VOA慢速英语-THIS IS AMERICA - Democrats Gather in Denver to Nomi

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:
　
Barack Obama and Joe Biden Saturday in Springfield, Illinois, at their first appearance as running mates

And I'm Steve Ember. This week, the Democrats² meet to nominate Barack Obama for president and his choice for vice³ president. The announcement Saturday of his choice of Senator Joe Biden of Delaware included an Obama campaign text message to supporters.

Next week is the Republican nominating convention. John McCain is expected to announce his running mate this Friday.

Today on our program we look at the conventions and their history.

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VOICE ONE:

The Democratic National Convention opens Monday in Denver, in the western state of Colorado. Organizers of the four-day event expect fifty thousand people.
　
Workers ready the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, for the Democratic convention

Denver, a kilometer and a half above sea level, is called the "Mile-High City." The last time Denver hosted a national political convention was the Democratic convention one hundred years ago. Denver residents brought snow from the Rocky Mountains so the delegates could have a snowball fight.

VOICE TWO:

The Republican National Convention will take place from September first through the fourth in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the Midwest. Minneapolis and Saint Paul are known as the Twin Cities. Party leaders expect forty-five thousand delegates, party officials, media people and others.

Minnesota last hosted a national political convention in eighteen ninety-two, and that year it was also the Republicans.

VOICE ONE:
　
Protesters in Denver on Sunday, a day before the opening of the convention

Political protests are expected during both conventions. Denver has established a protest area. Activists⁴ say the area is too far from the convention to be meaningful.

Some people think the possibility of protests may increase television ratings for the conventions. But viewing of the conventions has fallen over the years. Broadcast TV networks now limit their live coverage⁵ mainly to the major speeches in the evening.

Speakers on Monday night in Denver will include Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

VOICE TWO:

American political parties hold conventions every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president. But the conventions are also a time to take care of other business. Party members approve a campaign platform -- a statement of goals and positions on issues.

They also elect the party's national committee and approve rules for the nominating process for the next election. They listen to speeches. And they get to enjoy entertainment, parties and four days of national attention.

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VOICE ONE:

Congressional leaders used to choose presidential nominees⁷. It became clear that a new system was needed. The first national convention was held in Baltimore, Maryland, in eighteen thirty-one. It was held by a party that no longer exists -- the Anti-Masonic Party.

The first Democratic convention took place a year later, in eighteen thirty-two. The modern Republican Party was not formed until the eighteen fifties.

One of the rules approved at that first Democratic convention was the two-thirds rule. It required a nominee⁶ to receive the votes of two-thirds of the convention delegates. The two-thirds rule lasted for just over a century, until nineteen thirty-six. Now, only a simple majority is needed to nominate a candidate -- Democrat¹ or Republican.

VOICE TWO:

Another rule approved at that first Democratic convention was the unit rule. It required all the delegates in a state to support the winner in that state.

The Democrats ended the unit rule in nineteen sixty-eight. The Republicans, however, continue to use the winner-take-all system in some states.

VOICE ONE:

The nominating process at the convention involves a huge gathering⁸ of delegates, grouped by states and territories. One by one, each delegation⁹ is called to announce its votes.

In the past, many ballots¹¹ were needed to choose a candidate. Between ballots, political deal makers¹² would negotiate with the delegations¹³ for support. For example, it took fifty-nine votes to choose Senator Stephen Douglas as the Democratic nominee in eighteen sixty.

Sometimes a "dark horse" would appear. This is a candidate who has little or no support at the start of the convention but wins the nomination¹⁴.

VOICE TWO:

Historians point to James Polk in eighteen forty-four as an example of a dark horse candidate. Polk's name was not placed into the voting until the eighth ballot¹⁰. The Democrat was nominated on the ninth vote, and Americans elected him president that November.

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VOICE ONE:

The presidential nominating conventions bring news media from around the world. But the meetings are now carefully directed and the results of the balloting¹⁵ are no longer a surprise.

