VOA标准英语2012--Vice Presidential Picks Part of US Election Strategies
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(八月)
Vice 1 Presidential Picks Part of US Election Strategies
“I have selected this man to be my running mate because I want to change Washington and get America back on track,” said 2012 Republican Presidential contender Mitt 2 Romney, unveiling his choice for vice president, Wisconsin Congressman 3 Paul Ryan.
Together, they form what’s called “the November election ticket.”
Selecting the right running mate
U.S. voters mark their November election ballots 4 for two people running together on a political party's White House ticket: one for president, the other, for vice president. Tradition holds that the presidential candidate chooses his own running mate.
So, what's the value of the vice presidential candidate?
"It's to boost election chances, where even a small advantage you might get could translate into a lot of electoral votes," said George Mason University's Robert Dudley.
Along with having voter appeal, the vice president also needs to know well the levers of power in the federal government. That is because most presidential candidates in recent decades have not been Washington “insiders.”
In 1980, Republican outsider Ronald Reagan chose a very experienced Washingtonian, former ambassador and CIA Director George Herbert Walker Bush, as his vice president.
In 1992, Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton chose insider Senator Al Gore 6.
Eight years later, Republican Texas Governor George W. Bush picked former Defense 7 Secretary Dick Cheney.
In 2008, a relatively 8 new-to-Washington Senator Barack Obama selected a seasoned Washington veteran, Senator Joe Biden. Obama and Biden remain the Democratic Party's White House ticket in 2012.
Attracting new demographics
The vice presidential slot has also been used to bridge generations, or to transition between them. When the senior George Bush ran for the White House in 1988, he chose a much younger Senator Dan Quayle as his running mate to appeal to the so-called "baby boom" generation born after the end of World War II. Both Clinton and Gore, incidentally, were baby boomers.
The 1984 Democratic team of Senator Walter Mondale and Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro marked the first time a major party had ever nominated a woman.
In 2008, Republicans chose their first female V.P. candidate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Once the election is over, the new vice president’s official duty is to ceremonially preside over the Senate and cast a tie-breaking vote when needed. The vice president also needs to be ready to assume the presidency 9 should death or some other reason vacate the Oval Office.
- He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
- They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
- 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。
- He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
- The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。
- They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.他没有经营农场的专业知识。
- I don't have much know-how about engines.发动机方面的技术知识我知之甚少。
- The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
- Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。
- The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
- The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
- The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
- The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
- Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
- Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。