Four months before the election day, five men gathered in a small conference room at the Reagan-Bush headquarters and reviewed an oversize calendar that marked the remaining days of the 1984 presidential campaign. It was the last Saturday in June and at ten o'clock in the morning the rest of the office was practically deserted. Even so, the men kept the door shut and the drapes carefully drawn. The three principals and their two deputies had come from around the country for a critical meeting. Their aim was to devise a strategy that would guarantee Ronald Reagan's resounding reelection to a second term in the White House." o1 u C+ E, ~* [
It should have been easy. These were battle-tested veterans with long ties to Reagan and even longer ones to the Republican party, men who understood presidential politics as well as any in the country. The backdrop of the campaign was hospitable, with lots of good news to work with: America was at peace, and the nation's economy, a key factor in any election, was rebounding vigorously after recession. Furthermore, the campaign itself was lavishly financed, with plenty of money for a topflight staff, travel, and television commercials. And, most important, their candidate was Ronald Reagan, a president of tremendous personal popularity and dazzling communication skills. Reagan has succeeded more than any president since John. F. Kennedy in projecting a broad vision of America -a nation of renewed military strength, individual initiative, and smaller federal government.
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9 h# R' X# o+ a* A' }+ y1 y: y 在离选举日还有四个月的时间，有五个人聚集在里根－布什总部的一个小型会议室里，翻着看一张硕笪薇鹊娜绽绽锨逦乇晔冻隽?984年总统竞选剩下的日子。这是六月份的最后一个星期六的上午10时，整幢办公楼的其他部分几近人去楼空。即便如此，这几个人仍将大门紧闭，小心翼翼地拉下窗帘。三个主要人物及其二个副手从美国的不同地方汇聚在一起，召开一个殊为重要的会议。他们的目标是构思出一种策略，来确保里根能再次当选，在第二任期内再度入主白宫。$ G+ y4 \- X5 k8 o1 Z1 n; X8 N
要谋求再次当选理应轻而易举。这是一些久经沙场的退伍老兵，与里根有着千丝万缕的漫长联系，与共和党的联系甚至更为久远。这些人深谙总统政治，一如他们熟知这个国家中的所有政治事务那样。竞选的背景十分宜人，可供大做文章的好消息俯拾皆是：美国正置身于太平盛世之中；作为选举的一个关键因素，整个国家的经济在步出萧条期之后正强劲反弹。此外，竞选本身所筹得的款项更是不计其数。用于支付一流水平的竞争班子工作人员工资、进行巡回造势、以及制作播放电视广告的钱款绰绰有余。最为重要的是，他们所推介的总统候选人是罗纳尔德· 里根（Ronald Reagan），一位风度翩翩，魅力无穷，又极具迷人沟通技巧的执政总统。与约翰·F·肯尼迪（John F. Kennedy）以来的任何一位历届总统相比，里根更成功地勾勒出了一幅广阔的关于美国未来的前景--美国将成了一个重振军事雄风、民众富于个人进取心、联邦政府更加精简高效的国家。 |
发表于 2012-8-14 11:29:10
