Основы политической системы США (стр. 8 )

The date for the election of the president, always the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every fourth year, was fixed by the U. S. Congress in 1845. On that day millions of American citizens will go to the polling places all over the country to select the next president of the United States. Although elections are held every year – for governors, for national lawmakers, and for state, county and local officials – choosing a chief executive is by far one of the most important processes in representative government in the United States.

Election of a new president climaxes a grueling campaign for the position of chief of state.

Hopefuls seeking nomination by the Republican and Democratic parties, the two major political parties in the United States, often launch their drives as much as two years before voting day arrives. They start their efforts by creating organizations throughout the country in as many states as they can. These organizations staffed by a few paid professionals but mostly by volunteers go to work with vim to publicize their candidate’s name and views and to raise as much money as possible. Campaigns are expensive. Television and radio time must be purchased at ever-rising rates, literature printed and mailed, premises rented, travel costs paid, and banners, buttons, bunting, and other items ordered.

How do Americans choose the final nominees for the two major parties from the list of candidates who declare their intentions?

The Announcement

Candidates often announce their candidacy a year or more in advance of an election. The announcement generates an initial surge of useful publicity. There is, however, some danger in starting out this early. A front runner often becomes a highly visible target for attacks by opponents, the media, and the opposition party. Political campaigns, therefore, have been increasingly taken over by “image makers”. Public relations firms produce commercials that emphasize a candidate’s speaking voice, physical appearance, and family. Candidates are coached to make speeches filled with a something-for-everybody philosophy. This approach has turned many elections into popularity contests.

(Spring) Nominating conventions

and primary elections

In states without primary elections, the party organization holds a nominating convention in the spring. At the convention, state political leaders play a major role in selecting candidates for national office. They also select the delegates to the national party conventions. In the 20th century presidential primary elections replaced nominating conventions in most of the states and the District of Columbia.

Primary elections allow voters registered as members of a particular party to select their party’s candidates. In these special elections, voters select slates of delegates, each pledged to support a particular candidate for the party’s nomination. Primaries open only to registered members of a particular party are called closed primaries. A few states hold open primaries, in which voters do not declare their choice until they are in privacy of the voting booth. Then they mark the appropriate party ballot. To make matters even more complicated, some states permit crossover voting. This allows Democrats to vote in the Republican primary and vice versa.

Finally, many states run presidential preference primaries (sometimes called “beauty contests”). In these primaries, the election of delegates to the national convention is separate from the voting for a presidential candidate. These contests give candidates useful publicity, but the results are not binding.

Some critics think that the entire primary process should be overhauled. They say it is too long, too expensive, and too hard on the candidates. To replace it, they suggest that each party should hold a single, nationwide presidential primary. Along with simplifying the long primary campaign, it would eliminate much of the need for national pporters of the primaries argue that the primaries serve three purposes: they weed out weak candidates, bring candidates closer to the voters, and help the country focus its attention on important national problems.

(Summer) National Conventions

Every four years, each of the major parties holds a widely publicized convention. Conventions engage in three important political activities: (1) The convention nominates candidates for presidency. (2) It hammers together the party’s platform, which is a general statement of the party’s philosophy, positions, and goals on issues of national and international concern. (3) The convention votes on rules for the operation of the party.

National conventions are one of the great spectacles in American politics. Large cities are happy to host the conventions, which generate publicity as well as business. The conventions bring delegates and candidates together for a week of summer madness. The political tensions built up during the long primary campaign are worked out in wild floor demonstrations. Delegates shout, sing, march, and wave placards.

Behind the scenes, candidates and party leaders carry on a frenzied search for the votes they need to lock up the nomination. Sometimes, state delegations bargain with the major nominees. Delegates may agree to switch their votes in exchange for some political favor or governmental position. If none of the candidates can win an early victory in convention voting, the party leaders begin to “wheel and deal”. A state governor, for example, might promise to deliver a block of delegate votes in exchange for favors to be collected at a later date.

After an orgy of oratory and demonstrations, the delegates finally choose their presidential candidate. Incumbent Presidents and highly popular candidates are nominated on the first ballot. If no clear winner has emerged from the primaries, several candidates may divide the vote, and no one will gain a majority. To break this deadlock the convention may take dozens of roll-call votes before agreeing on the candidate. In these cases, a compromise “dark horse” emerges as the party’s nominee.

The nominee’s first task is to choose a candidate for Vice President. Traditionally, the convention automatically elects whomever the presidential candidate wants as his running mate. It is customary (and good politics) for a party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates to come from different parts of the country and to have somewhat different political views. That way, the team appeals to voters with different viewpoints and concerns.

The Campaign

(The 1st Monday in September – the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November)

Presidential campaigns traditionally begin on Labor Day, when the Americans end their summer vacations and return to work. In truth, the campaign starts the day the national conventions end. The pace simply increases in September and October as each major party attempts to build support for its candidate. Voters are bombarded from all sides – by radio, television, mail, newspapers, and personal communication – with political material. Long-standing friendships and even marriages can become battlegrounds as Americans argue about issues and candidates. Ordinarily soft-spoken people become outspoken supporters of their candidate. Neighborhood political workers from each party knock on doors and give voters information about the candidates they support.

Television has become a powerful influence. The candidate who lacks personal appeal on TV is at a great disadvantage. It has been said that if Abraham Lincoln were alive today, he probably wouldn’t be elected president because he wasn’t handsome.

(November) Election Day

On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of the election year, Americans go to their polling places to cast their ballots for president and vice president. Voters do not actually vote for the president and the vice president; instead they are chosen by electoral votes. The small print on each ballot reads: “For electors pledged to George W. Bush”, or whatever the candidate’s name is that year. The number of electors is equal to the number of representatives plus the two senators from that state and 3 additional electors from the District of Columbia.

Thanks to voting machines and computers, Americans usually know the winner by late evening. In fact, the television networks often predict the results of an election as soon as the polls close. They do this by conducting exit polls – asking voters in scientifically selected precincts how they voted.

(December / January) Electoral College Process

On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, the winning electors gather at their respective state capitals to cast their ballots. After the vote is taken, each of the Electoral College meetings sends the announcement of the results to the President of the Senate. On January 6, Congress meets in joint session to tally the ballots. The count of the 538 electoral votes brings the election to an official conclusion. If no candidate for President or Vice President has received a majority of 270 votes, the House voting by states, elects the President, and the Senate, voting as individuals, elects the Vice President.

(January 20) Inauguration

The election cycle ends when the victorious candidate takes the oath of office. The weeks between the election and the swearing-in ceremonies are called the outgoing administration’s lame-duck period. The President-elect must wait more than two months to be inaugurated. The results of the election aren’t official until the new Congress meets and certifies the vote of the Electoral College. The interval between November and January allows the President-elect to assemble an administration, particularly an executive staff and Cabinet.

Task 1. Find in the Text the English for:

1.  идти на избирательные участки

2.  покупать, постоянно растущие в цене, теле и радио эфиры