VOA标准英语10月-Tone of US Presidential Race Continues to Sharpen

The tone of the rhetoric¹ in the U.S. presidential campaign is sharpening with less than a week to go until Election Day. Democrat² Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are focused on the economy and each other in the final days of the campaign, as we hear from VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone in Washington.
　

Sen. John McCain makes a statement after participating in a National Security Roundtable at The University of Tampa in Florida, 29 Oct 2008

Senator McCain is focused on winning several states that usually back Republican presidential candidates.

"And we need to win Florida. On November 4th, we've got to win the state of Florida, my friends," said McCain.

President Bush carried Florida in both of his election victories. But the latest public opinion polls give Senator Obama a narrow lead over McCain.

McCain now spends much of his time attacking Obama's tax plan, which would phase out the Bush tax cuts for upper income Americans.

McCain says Obama's real objective is redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor.

"This is the fundamental difference between Senator Obama and me. He thinks taxes are too low and I think that spending is too high," he said.

On Wednesday, Barack Obama campaigned in North Carolina, a state that last supported a Democratic presidential candidate in 1976.

"Six days," said Obama. "After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of failed policies from George Bush, and 21 months of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are six days away from changing America!"

Some political experts believe that McCain's attacks on Obama's tax plan may be narrowing Obama's lead in the polls.
　

Senator Obama as seen in TV campaign ad, 29 oct 2008

Obama is urging supporters not to be overconfident in the closing days of the campaign. He is also giving a sharper response to McCain's attacks.

"Lately, he's called me a socialist," said Obama. "I don't know what's next. By the end of the week, he will be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten."

The latest national public opinion surveys put Obama ahead of McCain by an average of six points, down slightly from earlier in the week. But new polls give Obama a significant lead in key states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Colorado. Obama is also slightly ahead or tied in normally strong Republican states like Florida and North Carolina.

The presidential race is decided³ by a state-by-state tally⁴ of electoral votes. The winning candidate must win at least 270 electoral votes out of a total of 538.

Some Republicans have adopted a gloomy outlook as they look ahead to Election Night next Tuesday.

Scot Faulkner worked for former President Ronald Reagan and for former Republican House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich.

"It is going to be a rough night," he said. "Right now, the polls are tightening⁵. But clearly, McCain is behind. Clearly, most Republican incumbents⁶ in the Senate that are in vulnerable seats are also trailing. A lot of Republicans in the House [of Representatives] are in vulnerable positions as well. So unless some major changes happen in terms of voter turnout or in terms of a further tightening of the race, it is going to be a long night for Republicans."

Republicans are bracing⁷ for possible losses in both the Senate and House in Tuesday's national elections.

1 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

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 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。

4 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

5 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

6 incumbents   

教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 )； 教会中的任职者

参考例句：

• In general, incumbents have a 94 percent chance of being reelected. 通常现任官员有94%的几率会再次当选。
• This arangement yields a wonderful gain to incumbents. 这种安排为在职人员提供了意外的得益。

7 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。