Iowa Voters Focus on Economy
爱荷华州选民集中关心经济问题
As Republican presidential hopefuls campaign in the Midwesteern state of Iowa are encountering voters increasingly concerned about the state of the economy. The recent debate about raising the U.S. debt ceiling, followed by a downgrade of the credit rating by Standard & Poors, are among key concerns.
In a backyard GOP fundraiser on the outskirts of Des Moines, businessman Nick Van Patten is getting an earful about the recent volatility on Wall Street.
在德梅因郊区一个后院共和党的资金筹集会上，商人Nick Van Patten听说了近期华尔街许多令人震惊的消息。
"Everybody's not happy seeing this seesaw effect, and it's happening all over again just like 2008, and it's starting to scare people," said Van Patten.
“每个人看到这种跷跷板效应都很不高兴，现在，这种状况已经像2008年一样开始重演，已经开始使人们感到恐惧。”Van Patten表示。
Van Patten is also a local Republican party official, and the fundraiser host. Just days ahead of a crucial poll in Iowa of Republican presidential candidates, Van Patten says talk on the campaign trail is almost exclusively related to the economy.
Van Patten也是当地一名共和党官员，这次资金筹集活动的主持人。距离爱荷华州共和党总统候选人进行关键的投票还有几天的时间，Van Patten说，关于这次竞选活动的谈话几乎全部与经济有关。
"People are wondering, are banks going to be able to loan money out, is it going to get better?" he explained.
“人们在想，银行能不能提供更多贷款，形势会不会变好？”
Hoping to provide some answers while gaining support, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, the keynote speaker at Van Patten's backyard fundraiser, wants to promote business growth and shrink government as a way back to economic prosperity.
在资金筹集会上的主要讲话者，希望竞选总统的米特·罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)希望给出答案，同时获得人们的支持。他希望促进商业发展，精简政府机构，重新实现经济繁荣。
"I like what you do," said Romney. "I like the fact that you hire people. That you pay taxes. That you grow our economy. Good things come from a strong economy, like good jobs for our people. Good jobs for our kids coming out of school."
米特·罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)：“我喜欢你的做法，我喜欢你们雇佣员工，你们缴纳税收，你们促进经济增长。良好的事情都来自强健的经济，比如我们的民众获得好的工作，毕业生获得好的工作。”
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in downtown Des Moines, presidential hopeful Ron Paul flatly rejected calls for compromise.
在德梅因市区向支持者发表讲话时，希望竞选总统的罗恩·保罗(Ron Paul)断然否决了作出妥协的要求。
"They talk about the need for compromise. 'We need, you know, to come together and everybody has to give up something and everybody needs to sacrifice.' Quite frankly, I don't think that's necessary. I think that is wrong. There is no need to compromise or settle for less than defending our liberties," said Paul.
“他们谈到了妥协的必要性。‘我们需要团结起来，每个人都必须放弃一些要求，每个人都需要作出牺牲。’非常坦率地说，我不认为这是必要的。我认为这是错误的。根本没有必要作出妥协，我们需要捍卫我们的自由。”
Retiree Ernie Rudolph listened intently to Paul's speech. He has a pragmatic outlook on the growing political divide in Washington.
退休人员Ernie Rudolph专心地听了保罗的讲话。关于华盛顿两党之间不断增加的政治分歧，他有着实用主义的看法。
"This is not an exclusively Barack Obama problem," said Rudolph. "It is not an exclusively Democrat problem. It is a problem of Washington politics and it has been building for time, and it's accelerating."
“这并不只是奥巴马政府的问题，并不只是民主党的问题。而是整个华盛顿政治的问题，是长期之内累积而成的，而且现在还在加剧。”
Recent polling indicates many Americans agree with Rudolph. According to a Rueters/Ipsos poll, 73 percent of Americans believe the United States is on the "wrong track."
最近的民意调查显示，许多美国人赞同Ernie Rudolph的观点。根据路透与艾普索斯(Reuters/Ipsos)的民意调查，73%的美国人认为美国走上了错误的道路。
A growing field of Republican presidential candidates, most of them now on the ground in Iowa, are trying to convince voters their plan is the best to put the U.S. economy back on track.
越来越多的共和党总统候选人现在来到了爱荷华，试图说服选民，他们的计划对于使美国经济回到正轨来说是最好的。 |