2015年经济学人 国会选举 在任者不可撼动

Congressional elections

Immovable incumbents²

The Republican primaries have produced fewer upsets than expected

JUSTIN AMASH, a congressman³, represents one of the most conservative parts of Michigan.

Pat Roberts (pictured), a member of the Senate, represents one of America’s most conservative states.

After hard-fought campaigns both men won their Republican Party primaries on August 5th and now look likely to retain their seats. The similarities end there.

Mr Amash, who is 34, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2010, riding the Tea Party wave that wiped out both Democrats⁴ and old-school Republicans.

A staunch libertarian, he has alienated⁵ some in Congress with his stubbornness, which has earned him the nickname “Dr No”.

He tried to oust⁶ John Boehner as Speaker and was duly punished, losing his seat on the budget committee.

Sensing an opportunity, business-minded Republicans backed Mr Amash’s challenger in the primary, Brian Ellis. But Mr Amash whipped him, winning by 15 points.

Pro-business Republicans have little beef with Mr Roberts, who is 78,

but conservative insurgents⁷ were out for his blood. Having served 33 years in Congress (17 in the Senate),

Mr Roberts is the epitome⁸ of an establishment Republican. The main charge against him was that he had become too comfortable in Washington.

He admitted frankly⁹ that he owned no home in Kansas and visited the state “every time I get an opponent”.

His opponent this time, Milton Wolf, a doctor, was supported by national and local Tea Party groups, but it was not enough in the end.

Mr Roberts won by seven points.

Drawing conclusions about the Republican Party from these results is difficult. For starters, both incumbents faced underwhelming challengers.

Mr Ellis’s campaign was so vicious that Mr Amash refused to take his congratulatory phone call.

Dr Wolf, a second cousin of Barack Obama, ran a cleaner campaign and did better than expected.

But he was tripped up when it was discovered that he had posted X-rays of his patients on Facebook along with crude jokes about them.

The Republican primaries in Kansas and Michigan, and others elsewhere this year, seem to say more about the power of incumbency¹⁰ than anything else.

With just a few notable exceptions—such as Eric Cantor, the former House majority leader,

who lost in June—those already in office have faced down challenges from candidates of all stripes.

Indeed, Mr Roberts’s victory makes it probable that for the first time since 2008 no incumbent¹ Republican senator will lose a primary.

But the campaigns have raised the question of what makes a politician truly conservative, a mantle¹¹ grasped by nearly all of the Republican candidates.

For Mr Amash it is a devotion to liberty that does not always suit Republican priorities. For Mr Roberts it seems less about ideology¹² and more about partisan¹³ loyalty¹⁴.

Republican leaders in Congress have had a difficult time accommodating these competing visions. Judging by the primaries, their job will not get any easier.

1 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

2 incumbents   

教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 )； 教会中的任职者

参考例句：

• In general, incumbents have a 94 percent chance of being reelected. 通常现任官员有94%的几率会再次当选。
• This arangement yields a wonderful gain to incumbents. 这种安排为在职人员提供了意外的得益。

3 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

4 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》

5 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

7 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

8 epitome   

n.典型，梗概

参考例句：

• He is the epitome of goodness.他是善良的典范。
• This handbook is a neat epitome of everyday hygiene.这本手册概括了日常卫生的要点。

9 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

10 incumbency   

n.职责，义务

参考例句：

• Every incumbency employee has his year-end bonus.所有的在职员工都可以领到年终奖金。
• Administrator ethic includes administrative incumbency and administrative conscience.行政人员伦理包括行政义务和行政良知。

11 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。

12 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

13 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

14 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。