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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
WASHINGTON — It is a scene playing out across America as the crucial Nov. 6 congressional elections edge closer – biting attack ads portraying1 Republican incumbent2 politicians as unworthy of re-election.
With upbeat background music, the announcer on the Democratic-financed digital ad tells voters in the heartland of America that GOP Congressman4 Andy Barr accepted more than $2 million in campaign donations from special interests and voted for “the disastrous5 health care plan” advanced by Republicans that senior citizen advocates contend will cost retirees more than that paid by younger people.
“Barr gets the cash, you pay the price,” concludes the ad aimed at voters in the 6th congressional district in the Mid-South state of Kentucky. “There’s no escaping it. Politicians like Andy Barr are what’s wrong with Washington.”
The ad is sponsored by a political action committee (PAC) campaigning for a Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives, which is now controlled by Republicans like Barr, but without mentioning his Democratic opponent, first-time congressional candidate Amy McGrath.
At 43, McGrath is a retired6 F-18 fighter jet pilot who was the first woman to fly Marine7 Corps8 combat missions over Afghanistan and Iraq, 89 of them.
Barr, a 45-year-old three-term lawmaker who has nearly 97 percent of the time voted for measures supported by President Donald Trump9, handily won his last two elections, in 2014 and 2016.
Toss-up races
But political analysts11 say the Barr-McGrath contest is a toss-up, one of perhaps 80 out of the 435 House elections throughout the U.S. that will determine whether Democrats12 can pick up the 23 seats they need to take control of the chamber13.
The Democratic political action committee ad was designed to soften14 up Barr for McGrath’s own attacks and campaign advertising15.
The New York Times recently surveyed voters on the Barr-McGrath contest, with the poll giving Barr a narrow edge over McGrath, 47 percent to 46 percent, with 7 percent of voters undecided.
A Democratic conquest of the House this fall could pose significant problems for Trump in the last two years of his first term, with Democrats likely to call for widespread investigations17 of his administration’s actions and possibly embark18 on impeachment19 hearings over alleged20 links between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, and interference with special counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal investigation16.
Many Democratic challengers are attacking Republican incumbents21 on two key issues – their support for repealing23 national health care policies that have proved popular, and cutting taxes that Democrats say mostly benefit the country‘s corporations and wealthiest taxpayers24 at the expense of the middle class. Barr supported the health care repeal22 and the tax cuts.
But there is little doubt that voter attitudes about Trump loom25 large over the midterm elections, and that the congressional contests are tantamount to a referendum on the president's performance and controversies26 swirling27 around him and his administration.
GOP votes
Republicans failed numerous times during the first months of Trump’s presidency28 to repeal the 2010 national health policies championed by former President Barack Obama, Trump’s Democratic predecessor29. Republican lawmakers, when running for Congress two years ago, often said their first mission when they held majorities in both chambers30 of Congress would be to repeal and replace the law popularly known as Obamacare.
But in the end, Republicans could never amass31 a majority bloc32 of votes on just what would replace it, especially in the face of virtually unanimous opposition33 from Democrats who want to keep the law.
Trump, through executive orders, has chipped away at some of the law’s provisions, and Congress eliminated a provision requiring that virtually all Americans buy health insurance or pay a fine.
But now, national surveys show the law remains34 popular and Democratic candidates like McGrath are attacking their opponents for trying to repeal it.
Somewhat the same scenario35 is playing out on taxes. Trump-supported tax cuts were approved by Congress in late 2017 without a single Democratic vote. With the cuts, workers across the U.S., for the most part, have seen bigger take-home paychecks since February.
But as the elections approach, Democrats continue to contend that the tax changes overwhelmingly help the richest Americans and are hammering Republican incumbents for approving the tax cut legislation.
Democrats torn
Even as the race for control of Congress unfolds, some Democrats are engaged in a debate among themselves about the best way to present themselves to the American electorate36. Progressive members are offering plans calling for more government financing for health care, college education and infrastructure37 construction, while mainstream38 party members are suggesting more incremental39 changes.
In some urban, liberal strongholds, the progressives’ views could prove decisive in House elections, but their positions have yet to gain widespread national prominence40.
It is an intraparty fight that stems from the insurgent41 2016 presidential candidacy of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist42 who eventually lost the Democratic presidential nomination43 to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom Trump in turn defeated.
The progressives have had mixed results in party primary nominating elections, winning some contests, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York and Ayanna Pressley in Massachusetts, but losing others to candidates with more conventional views.
The progressives are calling not just for preservation44 of Obamacare, but a government takeover of health care, or Medicare for All as they call it, to replace the traditional mix of private and government-run care in the U.S.
