VOA标准英语2008年-US Presidential Candidates Prepare to Announce

The U.S. presidential campaign is about to intensify¹ in a major way. Presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain are expected to announce their vice² presidential running mates soon, in advance of the national party nominating conventions, which will be held in late August and early September. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has a preview from Washington.
　

Sen. Barack Obama walks to a car after a stop in Saint Paul, Minnesota, 7 Aug 2008

Public opinion polls give Democrat³ Barack Obama a narrow lead over Republican John McCain, so the upcoming conventions are important for both presumptive nominees⁵.

President of the Pew Research Center Andrew Kohut says many voters do not pay much attention to the presidential race until the party conventions.

"This is a very important time because people get to see these candidates up close, and they recognize that it is only a relatively⁶ short run until they have to make a decision," he said. "And for McCain it could be a period of time where he really gets an advantage in terms of coverage⁷ and exposure, which he has not had over the course of this campaign yet."

The Democrats⁸ hold their convention in Denver, Colorado, the last week of August. The Republicans hold theirs the following week in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Both candidates will be looking for a post convention bounce, or boost, in public opinion polls that will carry them into the general-election campaign between September and the election on November 4.

Norman Ornstein, a political scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, expects the presidential race to remain close and says both presumptive nominees have challenges at their respective conventions.

"And it is likely to stay that way because this is an election that in effect is about whether Obama can get over the threshold of acceptability at a time when people want change," he said. "And McCain is not the incumbent⁹, but he is much more closely identified as the status quo."

Both contenders are expected to announce vice presidential running mates before the conventions begin. Neither candidate has given any strong indications as to who his running mate will be.

The four-day political conventions will give both Obama and McCain a chance to re-introduce themselves to the voting public, and to cast their opponent in negative terms.

"There is a truism in American politics, which is that the candidate who is able to define himself and define his opponent first wins the election," said Peter Brown, who does polling on the presidential race for Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. "This is an election that is about Senator Obama, and the question is who will be able to define Senator Obama for these voters we are talking about first and better, Senator Obama or Senator McCain."
　

Sen. John McCain makes a statement to reporters in Wilmington, Ohio, 7 Aug 2008

Senator McCain faces the challenge of putting some political distance between himself and President Bush, who continues to get low public-approval ratings in voter surveys.

But Senator Obama has issues as well. Pollster Andrew Kohut told VOA's Press Conference USA program that Obama is still having difficulty in winning over some supporters of former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

"Hillary Clinton supporters are still not fully¹⁰ onboard with Barack Obama," he said. "Just 72 percent of Clinton supporters say they are going to vote for Obama. Eighty-five or 86 percent of the supporters of McCain's former opponents are with him. So, Obama has not quite closed the deal."

Senator Clinton is getting a prominent speaking role at the Democratic convention, as is her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and Michelle Obama. Senator Obama will formally accept his party's nomination¹¹ at an outdoor football stadium on the fourth night of the convention.

President Bush will speak at the Republican convention in Minnesota, but will do so early in the week so that the focus can shift to the presumptive nominee⁴, Senator McCain and his yet to be chosen running mate.

1 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

2 vice   

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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

8 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》

9 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。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 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。