voa标准英语2008年-Election Triggers Leadership Changes in US Cong

The U.S. election is triggering changes in party leadership posts in the U.S. Congress. Viewing the scene in the House of Representatives, VOA's Dan Robinson reports that Republicans are jockeying for positions, while the House Democratic hierarchy¹ will undergo a major change after Illinois Representative and House Democratic Caucus² Chairman Rahm Emanuel agreed to become chief of staff for President-elect Barack Obama.
　

Rahm Emanuel (file photo)

Congressman³ Emanuel's acceptance of President-elect Obama's offer to become chief of staff means the fourth highest position in the Democratic leadership will be open.

Like Mr. Obama, Emanuel is from Illinois and has been a close friend of the president-elect, who weighed personal considerations before accepting the job. His Illinois congressional seat will be subject to a special election.

A top policy adviser⁴ to former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, Emanuel is a tough political operator and was a chief architect of electoral victories in 2006 that put Democrats⁵ in the majority in the House.

Strengthened by election wins that widened Democratic majority control, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will retain their posts in the new 111th Congress.

For Republicans, losses in two straight election cycles have sparked a wave of internal criticism, and suggestions that fresh leadership is required.

Thomas Mann from the Brookings Institution says Republicans may be facing a long period in the minority.

"They have had two rough elections in a row and could end up having a third or fourth before they get themselves straightened out," he said.

In other developments, Missouri Representative Roy Blunt, the House Minority Whip [responsible for generating Republican votes] announced he will relinquish⁶ the post.

Blunt endorsed⁷ as his replacement⁸ his deputy, Virginia Representative Eric Cantor, who has played an increasingly prominent role as a strong conservative spokesman for Republicans.

While House Minority Leader John Boehner is expected to keep his post, there have been suggestions that a change in the top House Republican position should also be considered in the wake of Republican election losses.

A contest is underway for the number three House minority post after Florida Representative Adam Putnam announced he would step down as Chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Two of the strongest conservative voices in the House, Jeb Hensarling of Texas and Indiana's Mike Pence, were among those reported competing for that post.

Political analyst⁹ Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute says this and other developments point to a shift to the political right in the House of Representatives.

"It's a very strong group of ardently¹⁰ free-market, strongly socially conservative people who are probably going to be reflected at other levels of the leadership as well," he said.

Also facing challenges are National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole, who faced criticism over weak Republican fund raising, and Representative Thaddeus McCotter, for chairmanship of Republican Policy Committee.

The coming weeks will bring other changes in the House as jockeying occurs among majority Democrats for chairmanships of key congressional committees, and among Republicans for the ranking minority slots on various panels.

Analyst Norman Ornstein says one of these potential changes, in which Oversight¹¹ and Government Reform Committee Chairman Congressman Henry Waxman is reported to be challenging veteran House lawmaker John Dingell to lead the House Energy and Commerce panel, could prove politically divisive for majority Democrats.

1 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

2 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。

3 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。

4 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

5 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》

6 relinquish   

v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手

参考例句：

• He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放弃公司的掌控权。
• They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他们绝对不会自动放弃独立。

7 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 ardently   

adv.热心地，热烈地

参考例句：

• The preacher is disserveing the very religion in which he ardently believe. 那传教士在损害他所热烈信奉的宗教。 来自辞典例句
• However ardently they love, however intimate their union, they are never one. 无论他们的相爱多么热烈，无论他们的关系多么亲密，他们决不可能合而为一。 来自辞典例句

11 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。