As border immigration disputes dominated the airwaves in the U.S. in recent months, some liberal Democrats also advocated shutting down the country’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, but the idea quickly seemed to fade.
Republicans are not without political ammunition45 in trying to defend their majorities in Congress, as they point to strong economic growth in the U.S. that has occurred during Trump’s tenure46 and low unemployment.
Political analyst10 Larry Sabato, head of the nonpartisan Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said Republicans need to emphasize “the good economy, the good economy and the good economy. Republicans have to show concretely how the good economy, despite the trade war, is helping47 each district or state.”
Democratic agenda
But Republicans are also arguing that Democratic control in Congress would upend Trump’s conservative proposals.
As Barr's re-election campaign started in earnest, he said on Twitter, “My opponent is a radical48 progressive who will serve as a rubber stamp for the Democrats' agenda. Simply put, she's too liberal for Kentucky.”
In an ad, Barr, trying to frame McGrath as out of touch with the conservative voters in the congressional district, presents a collection of stark49 black-and-white video clips of his opponent.
“Who is Amy McGrath?” the Barr ad asks.
“Hell yeah, I’m a feminist,” McGrath says. “I consider myself a progressive. I am pro-choice. I voted for Barack Obama." The ad notes she also voted for Democrat3 Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, whom Trump soundly defeated in the 6th congressional district en route to winning the White House.
McGrath called Trump’s proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to thwart50 illegal immigration “absolutely stupid.”
“Amy McGrath: Too liberal for Kentucky,” the ad concluded.
The Democratic challenger immediately retorted: “When you can't run on your record, this is all you got. I sat on a runway on Sept. 11 with missiles strapped51 to my F-18 awaiting (presidential) orders to shoot down civilian52 aircraft to defend our homeland. What sacrifice have you ever made for our country over your party?”
Trump's name
While the back-and-forth political claims of Barr and McGrath may be standard political fare in the U.S., independent political analysts think that in many congressional districts, such as Kentucky’s 6th and in the one-third of U.S. states where Senate races are being contested, there is an even bigger issue in the 2018 elections.
The question is whether Republican voters that national polls show overwhelmingly support Trump’s White House performance turn out to vote in sufficient numbers across the country to keep Republicans in control of Congress. Or will Democratic opposition to all things Trump – his political stances, his rants53 on Twitter, his unpredictable relations with world leaders -- and their apparent zeal54 to rebuke55 him turn the electoral tide against the U.S. leader?
Throughout recent weeks, national polls have shown Democrats with a more than 8 percentage-point edge in the generic56 congressional balloting57 against Republicans in House contests.
Political analyst Sabato thinks Democrats have a slightly better than 50-50 chance of taking control of the House while saying that Republicans remain the favorites to retain their slim 51-49 majority in the Senate.
Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta, also says Democrats “have a good chance of taking over the House,” possibly picking up 30 to 40 seats, while it is “certainly a longer shot” to claim Senate control.
Abramowitz said U.S. midterm elections “are becoming more nationalized” and “what we’re seeing is Trump is going to be the big issue. Democrats would very much like this to be nationalized.”
收听单词发音 |
1
portraying
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| v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
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incumbent
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| adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的 | |
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democrat
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员 | |
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Congressman
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| n.（美）国会议员 | |
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disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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trump
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| n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭 | |
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analyst
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| n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家 | |
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analysts
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| 分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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democrats
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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impeachment
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| n.弹劾；控告；怀疑 | |
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alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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incumbents
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| 教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 )； 教会中的任职者 | |
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repeal
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| n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消 | |
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repealing
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| 撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 ) | |
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taxpayers
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| 纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 ) | |
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loom
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| n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近 | |
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controversies
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| 争论 | |
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swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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presidency
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| n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期) | |
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predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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amass
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| vt.积累，积聚 | |
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bloc
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| n.集团；联盟 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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scenario
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| n.剧本，脚本；概要 | |
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electorate
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| n.全体选民；选区 | |
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infrastructure
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| n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施 | |
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mainstream
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| n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的 | |
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incremental
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| adj.增加的 | |
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prominence
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| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
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insurgent
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| adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子 | |
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socialist
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| n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的 | |
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nomination
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| n.提名，任命，提名权 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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tenure
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| n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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51
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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rants
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| n.夸夸其谈( rant的名词复数 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨v.夸夸其谈( rant的第三人称单数 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨 | |
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54
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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55
rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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56
generic
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| adj.一般的，普通的，共有的 | |
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balloting
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| v.（使）投票表决( ballot的现在分词 ) | |
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