Vice presidential picks part of US election strategies

中国日报网 2012-08-14 16:05

分享到

 

Get Flash Player

Download

“I have selected this man to be my running mate because I want to change Washington and get America back on track,”2012 Republican Presidential contender Mitt Romney, unveiling his choice for vice president, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan.

Together, they form what’s called “the November election ticket.”

Selecting the right running mate

US voters mark their November election ballots 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?

Gorge Mason University's Robert Dudley:"What's the nomination of the vice president for? It's to boost election chances, where even a small advantage you might get 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 thelevers of power in the federal government. That’s because most presidential candidates in recent decades have not been Washington “insiders.”

Insider'sknow-how

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.

Eight years later, Republican Texas Governor George W. Bush picked former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney as his vice president.

In 2008, a relatively 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 team of Democrats Senator Walter Mondale and Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro was the first time a woman had ever been nominated by a major party.

In 2008, the Republicans chose their first woman 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, and to be ready to assume the presidency should death or some other reason vacate the Oval Office.

ballot: (无记名投票所用的)选票

lever: 手段

know-how: 诀窍,专门技能

demographic: 人口统计资料

preside: preside over sth,主管,负责

Related stories:

Chinese investors must tread carefully in Ohio

奥巴马雨中激情演说:拉票演讲遇暴雨全身湿透

梁振英在香港特别行政区第四届政府就职典礼上的讲话(双语)

Ruling boosts support for Obama healthcare reform

(来源:VOA 实习生朱眉霖)

 

分享到

中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883561联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。

中国日报网双语新闻

扫描左侧二维码

添加Chinadaily_Mobile
你想看的我们这儿都有!

中国日报双语手机报

点击左侧图标查看订阅方式

中国首份双语手机报
学英语看资讯一个都不能少!

关注和订阅

本文相关阅读
人气排行
搜热词
 
 
精华栏目
 

阅读

词汇

视听

翻译

口语

合作

 

关于我们 | 联系方式 | 招聘信息

Copyright by chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved. None of this material may be used for any commercial or public use. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 版权声明:本网站所刊登的中国日报网英语点津内容,版权属中国日报网所有,未经协议授权,禁止下载使用。 欢迎愿意与本网站合作的单位或个人与我们联系。

电话:8610-84883645

传真:8610-84883500

Email: languagetips@chinadaily.com.cn