The Republicans

Mitt Romney throws in the towel

Feb 7th 2008 | NEW YORK
From Economist.com

Where it went wrong for Mitt Romney—and right for John McCain

HE FOUGHT hard, and subsidised his campaign with millions of his own dollars, but in the end Mitt Romney simply could not generate enough “Mitt-mentum”, as his detractors sneeringly called it, to beat a path【make path
[VN] ~ sth (through, across, along, etc. sth) to make a path, etc. by walking somewhere or by pressing branches down and walking over them: a well-beaten track (= one that has been worn hard by much use) ◆ The hunters beat a path through the undergrowth.】 to the Republican nomination for president. And so, on Thursday February 7th, Mr Romney announced that he would quit.

What went wrong? After all, Mr Romney was perhaps the only candidate who took positions pleasing all the factions of the conservative base. For security types, he promised to stay in Iraq and said that he would double the size of the prison at Guantánamo Bay【http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/guantanamo-bay.htm】. For economic conservatives, he talked of tax cuts and touted his success as a businessman (in contrast to his chief rival, John McCain). And he told social conservatives that he was against gay marriage and abortion. What was the “Reagan coalition”【 The Reagan coalition was the combination of voters that Republican Ronald Reagan assembled to produce a major political realignment with his landslide《 an election in which one person or party gets very many more votes than the other people or parties: She was expected to win by a landslide. ◆ Labour's landslide victory of 1997》 in the 1980 United States Presidential Election. In 1980 the Reagan coalition was possible because of Democrat Jimmy Carter's losses in most social-economic groups. In 1984 Reagan confirmed his support by winning nearly 60% of the popular vote and carried 49 of the 50 states. The Reagan Democrats were Democrats before the Reagan years, and afterwards, but who voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 (and for George H. W. Bush in 1988), producing their landslide victories. They were mostly white, socially conservative blue-collar workers, who lived in the Northeast, and were attracted to Reagan's social conservatism on issues such as abortion, and to his hawkish foreign policy. They did not continue to vote Republican in 1992 or 1996, so the term fell into disuse except as a reference to the 1980s. The term is not generally used to describe those southern whites who permanently changed party affiliation from Democrat to Republican during the Reagan administration.

Stan Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, analyzed white, largely unionized auto workers in suburban Macomb County, Michigan, just north of Detroit. The county voted 63 percent for Kennedy in 1960 and 66 percent for Reagan in 1984. He concluded that Reagan Democrats no longer saw Democrats as champions of their middle class aspirations, but instead saw it as being a party working primarily for the benefit of others, especially African Americans and the very poor. Democrat Bill Clinton targeted the Reagan Democrats with considerable success in 1992 and 1996.

】 not to like about the man?

First was his Mormonism【魔門教】. Most evangelical【n.  新教徒; 福音派教徒adj.  福音的; 新教的：日本的EVA有點耳聞吧，福音戰士那個動畫片，主題曲是FLY ME TO THE MOON】

 Christians in the social-conservative base feel that Mormonism is not Christian—some even think of it as a cult【1. 膜拜,膜拜仪式

2. 异教;教派

When did he join the cult?

他是什么时候加入这个教派的?

3. (对人、思想、事物等的)狂热崇拜,迷信;狂热

the cult of Whitman

对惠特曼的崇拜

4. (总称)崇拜者,迷信者

5. 崇拜的对象;狂热喜爱的对象】

. Mr Romney tried (but failed) to pacify【v.  使平静, 绥靖, 安慰】 them with a speech on faith, saying that “Jesus Christ is the son of God and the saviour【saviour  (US savior) / &s12;se&O18;v&O18;&O01;(r); ˋsevj&O02;/ n
person who rescues or saves sb from danger 救助者; 拯救者; 救星.
the Saviour, Our Saviour Jesus Christ 救世主（耶穌基督）.】

 of mankind”. He tripped up【If someone or something trips a person up, or if they trip up, they fail or make a mistake.】 early in Iowa, the first caucus【(especially AmE) a meeting of the members or leaders of a political party to choose candidates or to decide policy; the members or leaders of a political party as a group: states will hold precinct caucuses on Tuesday to choose delegates to the parties' national conventions.
a group of people with similar interests, often within a larger organization or political party: the Congressional Black Caucus】. He campaigned heavily and far outspent【超支to spend more money than another person or organization
　 In the Senate race, the Republican outspent his rival by nearly $2 million.】 his rivals, but evangelicals instead plumped for a man【Phrasal Verbs: plump for sb/sth (informal) to choose sb/sth from a number of people or things, especially after thinking carefully】 they felt to be the real item: Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher傳教士. Having stumbled in Iowa, Mr Romney’s candidacy【候選資格】 looked wobbly【不穩定，搖擺的】. He soon lost New Hampshire to Mr McCain.

