VOA常速英语2007年-Huckabee Surges Forward in Republican White Hou

By Cindy Saine
Washington
02 November 2007
 

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, little known outside his home state, is running a low-budget, long-shot campaign for the Republican nomination¹ for president. The 52-year-old has become a darling of the media but he is lacking in campaign money. Still, recent public opinion polls show him gaining on his opponents, especially in Iowa.

VOA's Cindy Saine takes a closer look at whether Mike Huckabee could be the breakout Republican candidate to watch.

Mike Huckabee projects optimism and uses self deprecating humor often on the campaign trail. "My luggage is somewhere. I do not know where. And neither does Delta² [Airline]," he recently said on a campaign stop.

He positions himself as the likable underdog [long-shot candidate].

A reporter asked him why he joined the race. He replied, "I could start by saying that I've lost my mind, but that probably wouldn't be the answer that you'd want to print. No, I think America does need positive and optimistic leadership to help restore the national spirit."

Huckabee makes an appeal to social conservatives. He professes³ deeply held religious beliefs, such as abhorrence⁴ of abortion⁵ and gay marriage. But the ordained⁶ Baptist minister defies easy labeling.

Huckabee plays bass⁷ guitar in a rock band.

On the campaign trail, several voters at a diner in Peterborough, New Hampshire say they liked what they saw.

New Hampshire voter Deeann Dubois says, "He's got a lot of good ideas. He's a down to earth guy. He loves dogs. He plays guitar. What more could you ask for?"

New Hampshire voter Bob Demaura added, "He answered questions, stuck to his principles -- good to see in a politician."

Huckabee governed Arkansas, a state in the southern region of the U.S., from 1996 to 2007 as a centrist. He flouted⁸ his Party's anti-tax dogma by raising taxes to pay for a children's health program.

Some analysts⁹ say Huckabee's combination of social conservatism and economic populism could have enormous appeal for white and black working class voters in the South and Midwest.

He often mentions another former Arkansas governor who also comes from a working class family in the small town called Hope. Bill Clinton ran for president and won, twice.

Huckabee has gone through several transformations¹⁰. The first male in his family to graduate from high school and college, he landed in the governor's mansion¹¹. Later, at the urging of his doctor, the governor lost close to 50 kilograms -- transforming himself into a marathon runner.

Now, analysts wonder if the "back of the pack" [one of the candidates ranking lowest in the polls] candidate can become a frontrunner in the Republican race? Several of the latest polls show Huckabee moving into a virtual tie for second place among Republicans in Iowa.

Stuart Rothenberg tracks current political trends as the founder¹² of a prominent national newsletter and says, "Well, I think Huckabee has gotten some traction¹³, as, particularly, conservative Republicans look for a candidate they are entirely¹⁴ comfortable with. None of the top-tier candidates, none of the real frontrunners fit that description. Huckabee may."

Though critics say he has virtually no foreign policy experience, Huckabee takes a tough stand against terrorism, much like other leading Republican candidates. He says, "We cannot completely ever understand the depth of fanaticism¹⁵ that drives Islamofacism, and that's why we must make sure that every American understands that the threat of our freedom is real."

Huckabee told VOA he believes he can beat the odds¹⁶ to win the nomination -- without money or a nationwide campaign organization. "You think about where we started, which was at rock bottom and we've been on a consistent trajectory¹⁷ upward. There are others who started at the top. Very few who started at or near the top are still where they were. And while others are taking on water, or their ships are sinking, our sails are tacked¹⁸ to the wind."

Voters in states with primaries and caucuses¹⁹ in early 2008 will be the first to decide if Mike Huckabee is ready to run the biggest marathon of his life, the race for the White House.

1 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。

2 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

3 professes   

声称( profess的第三人称单数 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉

参考例句：

• She still professes her innocence. 她仍然声称自己无辜。
• He professes himself to be sad but doesn't look it. 他自称感到悲伤，但外表却看不出来。

4 abhorrence   

n.憎恶；可憎恶的事

参考例句：

• This nation has an abhorrence of terrrorism.这个民族憎恶恐怖主义。
• It is an abhorrence to his feeling.这是他深恶痛绝的事。

5 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。

6 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

7 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

8 flouted   

v.藐视，轻视( flout的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• North Vietnam flouted the accords from the day they were signed. 北越从签字那天起就无视协定的存在。 来自辞典例句
• They flouted all our offers of help and friendship. 他们对我们愿意提供的所有帮助和友谊表示藐视。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 transformations   

n.变化( transformation的名词复数 )；转换；转换；变换

参考例句：

• Energy transformations go on constantly, all about us. 在我们周围，能量始终在不停地转换着。 来自辞典例句
• On the average, such transformations balance out. 平均起来，这种转化可以互相抵消。 来自辞典例句

11 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

12 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

13 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。

14 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

15 fanaticism   

n.狂热，盲信

参考例句：

• Your fanaticism followed the girl is wrong. 你对那个女孩的狂热是错误的。
• All of Goebbels's speeches sounded the note of stereotyped fanaticism. 戈培尔的演讲，千篇一律，无非狂热二字。

16 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

17 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

18 tacked   

用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝

参考例句：

• He tacked the sheets of paper on as carefully as possible. 他尽量小心地把纸张钉上去。
• The seamstress tacked the two pieces of cloth. 女裁缝把那两块布粗缝了起来。

19 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