VOA标准英语2010年-Obama: Campaign Finance Ruling 'A Powe

President Barack Obama says Thursday's U.S. Supreme¹ Court ruling on campaign finance will damage the country's democracy and his domestic agenda.  The president says he will respond with legislation.

The Supreme Court voted 5-to-4 Thursday to strike down decades-old limits on corporate² and labor³ union spending in U.S. political campaigns.  The ruling overturns a longstanding decision that the government could bar corporations and unions from using money from their treasuries⁴ to pay for campaign ads.

The court's majority opinion says the old law violated constitutional free-speech rights.

President Obama, in his weekly radio and Internet address, is sharply criticizing the ruling, calling it devastating⁵ to the public interest.

"This ruling opens the floodgates for an unlimited⁶ amount of special interest money into our democracy," he said.  "It gives the special interest lobbyists new leverage⁷ to spend millions on advertising⁸ to persuade elected officials to vote their way, or to punish those who do not."

Mr. Obama says the ruling is a powerful blow to his administration's efforts to rein⁹ in corporate influence, and will further hinder his efforts to reform the U.S. health care system.

"It will make it more difficult to pass common-sense laws to promote energy independence because even foreign entities¹⁰ would be allowed to mix in our elections," he added.  "It would give the health insurance industry even more leverage to fend¹¹ off reforms that would protect patients."

The president says he will prepare legislation to blunt the effects of the high court ruling.

"When this ruling came down, I instructed my administration to get to work immediately with members of Congress willing to fight for the American people to develop a forceful, bipartisan response to this decision," he said.  "We have begun that work, and it will be a priority for us until we repair the damage that has been done."

The Supreme Court decision was Mr. Obama's second political setback¹² of the week.  On Tuesday, voters in the Northeastern state of Massachusetts elected a Republican, Scott Brown, to fill a Senate seat which Democrats¹³ had held for decades.  The loss is seen as a serious blow to the president's health care reform effort.

In the Republican Party's weekly message, House of Representatives Minority Leader John Boehner says Mr. Obama's focus on health reform is making the nation's 10 percent unemployment rate worse.

"My home state of Ohio has endured nine straight months of double-digit unemployment, and for the better part of those nine months, Democrats in Washington have been focused on this government takeover of health care that working families just cannot afford and want nothing to do with," he said.

Boehner says with the president's health care initiative in danger, Democrats on Capitol Hill will probably make crooked¹⁴ deals and buy votes.
 

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 treasuries   

n.（政府的）财政部( treasury的名词复数 )；国库，金库

参考例句：

• Yields on Treasuries, Bunds and gilts can remain at historically low levels. 美国国债、德国国债和英国国债的收益率仍然可以维持在历史低位。 来自互联网
• Treasuries and gold rose in response but the dollar fell sharply. 接着，国债和黄金的价格上涨，而美元价格则猛跌。 来自互联网

5 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

6 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

7 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

8 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

9 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

10 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

11 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

12 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

13 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》

14 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。