时代周刊:民主党初选形势日益明朗(3)

Biden had made some changes to his campaign after his fourth-place showing in Iowa on Feb. 3,

2月3日，爱荷华州开局竞选日，拜登便屈居第四，随后，他调整了自己的竞选策略，

only to fare even worse in the next contest, finishing fifth in the Feb.11 New Hampshire primary.

但接下来的竞争成绩反而更糟了——2月11日，新汉布什尔州初选拜登的得票率已经下滑至第五。

He was second in the Feb.22 Nevada caucuses¹ but with just 20% of the vote.

尽管2月22日内华达州的政党基层会议上他总算跃居第二，得票率也仅有20%。

His debate performances were uneven², and his campaign so low on money

他在各地的辩论环节的表现也是参差不齐，不仅如此，竞选经费也颇为紧张，

he couldn't afford to place major advertising³ buys, build a ground game or even poll the Super Tuesday states.

没钱投放大型广告，没钱组织拉票活动，甚至都没钱就超级星期二的初选民意展开调查。

But he benefited from events outside his control.

反倒是超出其掌控范围的事情成就了他。

Bloomberg's dismal⁴ debate performances discouraged moderates still looking for a deus ex machina.

布隆伯格糟糕的辩论表现令仍在指望奇迹发生的温和派大失所望。

And Sanders' early successes alarmed rank-and-file Democrats⁵ looking for a centrist nominee⁶ in November.

桑德斯初期的优异成绩也给试图在11月大选时支持中间派候选人的普通民主党人敲响了警钟。

All the while, Biden kept insisting that the largely African-American Democratic electorate⁷ of South Carolina would stick with him.

在此期间，拜登一直坚称，非裔为主的南卡罗来纳州民主党选民会继续支持他。

And in the end it did, thanks in part to a crucial endorsement⁸ from the influential⁹ South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn.

事实证明确实如此，但这在一定程度上要归功于人气颇高的南卡罗来纳州众议员吉姆·克莱本的得力支持。

Biden's landslide¹⁰ there changed the race.

拜登在该州的压倒性胜利一举扭转了比赛局势。

He claimed to have raised $15 million in three days and was endorsed¹¹ by a parade of Democratic Party elders

他声称，三天之内他便筹集到了1500万美元的竞选资金，还得到了一众民主党元老，

and elected officials as well as Buttigieg and Klobuchar.

民选官员以及（竞争对手）皮特·布蒂吉格和（明尼苏达州参议员）艾米·克洛布查尔的支持。

When Minnesota broke Biden's way, headquarters erupted into chants of "Amy!"

拜登在明尼苏达州的选举顺风顺水，选举中心爆发出来阵阵呐喊声，“艾米！”“艾米！”“艾米！”……

Several Biden fundraisers told TIME that after South Carolina,

数名负责为拜登筹款的工作人员告诉《时代》周刊，在南卡罗来纳州之后，

donors¹² who had contributed the maximum $2,800 to his rivals swiftly re-opened their wallets.

那些曾经为拜登的对手捐赠了高达2800美元竞选资金的选民迅速又敞开了他们的钱包。

"There's been an outpouring of people" wanting to donate,

想捐款的人“大批大批地涌现了出来”，

says Alan Patricof, a top Biden fundraiser and New York City venture capitalist.

据拜登的主要筹款人、纽约市风险投资家艾伦·帕特里科夫透露。

"It's a much more positive atmosphere."

“（支持拜登的）氛围比之前浓厚多了。”

Exit polls indicated that Biden's strongest voter demographics, African Americans and older Democrats,

出口民调显示，在最新一波受过教育的郊区温和派选民的支持的感染下，

provided the base for his March 3 victories, bolstered¹³ by a late-breaking wave of educated suburban¹⁴ moderates.

拜登最强大的选民后盾非裔美国人和较为年长的民主党人为他在3月3日的胜利提供了有力的支撑。

An unusually high proportion of the electorate, more than 40%, told pollsters they chose a candidate in the final few days,

超过40%——这一比例高得有些异常——的选民告诉民调机构，他们都是最后几天才做出了投票决定，

an indication of the uncertainty¹⁵ and concern as Democrats grapple with the central question of how best to take on President Trump¹⁶ in November.

这表明，民主党人正在设法解决如何才能最好地在11月份大选之时同特朗普总统一较高下这一中心问题，选民们却对该党的候选人依然抱有不确定和担忧。

Sanders worked hard to expand the passionate¹⁷ movement he began to build in 2016,

桑德斯则试图重点拉拢少数族裔，工薪阶层和年轻一代的选民，

by focusing on reaching out to minority, working class and young voters while arguing that he is the most electable candidate.

同时主张自己是最值得支持的候选人，藉此大力壮大他2016年培养起来的热情洋溢的后援队伍，

But turnout to date has not shown that he can vastly expand the electorate,

但截至目前，投票率并未显露出他真能大幅壮大选民队伍的迹象，

and voters in most of the March 3 states appeared unconvinced.

3月3日举行初选的大多数州的选民似乎也不相信他的主张。

Exit polls showed voters prioritizing a candidate they thought could win in November over one who agreed with their views by a 2-to-1 ratio.

出口民调显示，优先支持他们认为可能在11月获胜的候选人的选民人数与优先支持与自己观点一致的候选人的选民人数的比例为2:1。

It was Biden, not Sanders, who could claim to be driving up turnout in places like Virginia, where nearly twice as many people voted as did in 2016

有资格声称自己提高了弗吉尼亚州等地投票率的是拜登而非桑德斯——今年，弗吉尼亚周选民的投票热情几乎是2016年的两倍，

and the former Vice¹⁸ President topped the Vermont Senator by 30 points.

相比佛蒙特州参议员桑德斯，前副总统拜登以近30个百分点的领先优势成功拿下该州。

1 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

2 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

3 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

4 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

5 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》

6 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。

7 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

8 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

9 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

10 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

11 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 bolstered   

v.支持( bolster的过去式和过去分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• He bolstered his plea with new evidence. 他举出新的证据来支持他的抗辩。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The data must be bolstered by inferences and indirect estimates of varying degrees of reliability. 这些资料必须借助于推理及可靠程度不同的间接估计。 来自辞典例句

14 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

15 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

16 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。

17 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

18 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。