disaffected with the government.环境问题把对政府不满的人们凝聚了起来。

17 ideologically   

adv. 意识形态上地，思想上地

参考例句：

• Ideologically, they have many differences. 在思想意识上，他们之间有许多不同之处。
• He has slipped back ideologically. 他思想退步了。

18 fervent   

adj.热的，热烈的，热情的

参考例句：

• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
• Austria was among the most fervent supporters of adolf hitler.奥地利是阿道夫希特勒最狂热的支持者之一。