He did manage to win a few primaries, for example in Michigan and Nevada. But the party would not rally【rally  

noun, verb
noun
[C] a large public meeting, especially one held to support a particular idea or political party: to attend / hold a rally ◆ a peace / protest rally ◆ a mass rally in support of the strike
See also PEP RALLY
[C] (BrE) a race for motor vehicles over public roads: the Monte Carlo rally ◆ rally driving
[C] (in tennis and similar sports) a series of hits of the ball before a point is scored: That was a great rally!
[sing.] (in sport or on the Stock Exchange) an act of returning to a strong position after a period of difficulty or weakness: After a furious late rally, they finally scored. ◆ a rally in shares on the stock market
verb (rallies, rallying, rallied, rallied)
~ (sb/sth) (around / behind / to sb/sth) to come together or bring people together in order to help or support sb/sth: [V] The cabinet rallied behind the Prime Minister. ◆ Many national newspapers rallied to his support. ◆ [VN] They have rallied a great deal of support for their campaign. ◆ The country hastily rallied its defences.
[V] to become healthier, stronger, etc. after a period of illness, weakness, etc: He never really rallied after the operation. ◆ The champion rallied to win the second set 63.
[V] (finance) (especially of share prices or a country's money) to increase in value after falling in value: The company's shares had rallied slightly by the close of trading. ◆ The pound rallied against the dollar.
Phrasal Verbs: rally round / around
rally round / around sb (of a group of people) to work together in order to help sb who is in a difficult or unpleasant situation: The whole family rallied round when Mum was ill.】

 to him. Some were troubled by his perceived recent rebirth to social conservatism. As the governor of Massachusetts he had been gay-friendly and pro-choice【Someone who is pro-choice thinks that women have a right to choose whether or not to give birth to a child they have conceived, and to have an abortion if they do not want the child.】. His newfound opposition to gay marriage and abortion seemed shallow【膚淺的，淺薄的】. And this seemed to reflect a more general tendency to go with the political wind. Republicans like their leaders to be steadfast. So social conservatives stuck with Mr Huckabee, who won a clutch of【verb
to hold sb/sth tightly: [VN] He clutched the child to him. ◆ She stood there, the flowers still clutched in her hand. ◆ [V +adv./prep.] I clutched on to the chair for support
~ (at) sb/sth to take hold of sth suddenly, because you are afraid or in pain: [VN] He gasped and clutched his stomach. ◆ (figurative) [V] Fear clutched at her heart.
Idioms see STRAW
Phrasal Verbs: clutch / catch at sth/sb to try to quickly get hold of sth/sb
noun
[C] the PEDAL in a car or other vehicle that you press with your foot so that you can change GEAR: Put your foot on the clutch.
[C] a device in a machine that connects and DISCONNECTS working parts, especially the engine and the GEARS: The car needs a new clutch.
a ~ of sth [sing.] (BrE) a group of people, animals or things: He's won a whole clutch of awards.
(clutches) [pl.] (informal) power or control: He managed to escape from their clutches. ◆ Now that she had him in her clutches, she wasn't going to let go.
[C, usually sing.] a tight hold on sb/sth: (figurative) She felt the sudden clutch of fear.
[C] a group of eggs that a bird lays at one time; the young birds that come out of a group of eggs at the same time
[C] (AmE) = CLUTCH BAG】

southern states on “Super Tuesday”. Moderate conservatives and independents joined the reinvigorated使再振作;使复苏Mr McCain.

All attention now moves to Mr McCain. (Mr Huckabee and Ron Paul, a libertarian, remain in the race but have no plausible【of an excuse or explanation) reasonable and likely to be true: Her story sounded perfectly plausible. ◆ The only plausible explanation is that he forgot.
Antonym: IMPLAUSIBLE】 chance.) He is sure to feel a powerful sense of vindication【對所受到的責難或嫌疑的）澄清; 證實】: he was beaten in a brutal fight with George Bush in 2000, and his 2008 candidacy was repeatedly declared dead last year. But now that he is the near-certain nominee, he faces big challenges.

His biggest problem will be convincing Republicans that he is truly one of them and getting them out to vote, without alienating the independents he has always depended on. He has defied藐视, 使落空, 挑衅his party’s die-hard conservatives on symbolic issues in the Bush years. He voted against Mr Bush’s first big tax cuts, saying that he could not support such a giveaway贈品 to the richest earners. He called Jerry Falwell, a Christian conservative preacher, an “agent of intolerance”. He pushed campaign-finance legislation that hurts Republican fund-raising. He supported a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. He vociferously【(formal) expressing your opinions or feelings in a loud and confident way】 opposed torture (he was tortured himself in Vietnam), but was no softy on Iraq: he called early and loudly for Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation辭職，辭職書. His reputation as a maverick【maverick  