Changes took place following the nineteen sixty-eight Democratic convention in Chicago. At that time, many Democrats supported Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota. He was a strong opponent of the Vietnam War. But Vice President Hubert Humphrey won the nomination because he controlled a majority of the delegates.

Historians say anger about the situation was one of the reasons for the rioting that took place at the Chicago convention. The Republican nominee, Richard Nixon, went on to defeat Humphrey for the presidency¹⁶.

VOICE TWO:

During the convention, Democratic Party officials appointed a committee to find a new way to choose nominees. Until then, the results of state primary elections were advisory¹⁷ only. Delegates did not have to follow the wishes of party members in their state.

After nineteen sixty-eight, the Democratic and Republican parties decided¹⁸ to make the primary results binding¹⁹ on delegates.
　
Senator John McCain

So primaries and caucus²⁰ meetings can now decide the nominees long before the conventions. Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, for example, secured enough delegates in March to receive his party's nomination next week.

Yet, as this year's Democratic primary season showed, there is still room for a long and lively campaign.

VOICE ONE:

Delegates awarded to a candidate based on state results are called pledged delegates. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois won more of them than Senator Hillary Clinton of New York. But he did not win enough to secure the nomination with pledged delegates alone.

What will give him the majority to be nominated this week is the promised support of "superdelegates." These are hundreds of party leaders and elected Democrats who have the right to vote as they wish. The party created superdelegates in the early nineteen eighties.

But the Democrats will still place Hillary Clinton's name in nomination, calling it a way to honor her. The plan, jointly²¹ announced this month by the Obama and Clinton campaigns, is part of an attempt to unite the party. Senator Clinton will also speak during the convention.

VOICE TWO:

The convention will close Thursday night with Senator Obama's acceptance speech. The speech has been moved to Denver's outdoor football stadium which holds more than seventy-five thousand people.

The last time a major presidential candidate did something like this was at the nineteen sixty Democratic convention. John Kennedy gave his acceptance speech at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

VOICE ONE:

Conventions include a keynote speaker. Being chosen to give one of these speeches can help bring a rising politician to national attention. Barack Obama spoke²² at the Democratic convention in Boston four years ago. At that time he was a state senator running for the United States Senate.

This year the keynote speaker for the Democrats will be former Virginia governor Mark Warner, a current candidate for the Senate. He will speak Tuesday night, the same night as Hillary Clinton.

One leading Democrat who has announced he will not attend the convention is John Edwards. The former candidate in this year's presidential campaign recently admitted that he cheated on his wife.

VOICE TWO:
　
The Republican convention is next week at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota

For the Republicans, opening-night speakers next Monday will include President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Also on the list is Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. He was the Democratic vice-presidential nominee with Al Gore²³ in two thousand. Senator Lieberman is now an independent who has been talked about as a possible running mate with John McCain.

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and presidential candidate, will give the keynote speech on Tuesday. Cindy McCain, the candidate's wife, will speak the next night.

So will Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, the nation's first governor whose family comes from India.

John McCain will give his acceptance speech next Thursday on the last night of the convention.

VOICE ONE:

James McCann is a political science professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He says convention speeches are a way to begin the party's general election campaign. If done well, he says, they will present the issues in a way that will help the party gain support between now and the election, on November fourth.

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VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Nancy Steinbach and produced by Caty Weaver²⁴. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. For VOA coverage of the conventions, and for transcripts²⁵ and MP3s of our programs, go to voaspecialenglish.com. And join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

 

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 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》

3 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。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

6 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。

7 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

8 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

9 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

10 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

11 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

14 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。

15 balloting   

v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Clark took a commanding leading in the early balloting. 在最初投票时，克拉克遥遥领先。 来自辞典例句
• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句

16 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。

17 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

18 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。

19 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

20 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

21 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

22 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

23 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。

24 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

25 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句