共和党回应

　　When Joni poked Barry

　　乔尼戳巴里脊梁骨

　　A polite request for the president to co-operate

　　客气要求总统合作

　　JONI ERNST did not flub her lines or commit any gaffes. So compared with Republican efforts of recent years, her response to Barack Obama's state-of-the-union message was a success. But the new senator from Iowa had promised, during her campaign, to make Washington squeal like a hog having its testicles removed, and platitudes rarely have that effect. Her personal stories of hardship—like using bread bags as a child to keep rain off her shoes—were aimed more at the heart than any other organ.

　　琼妮厄恩斯特没有站错阵营也没哗众取宠。与近几年来共和党的表现相比，她对奥巴马国情咨文的回复真是一大创举，这位来自爱荷华州的新议员许诺她的竞选将让白宫饱尝撕心裂肺的苦头，而这绝不是说说而已，她的个人经历就充满着艰难困苦，比如童年时代曾用面包袋挡鞋子上的雨水，而这比任何东西都能打动人心。

　　奥巴马总统 可可英语.jpg

　　Like the president before her, Mrs Ernst's speech suggested little willingness to compromise. Having walloped the Democrats in the mid-term elections, Republicans feel that the president should move in their direction. Mrs Ernst called for repealing Obamacare, which Mr Obama obviously won't allow, and building the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which he probably won't.

　　和奥巴马一样，厄恩斯的言辞也是斩钉截铁的语气，在中期选举一举击垮民主党之后，共和党人只觉得牵着总统鼻子走也是理所应当，厄恩斯呼吁撤销奥巴马医改建设基石管道，前者没有商量的余地，而后者可能还有一线生机。

　　She called for tax reform, without raising rates as Mr Obama would like. She urged the president to get on board, though her party doubts he will. Mr Obama shows “no willingness to even meet somewhere in the middle on issues that have been percolating for some time”, said Richard Burr, a senator from North Carolina.

　　她呼吁税务改革，拒绝顺着奥巴马的意愿提高税率，并要求奥巴马回到谈判桌前，但对此她也不抱什么希望，“奥巴马也没有任何在这个已僵持过得问题上折衷”北卡罗来纳州议员理查德说。

　　That is not entirely true. Mr Obama and Mrs Ernst agreed on the need for trade deals with Asia and Europe. And Republicans seem likely to authorise the use of force against Islamic State, as the president asked. But on domestic issues, the gulf between the parties is as wide as ever. “What he's talking about so far he knows doesn't have any chance whatsoever of passing,” said Lamar Alexander, a senator from Tennessee. Mrs Ernst was more polite. “With a little co-operation from the president,” she said, “we can get Washington working again.”

　　这也不是完全正确，奥巴马和厄恩斯在对亚洲和欧洲的贸易协定上达成了一致，共和党似乎也如总统所愿同意授权出兵打击伊斯兰国势力，但双方在国内问题上争执不下，田纳西亚议员亚历山大说，他所说的那些他自己都知道不可能通过，厄恩斯更为客套，她说，只要总统有一点合作的意向，我们就能让华盛顿运作起来。