/ &s12;mav&O01;r&O18;k; ˋmavr&O18;k/ n
(US) unbranded calf 未打烙印的小牛.
person with independent or unorthodox views 持獨立見解者; 持異議者: Politically, she's a bit of a maverick. 在政治方面, 她有點自行其是.

 was well earned.】

But as he won New Hampshire and looked like the possible nominee, he tacked【[U, sing.] the way in which you deal with a particular situation; the direction of your words or thoughts: a complete / sudden change of tack ◆ It was a brave decision to change tack in the middle of the project. ◆ When threats failed, she decided to try / take a different tack. ◆ His thoughts wandered off on another tack. ◆ I find gentle persuasion is the best tack.
[C, U] (technical) the direction that a boat with sails takes as it sails at an angle to the wind in order to fill its sails: They were sailing on (a) port / starboard tack (= with the wind coming from the left / right side).
[C] a small nail with a sharp point and a flat head, used especially for fixing a carpet to the floor: a carpet tack
Compare: NAIL n. (2)
[C] (AmE) = DRAWING PIN
See also BLU-TACK
[C] a long loose stitch used for holding pieces of fabric together temporarily, before you sew them finally
[U] (technical) the equipment that you need for riding a horse, such as a SADDLE and BRIDLE: a tack room (= the room where this equipment is kept)
Idioms see BRASS
verb
[VN +adv./prep.] to fasten sth in place with a tack or tacks: The carpet was tacked to the floor.
[VN] to fasten pieces of fabric together temporarily with long, loose stitches before sewing it finally: She tacked the sleeve of the blouse into the armhole.
[V] (technical) to change the direction of a sailing boat so that the wind blows onto the sails from the opposite side; to do this several times in order to travel in the direction that the wind is coming from
Phrasal Verbs: tack sth<->on
tack sth onto sth (informal) to add sth to sth that already exists, especially in a careless way: The poems were tacked on at the end of the book.】

back to the right to finish off Mr Romney. He now says that he opposed the Bush tax cuts only because they were not coupled with【[sing.+sing./pl. v.] ~ (of sth) two people or things: I saw a couple of men get out.
Help Note: In BrE a plural verb is usually used in all 3 senses.
[sing.+sing./pl. v.] ~ (of sth) a small number of people or things
Synonym: A FEW
a couple of minutes ◆ We went there a couple of years ago. ◆ I've seen her a couple of times before. ◆ I'll be with you in a minute. There are a couple of things I have to do first. ◆ There are a couple more files to read first. ◆ We can do it in the next couple of weeks. ◆ The last couple of years have been difficult.
[C+sing./pl. v.] two people who are seen together, especially if they are married or in a romantic or sexual relationship: married couples ◆ a young / an elderly couple ◆ Several couples were on the dance floor. ◆ The couple was / were married in 1976.
Idioms see SHAKE n.
a couple pronoun: Do you need any more glasses? I've got a couple I can lend you.
couple determiner (AmE): It's only a couple blocks away.
verb
[VN] [usually passive] ~ A (to B)
~ A and B together to join together two parts of sth, for example two vehicles or pieces of equipment: The two train cars had been coupled together. ◆ CDTV uses a CD-ROM system that is coupled to a powerful computer.
[V] (formal) (of two people or animals) to have sex
Phrasal Verbs: couple sb/sth with sb/sth [usually passive] to link one thing, situation, etc. to another: Overproduction, coupled with falling sales, has led to huge losses for the company.】

 spending cuts; he voted recently to extend the tax cuts. An advertisement called him a “proud social conservative”. He repeatedly referred to himself as “a footsoldier【1 : infantryman 2 : a person likened to an infantryman especially in doing active and usually unglamorous work in support of an organization or movement <foot soldiers in the war against drugs> 】

 in the Reagan revolution”.

Would-be presidents traditionally turn to their party’s base for the nomination before turning to the centre once they have wrapped it up. But this gambit【Games An opening in chess in which a minor piece, or pieces, usually a pawn, is offered in exchange for a favorable position.

【游戏】 第一着棋，起手着法：国际象棋开局时自愿让出一个或几个小棋子（通常为兵）以交换较有利的形势

A maneuver, stratagem, or ploy, especially one used at an initial stage.

策略：尤指人在开始阶段所采用的计谋、策略、手法

A remark intended to open a conversation.

开场白：为了打开话题有意说的话】

has a bigger cost for McCain than for most. He built his reputation for “straight talk” in 2000, and reporters and political independents, tired of party-line hacks, lapped it up. He may have damaged his reputation among those groups. If he pivots back to being the straight-talking independent, however, conservatives may stay home. Many of the party’s loudest voices proclaim their hatred for him. Rush Limbaugh, the country’s biggest radio host, is one. Ann Coulter, a writer who lives for dishing out insults to Democrats, says she would rather vote for Hillary Clinton than for Mr McCain. James Dobson, perhaps the most powerful Christian conservative in the country, says he cannot in good conscience vote for Mr McCain.