VOA标准英语2012--Obama Begins Re-Election Campaign

Obama Begins Re-Election Campaign

Mr. Obama’s first campaign rally was at Ohio State University in Columbus. He urged those who supported him four years ago to do so again. “We will finish what we started. We are still fired up. We are still ready to go," he said.

Next, a similar rally at Virginia Commonwealth¹ University in Richmond.

Ohio and Virginia are two of the states where analysts² believe this year’s election may be decided³.

The U.S. economy could be the deciding issue, especially in manufacturing-heavy states like Ohio, where the president defended his record. “Exports surged. And over four million jobs were created in the last two years, more of one million of those in the last six months alone," he said. 

Mr. Obama repeatedly accused his likely Republican opponent, Mitt⁴ Romney, of favoring policies that benefit the rich and hurt the middle class. “Republicans in Congress have found a nominee⁵ for president who has promised to rubber-stamp (endorse entirely) this agenda if he gets the chance," he said. 

Romney says the president is to blame for the sluggish⁶ economic recovery. The former Massachusetts governor says the Obama administration is over-regulating business and hampering⁷ efforts to turn the economy around.

He has also been sharply critical of Mr. Obama’s 2010 health care law.

At a campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday, Romney said the program must be repealed⁸. “First of all, I would take away one of the things that frightens entrepreneurs and innovators and businesses of all kinds from hiring. I will get rid of Obamacare," he said. 

The president defended his policy and accused Romney of wanting to move the country backward. “America does not need to re-fight the battles we just had over Wall Street reform and health care reform," he said. 

The Obama campaign slogan is “Forward,” and the president portrayed⁹ himself as someone who understands the struggles of middle-class Americans.

In Columbus, Michelle Obama introduced her husband, as she is expected to do frequently during the campaign. Polls show that the First Lady is more popular than the president. “I will admit, I am a little biased¹⁰, because I think our president is awesome," she said. 

The two rallies on college campuses Saturday are expected to be the first of many for the Obama campaign.

Young voters were an essential part of the coalition¹¹ that helped elect Mr. Obama in 2008, and he will need their help again this year.

1 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

2 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。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

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 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。

6 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

7 hampering   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• So fraud on cows and development aid is seriously hampering growth. 因此在牛问题上和发展补助上的诈骗严重阻碍了发展。
• Short-termism, carbon-trading, disputing the science-are hampering the implementation of direct economically-led objectives. 短效主义，出售二氧化碳，进行科学辩论，这些都不利于实现以经济为主导的直接目标。

8 repealed   

撤销，废除( repeal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Labour Party repealed the Act. 工党废除了那项法令。
• The legislature repealed the unpopular Rent Act. 立法机关废除了不得人心的租借法案。

9 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

11 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。