美国国家公共电台 NPR Speaker Ryan On Sexual Harassment: 'We Are Having A Watershed Moment In This Country'

 

STEVE INSKEEP, BYLINE¹: House Speaker Paul Ryan stepped into a spare room at the Capitol yesterday.

PAUL RYAN: This was - yeah, this is the Board of Education. It's where Rayburn did all that stuff.

INSKEEP: The Board of Education - a name applied² by past speakers of the House. You know, other lawmakers would be told, come have a drink. Get educated on how things work. Beneath the chandelier, Speaker Ryan settled into a chair with water to talk over issues from tax reform to President Trump³.

It's a video interview we're releasing at npr.org, and it came at a fraught⁴ moment. A national uprising over sexual harassment⁵ has reached Congress. The Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi had just called for Congressman⁶ John Conyers to resign. He's the lawmaker revealed to have made a secret settlement of a claim, apparently⁷ one of many, paid by the House.

RYAN: I think we're having a watershed⁸ moment in this country. I think this is a defining moment in this country, and I think it needs to be a defining moment in this country. I think we're all horrified⁹ at the stories we've been seeing unfold in the last few weeks. I think we're all realizing that sexual harassment in America is absolutely pervasive¹⁰, and it's got to go, and we need to end it. And nowhere more is this important to set a standard and example than elected officials. We should be held to a high standard.

So to that end, we've been holding hearings on this particular issue for how Congress governs itself. We've got another hearing next week. We're reviewing all of the systems - the procedures and the sense of accountability - so that we can review the entire soup to nuts system we have in place and where upgrades and improvements can be had. We have more steps to go.

INSKEEP: Do you believe that when Congress - when taxpayers¹¹ pay a settlement for a member of Congress that the public should know...

RYAN: I do. I think - we're also trying to get data on the settlements. We're trying to figure out what claims are paid to whom. And what was the nature of these claims? The point is that some of the victims want that. So you have to remember, there are...

INSKEEP: OK.

RYAN: ...Victim rights issues here as well. So this is not as simple as it seems because of victims' rights.

INSKEEP: You said that public officials should be held to a very high standard. Can you define that for me a little bit?

RYAN: Well, that's a good question. I think the standard you want is - I want my daughter to grow up in a country - she's 15 years old - where she is empowered and respected wherever she goes and wherever she works and whatever she does. And I think nowhere should that be more obvious and apparent than working here in Capitol Hill. So I think here in Congress, we should set ourselves to standards that we expect of other people, and we should set high standards for ourselves so that we can be role models and set examples. And, clearly, people have been falling short of that.

INSKEEP: How bad is it?

RYAN: I don't know the answer to that yet.

INSKEEP: How are you going to find out?

RYAN: I think we're finding out just like the rest of Americans. We just found out about John Conyers about a week ago. So I think we're just finding out about some of these things, which are, quite frankly¹², very disturbing.

INSKEEP: You quite early called for Roy Moore, the Alabama Senate candidate, to withdraw from the race after a number of accusations¹³ were made against him.

RYAN: It's because I believe those allegations are credible¹⁴.

INSKEEP: What is the difference between his case and the case of President Trump, who was also accused by a number of women and also denied it?

RYAN: I think that Roy Moore - I don't know if - I'm focused on Congress. Roy Moore is trying to come to Congress. My job here as Speaker of the House is to help make sure that Congress is an institution that we're proud of. And that's what I'm focused on. He's running for Congress, and I think the allegations against him were very, very credible.

INSKEEP: Is there a difference between those two cases?

RYAN: I don't know the answer to that. I haven't spent my time reviewing the difference in these two cases.

INSKEEP: Let me ask another question about the president, if I might, Mr. Speaker, because you talked about holding people to a high standard. In 2012, you gave a convention speech for Mitt¹⁵ Romney in which you talked about his high character as being above reproach. Is the president meeting that high standard?

RYAN: Look. It's no secret that he and I have had our difference of opinions. It's no secret that I've shared my opinions about his tweets and the rest. But what I see is a president who is fighting for the things that I'm fighting for. I see a president who's fighting for an agenda that will make a positive difference in people's lives. Is this president unconventional? No two ways about it. He's very unconventional. But if we make good by the American people by actually improving their lives and fixing problems, that's a good thing.

INSKEEP: How well do you think Congress is doing at keeping the president in check?

RYAN: Well, I think it's really important that we respect the balance of power between the two branches. I think on this front, the president's been actually very helpful on this. For instance, the executive orders that he's put in place since taking office rolled back a lot of the executive orders from the last administration that we believe did violence to the separation of powers.

