美国国家公共电台 NPR--Cheney vows to thwart a 2nd Trump presidency. How strong is Trump's grip on the GOP?

Cheney vows¹ to thwart² a 2nd Trump³ presidency⁴. How strong is Trump's grip on the GOP?

Transcript⁵

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Jonah Goldberg, conservative columnist⁶ and editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, about Rep. Liz Cheney's future in the Republican party following her primary loss in Wyoming.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Liz Cheney was defiant⁷ as she lost her seat in the House of Representatives this week.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LIZ CHENEY: I have said since January 6 that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office. And I mean it.

INSKEEP: OK, so what could she do? Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and a regular guest here.

Welcome back, sir.

JONAH GOLDBERG: Always great to be here.

INSKEEP: How much of her party does Liz Cheney represent?

GOLDBERG: Oh, I think there's probably, I don't know, 15, 20% that will say out loud that they admire her and agree with her. And there's probably maybe a little bit more, you know, that would say it in private but don't want to say it out loud. And then there are a bunch of people who might agree with her on on some level, but also find her, you know, collaboration⁸ with the enemy, so to speak, to be unacceptable. And then there's just all the Trump people who despise her.

INSKEEP: Let's talk about that one group, the people who talk about the collaboration with the enemy. These are - like, let's not overgeneralize, but we're talking about people who know what happened on January 6, but simply regard Democrats⁹ as so unacceptable that they're still with Trump. I mean, William Barr comes to mind.

GOLDBERG: Yeah, no, that's right. There's - there were a large group of people who can maintain the cognitive¹⁰ dissonance of saying January 6 was bad but that it does not speak to any fundamental problem with the GOP, that Donald Trump was responsible for it, that there are lots of people who think it was good. This is the problem I have with a lot of the stuff on the right these days, is that there is a remarkably¹¹ big tent for, you know, what I would call an increasingly lunatic fringe, and there is no room at the end for people like Liz Cheney who just simply say, this was a bridge too far, and I want nothing to do with it.

People forget that Liz Cheney basically was more like Mitch McConnell until January 6. She played the game, and she voted with Trump. She, you know, criticized when she thought she absolutely had to, but otherwise stayed silent and was a loyal soldier. And so that's what's so infuriating about so much of this, is people are basically saying because she was so offended by January 6, she has to go. Why can't she work with the system? She was working with the system, but then she said this is too much. And I think she was right to. I mean, I wish she was critical a little earlier, but it's amazing that this is the litmus test now.

INSKEEP: Well, what is the path forward then for someone like her who is conservative and who considers Trump essentially¹² not conservative, not acceptable? What can she do? Can she run as an independent for president? What could she do?

GOLDBERG: Well, she can run as an independent, but I don't really just see the path how she actually runs successfully. Similarly, she could run in the Republican primaries if the Trump establishment lets there actually be primaries. But I don't see a path in 2024 for her getting elected as a Republican or really as an independent anywhere. This is going to be her wilderness¹³ period in the sense that I don't think she can get elected to anything for a while, but she could be a very powerful spokesperson for her issues.

INSKEEP: Wow. There's a clause there that we have to pick up on another time - if the Trump establishment allows primaries. That's something to think about. Jonah, thanks so much.

GOLDBERG: Thank you for having me.

INSKEEP: Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

2 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

6 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

7 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

8 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

11 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

12 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

13 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。