经济学人342:纽特·金里奇的竞选——败局已定

 　　WHEN Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign foundered¹ last summer, leading to the mass resignation of his staff and reports that his campaign debt exceeded $1m, the problem was not that he seemed to prefer luxury cruises through Greece and Turkey with Mrs Gingrich (speaking, right) to the messy business of a political campaign. The problem, as he was only too happy to explain, was that “much like Reagan and Margaret Thatcher², I’m such an unconventional political figure that you really need to design a unique campaign that fits the way I operate and what I’m trying to do.”

　　当纽特·金里奇在去年夏天的总统竞选活动中败阵，导致他的竞选团队人员大量辞职，同时被媒体爆出因竞选他已负债超过100万美元时，他的问题并非比起竞选活动中的各种繁琐事务，他更喜欢和他的妻子（图右说话的女士）一起来个希腊或土耳其豪华游艇巡游。正如他津津乐道的那样，他的问题在于他说的“我是像里根和撒切尔夫人这样卓尔不凡的政治人物，因此你们要为我设计独一无二的竞选活动，要适合我所做的以及我想要做的”。

　　What that meant in practice was shilling for money over the internet and turning in some incandescently³ angry debate performances. It worked, after a fashion. He began rising in the polls. He announced directly, “I’m going to be the nominee⁴.” But then people started voting. The first three contests split, with Rick Santorum squeaking⁵ to victory in Iowa after spending far more time there than any other candidate; Mitt⁶ Romney winning New Hampshire, where he has a home; and Mr Gingrich unexpectedly trouncing the opposition⁷ in South Carolina. Then he lost Florida and Nevada in quick succession, his snarling⁸ pomposity⁹ punctured¹⁰ by a Romney barrage¹¹ of negative ads.

　　实际上，这只不过意味着他的竞选团通过因特网筹了点钱，然后就演变成一场声势浩大的骂战而已。这有些作用。然后他的民调支持率开始攀升。他直接宣布:"我将成为党内提名人。”但另一方面人们已经开始投票了。前三名的竞争者各有胜负，里克·桑托伦在爱荷华州投入的时间比任何一个候选人都多，侥幸获胜；米特·罗姆尼在新罕布什尔州获胜，这是他家乡所在地；然后金里奇出人意料的在南卡罗莱纳州击败对手。紧接着，金里奇在佛罗里达州和内华达州败下阵来，因为罗姆尼用铺天盖地的负面广告，大肆抨击他那咄咄逼人，不可一世的嘴脸。

　　The Gingrich campaign had a strategy, of sorts: their hero would win the South, ending with a victory in Louisiana’s primary on March 24th, whereupon momentum¹² would work its magic. That did not happen. Aside from South Carolina, Mr Gingrich has won precisely¹³ one of the 38 states and territories that have so far voted: his adopted home state of Georgia. In late March he sacked one-third of his campaign staff. On April 3rd he decisively lost Maryland, Washington, DC and Wisconsin, his wife’s home state. Mr Romney improved his delegate total to 634 against 263 for his closest rival, Mr Santorum. The race now goes quiet until April 24th, when five states vote, the biggest prizes being New York and Mr Santorum’s home state of Pennsylvania.

　　金里奇的竞选团队有一套策略，分为几步：他们的主角金里奇将以南部获胜，其中最后一战是3月24日路易斯安那州的初选胜利，接着竞选势头就会发挥它的魔力。可是事与愿违。除了南卡罗来纳州，金里奇在已经投票的38个州和地区中只在一个地区获得胜利：他的第二故乡乔治亚州。3月底，他把自己竞选团队中三分之一的人给炒鱿鱼了。4月3日，他输掉了马里兰州，华盛顿和他妻子的家乡威斯康星州这些决定性地区的竞选。罗姆尼获得代表人的票数总计提升至634票，其最大的竞争对手桑托利姆则获得263票。选情现在则是平平无奇，直到4月24日才会有大的波动，因为到那时五个大州将开始投票，拥有最多票数的则是纽约和桑托利姆的家乡宾夕法尼亚州.

　　For the Gingrich campaign, however, the real problem had become clear some time before this week’s results. It was the voters. They kept making the wrong decision. And so Mr Gingrich’s flack announced that they were going to be “focusing exclusively on what it’ll take to win what we’re going to be calling a big-choice convention in August.” In other words, having failed to appeal to a majority, or even a plurality, of voters—the people who ostensibly select the candidate—Mr Gingrich will appeal to their superiors to correct the peons’ error. During this campaign Mr Gingrich has consistently claimed that he frightens, and is running against, “the Washington establishment”, which is of course laughable; he served ten terms in Congress before becoming a “consultant”, think-tanker and free-floating policy wonk. This strategy buries even the pretence¹⁴ of anti-establishmentarianism.

