VOA标准英语2008年-Democratic Convention Paints All-American Image

Perhaps the most important goal Democrats¹ have at their presidential nominating convention in the western state of Denver, Colorado is to project an all-American image for their candidate, Barack Obama. The four-night convention will give Democrats an opportunity to introduce Obama to a television audience of at least 20 million people, and they are launching an all-out effort to make Americans comfortable with a candidate who comes from a very unusual background. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details in this report from Denver.
　
Sen. Barack Obama (file)

Democrats hope Barack Obama, a first-term U.S. Senator, will make history as the first African-American president of the United States.

The 47-year-old Obama is the son of a black Kenyan father and a white American mother. He grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia..

His uncommon² life story, coupled with his race and foreign-sounding name, add challenges that are unprecedented³ for a presidential nominee⁴.

Obama has said openly that his biography is not typical of a modern American president, and he has acknowledged that his race will be a burden in winning over some voters.
　
An image of presumptive US Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama appears on a screen above the stage at the Democratic National Convention site in Denver, Colorado, 24 Aug 2008

Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, says the candidate's personal story will be a core message at the convention.

"The son of a single mother, working his way up, and then going back to work in communities that were felled by steel plant closings, we are going to tell that story," he said. "But we are also going to tell the story about what has happened to the country under the policies we have seen under the broken politics of Washington. We are not going to shy away from making a contrast."

So during the Denver convention Obama's wife and numerous speakers will introduce him to the electorate⁵ as a family man with American values.

The candidate will then try to build on that message and try to define the election as a time for change.

"At this defining moment in our history, with our nation at war, our economy in recession, we know that the American people can not afford four more years of the same failed policies and the same old politics in Washington," Obama said.

Professor Robert Dudley is the head of the government and politics department at George Mason University.

He says the two strategic objectives of the convention are to make the American voters comfortable with Obama and clearly tie Republican candidate John McCain with the policies of the Bush administration at home and overseas.

"He needs to demonstrate that he is a person of strength, that the line that he is inexperienced is not applicable to him, and he needs to tie his opponent to the current administration," said Dudley.
　
Hillary Clinton holds shirt supporting Obama (file)

Analysts⁶ say the other critical task the Democrats face here in Denver is to unite their party after the bruising⁷ primary contests between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton.

Clinton is scheduled to address the convention and Professor Dudley of George Mason University says her speech will be critical.

"I think Obama will still have a difficult time with some of the Clinton supporters," he said. "I do not think it will be easy even with Hillary supporting Obama. I think it will be a difficult time for some of her supporters. They may never come around and if they do it still may be late in the campaign before they do."

The Democratic convention will be the first time many Americans will pay attention to the general election campaign, and surveys show the race is very close.

Democrats hope the carefully choreographed⁸ nightly programs will polish Senator Obama's image while giving him a measurable surge, or bounce, in opinion polls when he leaves Denver and focuses on the November election.

1 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》

2 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

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 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 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 bruising   

adj.殊死的；十分激烈的v.擦伤(bruise的现在分词形式)

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• He slipped and fell, badly bruising an elbow. 他滑倒了，一只胳膊肘严重擦伤。 来自辞典例句

8 choreographed   

v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• There was some carefully choreographed flag-waving as the President drove by. 总统的车经过时，人们按精心编排的动作挥舞着旗帜。
• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself. 阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。 来自辞典例句