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Level 5: Advanced Daily Audio Lessons

DailyStep-5_politics-American-002_GB-03

Monica: Some are saying that the nature and bitterness of the political

debate in Arizona may have been a contributory factor in the shooting of

Gabrielle Giffords and that Sarah Palin has come out looking particularly

bad.

Doug: Yes, after this incident you would have to say that Sarah Palin is

damaged goods. She hasn’t exactly got blood on her hands but she may

as well have. I reckon she can kiss goodbye to any chance of receiving

the nomination to stand for leader of the Republican Party.

Monica: So, how exactly has she been stirring up the situation?

Doug: Well, the congresswoman who was gunned down had become a

target for Sarah Palin’s rage after she voted in favour of what Palin had

denounced as Obama’s socialist health reforms and opposed what many

people have labelled as racist anti-immigration laws in Arizona.

Monica: But surely that’s all fair game in politics?

Doug: But it’s the incendiary language and violent imagery that she’s

chosen to deploy in her political discourse which has kicked up a stink.

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Level 5: Advanced Daily Audio Lessons

Situation: Doug and Monica discuss the role of the American political party called The
Tea Party and the American politician Sarah Palin in the increasing polarisation of
American political debate. This conversation took place in 2011.
Style: General conversation
.

Functions:
1. Introducing a point: Some are saying that the nature and bitterness of the
political debate in Arizona may have been a contributory factor... (note: please
copy the tone and emphasis carefully here.)
2. Giving an opinion: Yes, after this incident you would have to say that Miss Palin
is damaged goods. (note: please copy the tone and emphasis carefully here.)
3. Giving an opinion: I reckon she can kiss goodbye to any chance of receiving the
nomination
4. Asking for further explanation: So, how exactly has she been stirring up the
situation? (note: please copy the tone and emphasis carefully here.)
5. Expressing an alternative viewpoint: But surely that’s all fair game in politics?
(note: please copy the tone and emphasis carefully here.)
6. Talking about behaviour that is accepted in a certain situation: But surely
that’s all fair game in politics? (note: please copy the tone and emphasis
carefully here.)
.

Notes:
1. bitterness = nastiness / unpleasantness
2. the political debate = the general political discussion
3. may have been a contributory factor in = may have been influential in / may
have been partly the reason for
4. Gabrielle Gifford = the American congresswomen who was shot in Tucson,
Arizona in 2011
5. Sarah Palin = the American female politician who stood as candidate for Deputy
President in the 2008 American Presidential elections, representing the
Republican Party, and who planned in 2011 to run for the position of leader of the
American Republican Party
6. Sarah Palin is damaged goods (idiom. If the goods in a shop are damaged, you
do not buy them.) = Sarah Palin’s reputation has been severely damaged
7. She hasn’t exactly got blood on her hands (idiom) = She is not directly
responsible for the violence
8. but she may as well have = but she may as well have blood on her hands
9. she may as well have blood on her hands = it is more or less the same as if she
had blood on her hands
10. she can kiss goodbye to any chance of (idiom) = she has ruined her chance of /
she can forget any chance of
11. the nomination to stand for leader of the Republican Party = being voted as a
candidate for the election to choose the leader of the Republican Party
12. how exactly has she been stirring up (phrasal verb: to stir up something = to
deliberately cause bad feeling between people, or to deliberately make a situation
worse) the situation? = how exactly has she caused more friction?
13. the congresswoman = the American female politician
14. who was gunned down (phrasal verb – more dramatic) = who was shot
15. a target for Sarah Palin’s rage = an object for Sarah Palin to direct her anger at
16. she voted in favour of = she supported by casting a positive vote

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17. denounced as = criticised as

18. labelled as = described as
19. racist = prejudiced against a particular race or colour of people
20. anti-immigration laws = laws passed in order to stop people from other countries
coming into the country
21. that’s all fair game (idiom) in politics = that is considered to be perfectly
acceptable behaviour in politics
22. the incendiary language = the language which is likely inflame people’s emotions
/ the inflammatory language
23. to deploy = to use as part of a strategy
24. political discourse = political debate
25. which has kicked up a stink (idiom) = which has caused a lot of problems and
made people very angry
.
Audio file name: DailyStep-5_politics-American-002_GB-03
.

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