VOA常速英语2007年-Clinton Counters Attacks by Democratic Presiden

By Jim Malone
Washington
16 November 2007

The leading Democratic presidential contender, Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, is getting more aggressive in countering attacks from her rivals for the party nomination¹.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more on the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign from Washington.

In the latest Democratic debate broadcast by CNN, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois said voters want straight answers to tough questions, something he said Hillary Clinton has failed to do.

Another rival, former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, said Democrats² looking for a candidate to bring change to Washington should not consider Senator Clinton.

"She says she will bring change while she continues to defend a system that does not work, that is rigged and is corrupt," he said.

But this time, Clinton fired back.  She questioned Obama's proposal for health care reform and accused Edwards of mounting the type of attack that Republicans have employed against her.

"We are Democrats, and we are trying to nominate the very best person we can to win, and I do not mind taking hits on my record and issues, but when somebody starts throwing mud, at least we can hope it is accurate and not right out of the Republican playbook," she said.

But her Democratic challengers are not backing away from a more confrontational³ approach to Clinton, who continues to lead the national polls in the race for the party's nomination.

Obama had this response to Clinton when she criticized his reform plan for the Social Security pension system.

"This is the kind of thing I would expect from Mitt⁴ Romney or Rudy Giuliani, where we start playing with numbers in order to try to make a point," he said.

Political analysts⁵ expect the clashes among Democrats to become even more intense as the party primaries draw near.  Iowa will begin the presidential selection process January 3 for both major parties, and at the moment Clinton, Obama and Edwards are engaged in a tight three-way battle among the Democrats.

Larry Sabato directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

"This is now a real race, and that is why this debate, I think, is not going to have any major impact long term.  I think it is a real race in Iowa," he noted⁶.

Most experts continue to regard Clinton as the clear frontrunner for the Democratic Party nomination.  They also believe the best chance for her rivals to stop her may be with an early upset victory in Iowa.

Steffen Schmidt is a professor of political science at Iowa State University.

Schmidt says voters there are debating whether Hillary Clinton would be the strongest Democratic candidate in next year's election.

"Her negatives are very high, and so even though she is doing incredibly well, a lot of Democrats are saying, yes, but can she beat a Republican?  And so in Iowa, if there is any doubt about her invincibility⁷, it will at least allow for another discussion among Democrats before they go and vote in the primaries about this," he explained.

While the Democratic race seems to be getting more attention of late, there is also a furious battle underway for the Republican Party's presidential nomination.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani continues to hold a lead in national polls.  But former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leads among Republican voters in the early contest states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

1 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。

2 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》

3 confrontational   

adj.挑衅的；对抗的

参考例句：

• Fans love rappers partly because they strike such a confrontational pose. 乐迷热爱这些饶舌艺人一定程度上是因为他们所采取的那种战斗姿态。 来自互联网
• You prefer a non confrontational approach when it comes to resolving disputes. 面对争端，你不喜欢采用对抗性的手段来解决。 来自互联网

4 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

5 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。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 invincibility   

n.无敌，绝对不败

参考例句：

• The myth of his and Nazi invincibility had been completely destroyed. 过去他本人之神奇传说，以及纳粹之不败言论，至此乃完全破灭。 来自辞典例句
• Our image of invincibility evaporated. 我们战无不胜的形象化为泡影了。 来自辞典例句