　　对于金里奇的竞选来说，其存在的真正问题在本周投票结果揭晓前一段时间就已经变得清晰了.问题出在选民上。选民们一直犯错。金里奇的广告中宣称，他们将“只把重点放在能让他们赢得所谓‘8月大抉择会战’的那些人身上”。换句话说，因为他们未能获得大多数，甚至是决定性数目选民的支持，于是金里奇将获取这些人中有话语权的人的支持，来纠正这些劳苦大众的错误。竞选中金里奇一直宣称，他害怕，但又将反对”华盛顿权贵“们到底，这一说法显然十分可笑。早在金里奇成为一名”顾问“，智囊团成员和随波逐流的政策专家之前，他就已经连任十届国会成员。这一策略甚至让金里奇无法打着”反正统主义“的幌子。

　　Explore our interactive¹⁵ map and guide to the race for the Republican candidacy.He has since softened¹⁶ his stance a bit, but he has also vowed¹⁸ to stay in the race until Mr Romney clinches¹⁹ a majority. How long that vow¹⁷ will last is anybody’s guess. Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate who, together with his family, has given Mr Gingrich’s Super PAC more than $15m, said that he believes Mr Gingrich is “at the end of his line”. A recent poll showed that 60% of Republicans want him to quit the race.

　　看看我们的互动地图和本次共和党候选人提名竞选的指南。金里奇的立场已经变得缓和了一些，但他仍发誓将竞选进行到底，直至罗姆尼获得绝大多数选票。这一誓言能维持多久难以预料。赌场大亨谢尔登·阿德尔森和他的家族已经给予金里奇的超级政治行动委员会超过1500万美元，这位赌场大亨说他相信金里奇“已是穷途末路”. 最近的一次民调显示60%的共和党成员希望他退出竞选。

　　Acknowledging defeat will not be easy. The next presidential race will probably attract a more daunting²⁰ field of candidates, leaving little room for a man who will then be 72 and whose House career ended in censure²¹ and disgrace. In stump²² speeches he has traced the origins of his presidential aspirations²³ back to 1958, when he was 15 years old. In the early 1990s he described himself as an “advocate of civilisation²⁴, definer of civilisation, teacher of the rules of civilisation…leader (possibly) of the civilising forces.” Or possibly not.

　　承认失败并不容易。下一次的总统竞选，将吸引更多富有实力，令人望而却步的候选人，这样一来，留给这位72岁，其议会生涯在谴责和耻辱中结束的男人的空间所剩无几。在政治演说中，他曾经追忆他想当总统的起源，当时是1958年，他只有15岁。20世纪90年代早起，他形容自己是一个“文明的倡导者，文明的定义者，文明规则的教授者.....文明力量的领袖（大概吧）”. 看来事实并非如此。

1 foundered   

v.创始人( founder的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Three ships foundered in heavy seas. 三艘船在波涛汹涌的海面上沉没了。 来自辞典例句
• The project foundered as a result of lack of finance. 该项目因缺乏资金而告吹。 来自辞典例句

2 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

3 incandescently   

adj.白热的；白炽的；十分明亮的；感情强烈的

参考例句：

• an incandescent musical performance 充满激情的音乐演奏
• The incandescent lamp we use in daily life was invented by Edison. 我们日常生活中用的白炽灯，是爱迪生发明的。 来自辞典例句

4 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

5 squeaking   

v.短促地尖叫( squeak的现在分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者

参考例句：

• Squeaking floorboards should be screwed down. 踏上去咯咯作响的地板应用螺钉钉住。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Can you hear the mice squeaking? 你听到老鼠吱吱叫吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 snarling   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• "I didn't marry you," he said, in a snarling tone. “我没有娶你，"他咆哮着说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• So he got into the shoes snarling. 于是，汤姆一边大喊大叫，一边穿上了那双鞋。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

9 pomposity   

n.浮华；虚夸；炫耀；自负

参考例句：

• He hated pomposity and disliked being called a genius. 他憎恶自负的作派，而且不喜欢被称为天才。 来自辞典例句
• Nothing could deflate his ego/pomposity, ie make him less self-assured or pompous. 任何事都不能削弱他的自信心[气焰]。 来自辞典例句

10 punctured   

v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的过去式和过去分词 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气

参考例句：

• Some glass on the road punctured my new tyre. 路上的玻璃刺破了我的新轮胎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A nail on the road punctured the tyre. 路上的钉子把车胎戳穿了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

12 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

13 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

14 pretence   

n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰

参考例句：

• The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。
• He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。

15 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

16 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

17 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

18 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

19 clinches   

n.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的名词复数 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议）v.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的第三人称单数 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议）

参考例句：

• Pass argy-bargy one time, both sides clinches a deal with 6000 yuan. 经过一番讨价还价，双方以6000元成交。 来自互联网
• That clinches the argument. 那件事澄清了这项议论。 来自互联网

20 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

21 censure   

v./n.责备；非难；责难

参考例句：

• You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。
• His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。

22 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

23 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

24 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。