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VOA常速英语2008年-Superdelegates May Be Key in US Democratic Pres

时间:2008-02-25 02:46来源:互联网 提供网友:ERICGYK   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)
By Jim Malone
Washington
20 February 2008

Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are headed for a showdown March 4 in primaries in Texas and Ohio. Those primaries could go a long way toward deciding who will be the Democratic Party's nominee2 for president. But as VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington, some Democrats3 believe that so-called superdelegates could eventually play a major role in deciding who wins the party's nomination4.

If the tight Democratic presidential race continues over the next two months, it is possible that neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton will secure the nomination before the party convention.

Under Democratic Party rules it takes 2,025 delegates to clinch5 the nomination. At the moment, Obama has a modest lead over Clinton, but it is possible that by the end of the primary season in June, neither candidate will have won enough delegates to claim the nomination outright6.

Eighty percent of the delegates in the Democratic Party are chosen through the primary and caucus7 process in which candidates are allocated8 delegates based on their performance in the popular vote in a given contest.

But about 800 delegates, or 20 percent of the total, are so-called superdelegates. Superdelegates are Democrats elected to public office like governors, senators or member of Congress, as well as senior party activists9.

"Those are positions held open for party leaders and elected officials of that party," said Stephen Wayne, a professor of government at Georgetown University in Washington. "Unlike the regular delegates who are elected by the people and pledged to support a certain candidate, the superdelegates are unpledged."

Although some superdelegates have already committed to either Clinton or Obama, most remain uncommitted and have become the subject of intense political pressure from both campaigns.

Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland is an uncommitted superdelegate. Cardin told MSNBC television that he has yet to decide which candidate he will support for the Democratic nomination.

"It is very exciting, two great candidates," he said. "I think either one would be a great president. I get interest from the different candidates. I also get interest from people in Maryland as to whom I support. And I tell them, look, we have a great choice, two good people running, and I am going to be very comfortable whoever our nominee is."

Democrats established the idea of superdelegates in the early 1980s, following the landslide10 loss by President Jimmy Carter to Republican Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election.

Party leaders wanted to bring longtime activists and elected officials back into the nominating process after they were marginalized by reforms in the 1970s that stripped the nominating power from party bosses.

Tad Devine, a longtime Democratic strategist not affiliated11 with either the Clinton or Obama campaigns, says a special Democratic Party commission formally proposed the idea of superdelegates in the early 1980s.

"That commission introduced the concept of superdelegates, so that we would have elected officials more broadly represented at the convention," he said. "Not many of them came to the 1980 convention. They did not want to have to pick between an incumbent12 president and a popular figure within their party, so a lot of them stayed away. Party leaders realized that this was hurting the chances of a nominee."

Superdelegates were created so that senior party members and veteran Democratic office-holders would have a role in the nominating process and act for the good of the party as a whole, and not necessarily for a specific candidate.

Given the tight race between Clinton and Obama, political analyst13 Stuart Rothenberg says they may have a role to play in swinging the nomination one way or the other, either before or during this year's Democratic nominating convention in Colorado in late August.

"Superdelegates could play the role," said Rothenberg. "Now superdelegates have preferences, but they also have another role, and that would be to pick the strongest nominee and to make sure things run smoothly14."

Superdelegates can wait until the Democratic national convention in late August before committing to a candidate. But many experts believe most of them will make their choice long before that to avoid the possibility of a divisive party convention.

Some Democrats are already warning against the idea of the superdelegates playing a decisive role in the nomination fight, especially if they pick the candidate who is trailing in the delegate count or popular vote from the various primaries and caucuses15.

Democrat1 Douglas Wilder, the mayor of Richmond, Virginia, and the first African-American to have served as governor of that state, supports Barack Obama for president and told the CBS television program Face the Nation that the superdelegates should remain on the sidelines for now.

"If the superdelegates intervene and get in the way of it and say, oh no, we are going to determine what is best, there will be chaos16 at the convention," he said. "It does nothing to help the Democrats."

Barack Obama has won 10 straight nominating contests in his battle with Hillary Clinton, and many experts predict that Democratic Party leaders will be reluctant to hand the nomination to a candidate trailing in both the delegate count and the popular vote.

"I cannot imagine that the Democrats, psychologically, could overturn the popular vote," said Larry Sabato, who directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "So, that is a big plus for Obama."

Democratic superdelegates did make a difference in the 1984 nomination battle between former vice17 president Walter Mondale and then senator Gary Hart. The superdelegates swung their support to Mondale at the national convention and helped to defeat Hart, even though Hart had beaten Mondale in several state primaries and caucuses earlier in the year.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 democrat Xmkzf     
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 nominee FHLxv     
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。
3 democrats 655beefefdcaf76097d489a3ff245f76     
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》
4 nomination BHMxw     
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。
5 clinch 4q5zc     
v.敲弯,钉牢;确定;扭住对方 [参]clench
参考例句:
  • Clinch the boards together.用钉子把木板钉牢在一起。
  • We don't accept us dollars,please Swiss francs to clinch a deal business.我方不收美元,请最好用瑞士法郎来成交生意。
6 outright Qj7yY     
adv.坦率地;彻底地;立即;adj.无疑的;彻底的
参考例句:
  • If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事,你应该直率地对我说。
  • You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。
7 caucus Nrozd     
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。
8 allocated 01868918c8cec5bc8773e98ae11a0f54     
adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
  • More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。
9 activists 90fd83cc3f53a40df93866d9c91bcca4     
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》
10 landslide XxyyG     
n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票;一面倒的胜利
参考例句:
  • Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
  • An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。
11 affiliated 78057fb733c9c93ffbdc5f0ed15ef458     
adj. 附属的, 有关连的
参考例句:
  • The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
  • All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。
12 incumbent wbmzy     
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。
13 analyst gw7zn     
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。
14 smoothly iiUzLG     
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地
参考例句:
  • The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作,所以工作进展顺利。
  • Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。
15 caucuses d49ca95184fa2aef8e2ee3b613a6f7dd     
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
16 chaos 7bZyz     
n.混乱,无秩序
参考例句:
  • After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后,城市一片混乱。
  • The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。
17 vice NU0zQ     
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。
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