VOICE ONE:
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA. I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Faith Lapidus. Our subject this week is American politics. National
elections are one week away.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
The United States holds national elections every two years. This year,
Election Day is Tuesday, November 7. Americans will vote in local, state and
congressional elections.
Voters will choose all 435 members of the House of Representatives.
Voters will also choose 33 of the 100 senators.
Each state has two senators and at least one representative -- the number
depends on the population of each state. House members serve two-year terms. A
Senate term is six years.
But these are called midterm
elections because they come halfway through the president's
term. Midterm elections are often seen as a measure of how Americans feel about
the policies of the president and Congress.
The Constitution limits presidents to two terms. President Bush, a
Republican, won a second four-year term in 2004.
VOICE TWO:
The Republican Party has controlled the House since the elections of 1994.
Republicans have also led the Senate since that time, except for a period
between 2001 and 2002.
The party of the president generally loses some seats in Congress in midterm
elections. But this year the opposition Democrats hope to gain enough seats to
win back the House and possibly also the Senate. Yet, as hopeful as the
Democrats might be, something else is also true. Once elected to Congress,
lawmakers usually get re-elected again and again.
The Democrats need to gain 15 seats to retake control of the House. In
the Senate, they would need to capture six of the 15 seats on the ballot
that are now held by Republicans. At the same time, the Democrats would have to
keep all eighteen seats that their own party will be defending on Election Day.
VOICE ONE:
Opinion studies show that two issues are helping the Democrats build support:
unhappiness with the Iraq war and the economy. In some cases, the same is also
true of another issue: the handling of the war on terrorism.
The war on terror is a top campaign issue for Republican candidates. And
political commentators say the economy is in better condition than many people
are giving the Republicans credit for.
VOICE TWO:
In recent weeks there has been much discussion of the Mark Foley issue. Mr.
Foley was a Republican representative from the southeastern state of Florida. He
resigned from Congress on September 29. His resignation followed news that he
sent sexual messages by e-mail and instant messaging to teenage boys.
The young men had been chosen as pages. Pages are high school students who
act as messengers and helpers for members of Congress. The Justice Department,
the House ethics committee and Florida officials have all opened investigations.
VOICE ONE:
The Republican Party is known for its defense of traditional family values.
But there are disputed accusations that Republican leaders knew about Mark
Foley's actions for some time and did not do enough to stop them.
Some opinion studies have suggested that this issue might not have much
effect on many voters. But there is talk that it could decrease the number of
social conservatives who plan to vote. Social conservatives are traditionally
among the most loyal voting groups for Republicans.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
The Democrats have proposed a legislative program they call "A New Direction
for America." One goal is to raise the federal minimum wage for the lowest paid
workers for the first time in ten years. Another goal is to end what the
Democrats call tax giveaways to large oil companies.
The Democrats also say their plan will provide what they call real security
at home and overseas. They say they will reshape what they describe as failed
Bush administration policies in Iraq, the Middle East and around the world.
VOICE ONE:
President Bush says Republican leadership has improved the economy and kept
America safe. Mr. Bush says he believes these are the most important issues to
voters. The president says the Democrats would raise taxes, while the
Republicans would keep taxes low.
Mr. Bush says the nation is safer now than it was before the
September 11 attacks five years ago, but still under threat.
The president has called Iraq the central front in the war on terror. But a
majority of those questioned in recent opinion studies said they disapprove of
the president's handling of the war. Even so, measures of public opinion suggest
that most Americans do not support an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
With Americans closely divided politically, the balance of power in Congress
could rest with independent voters. Will they choose Democrats or Republicans?
A Republican congressman from Illinois, Ray LaHood, was on a television news
program a month before the coming elections. He said this was going to be the
most difficult thirty days in the last twelve years that Republicans have been
in the majority.
Many political scientists say the Democrats are in a good position to win the
fifteen additional seats they need to retake the House. But the experts believe
it will be more difficult to gain the six seats needed to win back the Senate.
VOICE ONE:
There are intense battles over some of those seats. In Tennessee, Democrat
Harold Ford faces Republican Bob Corker for the seat of retiring Senator Bill
Frist. Mr. Ford, if he wins, would be the first African-American senator elected
by a southern state since the late 1800s. He currently serves in the House of
Representatives.
VOICE TWO:
This year's elections could be especially important for the two largest
minority groups in the United States – Latinos and blacks. Latinos historically
do not vote in large numbers. But this year may be different. Earlier this year
Latinos held big demonstrations to demand immigration reform. They also
denounced proposals to increase punishments for illegal immigrants.
The recent debate over immigration could lead greater numbers of Latinos to
vote in the elections next week. If that happens, it could affect the results in
some states.
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VOICE ONE:
More African-American candidates are competing this year than ever before. A
record six black candidates are running for either governor or senator.
Ken Blackwell, a Republican, is one of the six: he hopes to become governor
of Ohio. Another Republican, Michael Steele, is running for senator from
Maryland.
The House of Representatives currently has forty black
members. The Senate has one. Barack Obama is a popular young Democrat who was
elected in Illinois in two thousand four. He is the son of a black father from
Kenya and a white mother from Kansas.
This Election Day, voters in 36 of the 50 states will choose
governors. The first black governor elected in more than a century was Douglas
Wilder in Virginia in nineteen eighty-nine. On November seventh, in
Massachusetts, Democrat Deval Patrick could become the second.
VOICE TWO:
Candidates and interest groups spend lots of money to campaign by television,
radio, telephone and, increasingly, the Internet. But the Internet can help or
hurt a candidate.
In August, Senator George Allen of Virginia was speaking at a campaign event.
He saw he was being videotaped by a worker from his opponent's campaign. The
senator made fun of him and used a term that many people considered a racial
insult. The young man with the camera was of South Asian ancestry.
Soon the world could see the video on the video-sharing Web site YouTube. The
senator, seen as a possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination
in two years, apologized. But that incident helped smash the big lead he had in
his race against Democrat Jim Webb.
Technology is an issue not just for candidates but also
for voters. Many people are not sure they trust the electronic voting machines
that are replacing older equipment. They worry about security and, in many
cases, the lack of a paper record of ballots
in case any recounts are needed this Election Day.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Our program was written by Brianna Blake and produced by Caty Weaver.
I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA. And be
sure to listen to VOA Special English on the radio or the Web for results of the
November seventh elections. You can also hear special coverage on VOA News Now.
Related stories:
Bush expects Republicans to win on
Election Day
midterm
elections :（美国）中期选举
Latino :拉丁美洲人
ballot:the
act of voting（投票）
（来源:VOA
英语点津姗姗编辑）
