密歇根新闻广播 密歇根州的重要作用

Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell is on a mission.

The morning after the Iowa Democratic Caucuses¹ produced no clear votes and no winner, Dingell denounced what she called a “total screw-up.” She dubbed² the current nominating system “broken,” and one that does not “reflect the diversity of this country.”

She’s right – especially since party powerbrokers insist on starting the presidential rite³ in Iowa and New Hampshire. Those states’ minority populations, percentage-wise, are a fraction of the national average – or the Michigan average, which more closely tracks the nation.

African-Americans account for 14.1% of Michigan’s population, according to the Census⁴ Bureau. That’s slightly higher than the U.S. average. By comparison, Iowa is 4% black and New Hampshire just 1.7%.

Unlike the cornfield capital of America, the home of the Motor City ticks all the boxes today’s Democrats⁵ theoretically want – even need – in a go-first state.

Michigan is three times larger than Iowa. Its population is more racially and politically diverse. And Detroit is the largest minority-majority city percentage-wise in the country.

Michigan’s got large socio-economically diverse swaths of suburbs, vast rural areas and one of the nation’s most diverse agricultural sectors⁷. It’s got college towns in Ann Arbor⁸ and East Lansing, anchored by Big Ten universities that help support a growing tech sector⁶. And its traditional manufacturing is powered, in part, by union labor⁹ that still wields¹⁰ influence in state politics.

Most importantly: the path to the Oval Office runs straight through Michigan, arguably the most central battleground state.

In a 50-50 nation, it’s more or less a 50-50 state with a Republican Legislature, a Democratic governor, a sophisticated business community with global reach – and more than enough experience with economic hardship.

Donald Trump¹¹ wouldn’t be president – and won’t be again – without carrying Michigan.

In 2016 Trump carried the state because a) he understood how his message would resonate with key voting blocks here and because b) Hillary Clinton and her campaign wrongly assumed the Democratic Blue Wall would hold.

There’s a reason House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to deliver the Democratic response to Trump’s State of the Union address this week: the state is electorally vital.

My hometown of Canton, Ohio, long had a reputation for picking presidents – a 50-50 town split between labor and management, Democrats and Republicans. It was a bellwether¹² where national political pros¹³ sought clues to who might win the next presidential election.

Sorry ol’ Buckeye friends. That job should go to Michigan – 'cuz Iowa isn’t up to it anymore.

Daniel Howes is a columnist¹⁴ at The Detroit News. Views expressed in his essays are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management or the station licensee, The University of Michigan.

Clarification: A clarification has been made to indicate that, by percentage, Detroit is the largest minority-majority city in the country.

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 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

4 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

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 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

7 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 wields   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的第三人称单数 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• She wields enormous power within the party. 她操纵着党内大权。
• He remains chairman, but wields little power at the company. 他还是主席，但在公司没有什么实权了。

11 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。

12 bellwether   

n.系铃的公羊，前导，领导者，群众的首领

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change.大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• For decades the company was the bellwether of the British economy.几十年来，这家公司一直是英国经济的晴雨表。

13 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。