INSKEEP: Let's talk about a couple of issues where it can be said the president is not following the intent of Congress. Congress passed sanctions on Russia for interfering¹⁶ in the election in 2016. It appears the administration has moved, but they're moving behind schedule, behind the legal timeline. Do you believe that's going to happen?

RYAN: I do, and I don't - I can't speak to the specifics of the timeline. I haven't been briefed on that.

INSKEEP: Are you confident that this president will be vigilant¹⁷ about Russian interference in the next U.S. election?

RYAN: Yeah, because we're going to make sure that that happens. I think it's really - this is why we have investigations¹⁸ here, among other reasons - is to get to the bottom of not just, what did Russia do? - but how did they do it, and how do we prevent it from happening again? And then how do we share it with our allies?

INSKEEP: Although the chief executive has referred to everything you just described as a hoax¹⁹.

RYAN: Well, I can't speak to that, only to speak that I believe our intelligence - I think he's also said he believes his intelligence community, so I'm not going to go for the tit for tat based on...

INSKEEP: But it gets...

RYAN: ...This.

INSKEEP: It gets to the question of whether you have confidence and why you would have confidence...

RYAN: I'll tell you what I believe.

INSKEEP: ...That people do what's necessary.

RYAN: I believe Russia did meddle²⁰ with our elections. I believe we need to do more to make sure that they don't do it again. I believe consequences need to occur for that. Otherwise, they're going to keep doing this. And we have been passing these bills into law, and he's signed these bills into law. So I feel confident that we're going to make a positive difference in this area.

INSKEEP: Are you going to have a government shutdown on December 8?

RYAN: I don't think so. We'll see what the Senate Democrats²¹ do. I wish that our Democratic colleagues would choose to participate in the negotiations²² that we've been having. Now, we were negotiating. They chose to pull out of the negotiations at the beginning of this week.

INSKEEP: You're referring to a meeting with the president.

RYAN: That's right. So...

INSKEEP: They pulled out after the president said there's no point in meeting, essentially²³.

RYAN: Ah.

INSKEEP: He said there was no room for a deal, I believe.

RYAN: I think that he was probably posturing²⁴, and I think the Democrats chose to just not participate, and we haven't spoken to them since. And I think that that's walking away from the table. Look, I didn't agree with a lot of the stuff Barack Obama said, but whenever he asked me to come around to the White House to talk about a bill to negotiate something, I always went. So I think it's just - speaks to how our system works. Congress passes a law. The president signs a law. In order to get a law into law, you've got to negotiate with the president.

INSKEEP: Would you speak for a moment to people on the other side of the divide who look at Washington and see a president who, in their view, is out of control at best and a Congress that's not minding the store?

RYAN: You know, I would say, look at the House of Representatives. We passed more bills in the first 10 months of this administration than the first 10 months of Obama, Clinton and both Bushes. Unfortunately for us, over 300 of them are still piling up in the Senate because they have these filibusters²⁵. But we've had the most productive House of Representatives in the modern era.

The other point you mention - people on the other side of the divide who didn't vote for Donald Trump, who have concerns about Donald Trump - this is the system we have. Government is working. Things are getting done. And we see ourselves here in Congress as sort of the ballast in the ship, making sure the ship of state floats in the right direction, goes in the right direction. And that is why we're focusing not on the controversy²⁶ of the day but on the problems that people face each and every day. And that's why we're working on things like tax relief.

INSKEEP: Mr. Speaker, thanks very much.

RYAN: Great. Thank you, Steve.

INSKEEP: He talked to us yesterday at the Capitol. And elsewhere in today's program, we discuss the tax bill that passed the House and is now hanging by a thread in the Senate. We've been releasing video of that talk, as well.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

3 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。

4 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

5 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

6 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。

7 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

8 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

9 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

10 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

11 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

12 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。

13 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

14 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

15 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

16 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

17 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

18 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

19 hoax   

v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧

参考例句：

• They were the victims of a cruel hoax.他们是一个残忍恶作剧的受害者。
• They hoax him out of his money.他们骗去他的钱。

20 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

21 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》

22 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

23 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

24 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。

25 filibusters   

n.掠夺兵( filibuster的名词复数 )；暴兵；（用冗长的发言）阻挠议事的议员；会议妨碍行为v.阻碍或延宕国会或其他立法机构通过提案( filibuster的第三人称单数 )；掠夺

参考例句：

• This Republican leadership has waged 78 filibusters and we still have six months to go. 而这届参议院上台才一年半，共和党领导层已经应用了78次。 来自互联网
• Yes, there were filibusters in the past-most notably by segregationists trying to block civil rights legislation. 没错，过去也有使用阻挠立法手段的——尤其是种族隔离分子阻止民权法案使用过。 来自互联网

26 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。