美国国家公共电台 NPR Obama Adviser Valerie Jarrett Defends Biden, Talks 2020 In Conversation About Memoir

Obama Adviser¹ Valerie Jarrett Defends Biden, Talks 2020 In Conversation About Memoir²

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Valerie Jarrett, the longtime adviser to President Obama - she knows a thing or two about what makes for a winning candidate. So when I sat down with her to talk about her new memoir, I wanted to look toward this next election. I started off by asking her about a 2020 story that's been in the news a lot these last few days - accusations³ of inappropriate contact by former Vice⁴ President Joe Biden.

VALERIE JARRETT: I had the honor of working with Joe Biden every single day for eight years, and I have an enormous amount of respect for him. And I saw him be extraordinarily⁵ demonstrative to both men and women alike, and never did I take it as a sexual advance in any way. But I think he got it right over the weekend when he said it's important that men listen. And...

CORNISH: But have the politics changed so much for the party? I mean, Al Franken is not in office right now, right...

JARRETT: I think...

CORNISH: ...Because of how the party now views this issue of inappropriateness and misconduct.

JARRETT: I think the culture of our country has changed, and politics is a piece of that. But more importantly - and I think we have enormous debt of gratitude⁷ to the brave women in the #MeToo moment who came forward with their voices. And there is safety in numbers. And I think what men are recognizing is it isn't just a matter of what their intent was. It's a matter of, how was it perceived by the person, and that the way our society and our culture will change is if we are listening to one another better and if we are recognizing the impact of our actions on others. And so I was heartened to see the vice president acknowledge that over the weekend and say, we have to begin listening. And I agree. Time is up.

CORNISH: The problem is, I think, for Democrats⁸ that the voters could then turn to you and say, we think this behavior is disqualifying.

JARRETT: The great part about our democracy is every voter gets to decide that for themselves. We all get to look at the facts and see them through the lens that is valuable to us and then make decisions accordingly. One of the things that President Obama used to say - I remember in the early days of Iowa - is that, look; you have to earn it. You have to be willing to let people come in and see you, your faults, your weaknesses, your strengths, your vision, your track record. And then they get to make the decision, and we have to put our trust and confidence in them. And the piece that I'm interested in right now is making sure that every American appreciates the important of that voice and votes.

CORNISH: What's your advice for these 2020 candidates, especially who - they're essentially⁹ looking to capture the coalition¹⁰ of voters that Barack Obama and your campaign with him was able to do, right? And now there is a question about whether the party can really do that, or do they have to choose, right? They're mired¹¹ in this question about identity politics versus¹² the white working class vote or more progressive politics versus a kind of centrism. He seemed to straddle a lot of these ideas. What can...

JARRETT: I think...

CORNISH: Is that possible now?

JARRETT: Yes, and I think what President Obama did, which I encourage all the candidates to do, is to take a view of our country that's inclusive, where you reach out to everyone. Politics should not be about the politician. Politics should be about service. And people recognize - I think they can see through, in many instances, where people are not authentic¹³.

CORNISH: But wasn't he kind of...

JARRETT: And they crave¹⁴ authenticity¹⁵.

CORNISH: ...The ultimate cult⁶ of personality candidate? I mean, Barack Obama was a - almost a concept - right? - an idea in - that was - that people thought symbolized¹⁶ many things.

JARRETT: And I think that there's still opportunities in the future to do that broad reach, to connect with people the way he was able to do. And I think we're very early in the primary season. I think that Democrats have an embarrassment¹⁷ of riches. We have lots of great candidates who are on the field. I've met with several of the candidates and given them my counsel. And the one thing I've said to all of them that I would say publicly is that - keep your eye on the long view, and that is the general election. And don't so beat up each other in the primary. If we focus on - you know, stating our affirmative case, I think the candidates are at their strongest, and certainly, I would say this about Barack Obama. He spent most of his time talking about what his vision was, what he would bring to the country, how he would improve the lives of the American people. And I think that there is still room in the hearts of the American people for that candidate.

CORNISH: Valerie Jarrett weighing in on the 2020 landscape. She shares more of her life story elsewhere in the show.

1 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

2 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。

3 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

6 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

7 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

8 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》

9 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。

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

11 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

13 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

14 crave   

vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求

参考例句：

• Many young children crave attention.许多小孩子渴望得到关心。
• You may be craving for some fresh air.你可能很想呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。

15 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

16 symbolized   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• For Tigress, Joy symbolized the best a woman could expect from life. 在她看，小福子就足代表女人所应有的享受。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• A car symbolized distinction and achievement, and he was proud. 汽车象征着荣誉和成功，所以他很自豪。 来自辞典例句

17 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。