PBS高端访谈:医保成为竞选热议话题

JUDY WOODRUFF: It was another busy weekend on the campaign trail for the more than 20 candidates vying¹ for the Democratic presidential nomination². And, as Lisa Desjardins reports, the debate on health care reform took center stage.

LISA DESJARDINS: The 2020 Democratic candidates are trying to run on their own terms.

JOSEPH BIDEN (D), Presidential Candidate: Starting over makes no sense to me at all.

LISA DESJARDINS: For former Vice³ President Joe Biden, today, that meant releasing his health care plan. It would add a so-called public option, allowing all Americans to buy into a Medicare-like program run by the government. He previewed the plan this weekend in New Hampshire.

JOSEPH BIDEN: I admire the rest of the field, from Bernie to Elizabeth to Kamala, who want Medicare for all. And I would build on the Affordable⁴ Care Act, and I would make sure that anyone, there was a public option.

LISA DESJARDINS: That drew ire from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. In a tweet today, Sanders knocked the former V.P., pointing to his former boss, President Obama, and how Obama called Sanders' Medicare for all a good idea. As for the trail, this weekend, a tale of key states; 10 2020 hopefuls addressed a friendly crowd in Iowa Sunday.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), Presidential Candidate: We can do better, America, when it comes to infrastructure⁵.

LISA DESJARDINS: More than 1,000 caucus-goers turned out in balmy weather for the annual Iowa Progress Corn Feed. With just over six months until the caucuses⁶, candidates strove to appeal to widely.

JULIAN CASTRO (D), Presidential Candidate: I want to make sure that, no matter who you are, whether you live in a big city or a small town, no matter what your background is, that you can have those kind of opportunities, too.

LISA DESJARDINS: In the next state to vote, New Hampshire, no big stage, instead, backyards, as candidates worked retail⁷ politics. Former Texas Congressman⁸ Beto O'Rourke pitched his universal early education plan at a house in Manchester:

BETO O'ROURKE (D), Presidential Candidate: We will ensure that school starts not you're 4 or 5 years old in kindergarten, but when you're 3 or 4 years old in pre-K, universal across the United States of America.

LISA DESJARDINS: And in swing state Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, the activist⁹ left met for the annual Netroots Conference. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was met with cheers ahead of a wide-ranging panel.

WOMAN: We love you, Liz!

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), Presidential Candidate: I love you, too!

LISA DESJARDINS: Also confronting candidates, increased challenges from President Trump¹⁰, calling Democrats¹¹ socialists¹² or communists, weak on security. In Iowa, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg said Democrats need to stand their own ground.

PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), Presidential Candidate: If we embrace a left-wing agenda, the president is going to say we're socialists and we're for open borders. If we adopt a conservative agenda, the president is going to say we're socialists and we're for open borders. So we might as well just stand up for what we believe in and take it from there.

LISA DESJARDINS: For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Lisa Desjardins.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：视线回到竞选活动——刚刚过去的周末又是匆匆忙忙的，因为20多位候选人竞相角逐获得民主党总统候选人提名的资格。根据我台记者丽莎·德雅尔丹发回的报道，有关医疗改革的讨论成了主要话题。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：角逐2020年竞选的民主党候选人们可谓八仙过海各显神通。

乔·拜登，总统候选人：我觉得重头再来根本行不通。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：对前副总统乔·拜登来说，今天就是公布自己医疗改革方案的时候了。他会在方案里新增一个所谓的公开选项，该选项允许所有美国人购买政府经营的类似于国家老年人医疗保险制度的项目。本周末，在新罕布什尔，拜登预览了该方案。

乔·拜登：我很钦佩我的竞争对手们，无论是伯尼、伊丽莎白还是卡马拉，他们都希望为美国人实行国家老年人医疗保险制度。而我会选择在平价医疗法案的基础上做修改，因为我想确保所有人都有一个公开选项可以选择。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：对此，佛蒙特州参议员伯尼·桑德斯表示十分愤怒。在今天发布的一条推文中，桑德斯抨击了这位前副总统。桑德斯直指其前领导——奥巴马总统，并指出奥巴马曾大夸特夸桑德斯的“全民平价医疗法案”是个好主意。那么本周末的竞选活动去了哪些地方呢？主要是几个州；周日，候选人们在爱荷华州气氛友好的民众面前做了演讲。

参议员埃米·克洛布彻，总统候选人：美国在基础设施方面可以做的更好。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：有1000多个要参与大选投票的人在和风旭日下出现在了爱荷华州年度玉米饲料进展会现场。距离大选还有6个多月，各个候选人都争相接触更多的选民。

朱利安·卡斯特罗，总统候选人：我想确保任何人，不管他/她是生活在大城市，还是某个小镇，无论背景怎样，也都能有这样的机会。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：下一个投票的州是新罕布什尔。候选人们没有大张旗鼓地开展竞选活动，而是选择了零售式竞选政治。前德克萨斯州议员贝托·欧洛克在曼彻斯坦的一座楼前公布了自己的全民早期教育计划。

贝托·欧洛克，总统候选人：我们会确保孩子们不是从四五岁上幼儿园的时候开始早期教育，而是在学前班，也就是三四岁的时候开始接受早期教育，保证这种早期教育遍及美国各地。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：而在摇摆州宾夕法尼亚的费城市，有一位候选人来到了网络根国家进步人士年会。她就是马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦，她的到场让现场响起了欢呼声。在她之后，才是庞大的专家组出席。

女：我们爱您，利兹！

参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦，总统候选人：我也爱你们！

丽莎·德雅尔丹：这些候选人不仅要面临彼此间的竞争，还要面对特朗普更加猛烈的攻势——特朗普称民主党支持社会主义或共产主义，而且疏于安全管理。在爱荷华州的南本德市，皮特·布蒂吉格说，民主党需要坚持自己的立场。

皮特·布蒂吉格，总统候选人：如果我们支持左翼政策，那么特朗普又要说我们是社会主义者，我们支持开放边境。而如果我们采取保守态度，特朗普也会这么说。所以我们还不如坚持己见，相信这样的看法。

丽莎·德雅尔丹：感谢收听丽莎·德雅尔丹发回的《新闻一小时》。

1 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

5 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

6 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

7 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

8 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。

9 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

10 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。

11 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》

12 socialists   

社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The socialists saw themselves as true heirs of the Enlightenment. 社会主义者认为自己是启蒙运动的真正继承者。
• The Socialists junked dogma when they came to office in 1982. 社会党人1982年上台执政后，就把其政治信条弃之不顾。