VOA标准英语10月-Barack Obama Breaks Fundraising Records

Barack Obama's presidential campaign raised a record of $150 million in September, giving him a significant cash advantage over his opponent John McCain. The Democratic nominee¹ is using his treasure chest to purchase television and radio ads in closely contested states, and also in traditional Republican strongholds such as Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia and even West Virginia. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine takes a look at the role money plays in the U.S. presidential campaign.
　

Barack Obama exits campaign plane in Tampa, Florida, 20 Oct 2008

Barack Obama became the first major party candidate not to join the public financing system for the general election campaign, backing away from an earlier pledge that he would do so. This frees the Democratic candidate to raise an unlimited² amount from private donations.

Republican candidate John McCain chose to take public funds, and is now limited to spending the $84 million he received from the public financing system during the final two months of the campaign.

The Obama campaign has raised an unprecedented³ total of more than $600 million during the campaign, almost equaling the combined amount both major candidates, George Bush and John Kerry, raised in the 2004 presidential election.

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Senator McCain said this kind of runaway⁴ campaign spending is cause for concern.
　

Sen. John McCain gestures at a rally in Woodbridge, Virginia.,18 Oct. 2008

"But what I worry about is future elections too. Not only mine, I worry most about mine at the moment, but what is going to happen the next time around?" McCain noted⁵. "Four years from now, what is going to happen? Particularly if you have got an incumbent⁶ president and we no longer stick to the public financing, which was a result of the Watergate scandal."

McCain also criticized Obama for not living up to his pledge to accept public funds.

The Obama campaign argues that it has developed what amounts to a parallel financing system of its own, with more than three-million individual donors⁷ contributing to his campaign, many of them donating small sums over the Internet. The campaign says the average donation for September was less than $100.

Obama's financial advantage is making it possible for him to drown McCain's message in a flood of TV, web and radio ads. Obama is even advertising⁸ in video games.

Evan Tracey is president of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, a private firm that provides political advertising information to its clients. Tracey said he has never seen anything like Obama's success and corresponding dominance of the airwaves.

"For the casual viewer, for the person who is just kind of tuning⁹ into this race knowing that they are going to be voting in a couple of weeks, all they are seeing in a lot of these battleground states are Obama ads on TV, all they are hearing are Obama ads on radio," Tracey noted. "It just really gives Obama the advantage of somewhat blanketing the paid media, the advertising aspect of this race, and it just makes it that much harder for Senator McCain to have a message that is able to cut through."

One of John McCain's television ads questions "Who is Barack Obama?", and uses it to counter some of Obama's ads against him.

A recent Obama TV ad says McCain is attacking him to distract voters' attention away from the economic crisis.

The candidates also use their campaign money to open offices in hotly contested states and to conduct grassroots voter registration¹⁰ and voter turnout efforts with paid field workers. Obama has also purchased 30 minutes of prime time on network television to address American voters in the week before the election.

1 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。

2 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

3 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

4 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 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。

7 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

9 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？