时代周刊 民主党就政府关门认输 激起基层党人强烈反对(2)（在线收听）

In a way, the Jan.22 vote to reopen the government was the first policy melee in the party’s 2020 presidential primary battle.

从某种程度上来说，1月22日针对是否让政府重新开张的选举可谓是就民主党2020年总统初选之战首次政策上的短兵相接。

But the Democrats’ defeat should not have been a surprise.

然而，民主党会失利并没有什么好奇怪的。

Sure, the party’s left and right managed to row in the same direction for a while and agreed on a destination, but they never mapped their route.

没错，民主党内的左右两派曾暂时达成过一致，达成过一致的目标，但他们并没有明确自己的路线。

And they could have predicted that Republicans would not yield.

他们本可以料到共和党人不会善罢甘休的。

“Turning the agenda over to Democrats who just shut down the government makes no sense,”

“把议题交给刚刚关了政府的民主党人没有任何意义”

John Cornyn of Texas, the Senate’s second-ranking Republican, told reporters on Jan.21.

来自德克萨斯坐着参议院共和党第二把交椅的John Cornyn21号向记者透露。

“It seems like it encourages bad behavior.”

“那样会有种助纣为虐的感觉。”

While Democrats were unified heading into the shutdown, the second-guessing began quickly.

尽管民主党人一致主张政府关门，人们还是很快开始了第二轮猜测。

Some lawmakers heard from constituents back home—especially in states reliant on federal contractors.

有议员就受到了来自家乡，尤其是那些指望着联邦承包商的选民的指责。

Others worried that the off-ramp for the shutdown hinged on Republicans’ caving. (Unlikely, if history were a guide.)

也有人担忧拖延政府关门要取决于共和党人是否妥协。（从历史经验来看是不可能的）

For some Democrats, shutting down the government and programs they wanted to protect and expand ran counter to their core beliefs.

对某些民主党人来说，让政府关门，取消他们想保护并推行的政策违背了他们的核心理念。

And so Democrats found themselves in a bind: squeezed between Republican conviction and the demands of their own base.

所以，共和党人不愿让步，民主党又有自己的底线，民主党人便发现自己夹在中间进退两难。

In the end, they bought McConnell’s vague promises.

最后，尽管McConnell提出承诺时言辞含混，民主党还是选择了买他的账。

Some Democrats argued that the concessions allowed the party to look responsible, while paving the way for gains in the fall’s midterm elections.

部分民主党人士表示，他们正在筹备秋天的中期选举，让步会让民主党显得比较有责任心。

“For the first time, we’re going to see actual votes (on immigration),”

“我们将迎来针对移民的有史以来第一次实实在在的投票,”

Senator Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said before the Jan.22 vote.

参议院议员，身为无党派人士却还是会参加民主党会议的Angus King在22号投票前评论道。

Maybe. McConnell never specifically promised a stand-alone bill on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects Dreamers.

或许吧。毕竟，在保护追梦人利益的“童年入境暂缓遣返”项目上，McConnell从未明确承诺订立任何独立法案。

The next day, the third-ranking Republican in the House, Steve Scalise, declared McConnell’s work moot: “There were no commitments made in the House.”

次日，众议院民主党第三把交椅Steve Scalise便宣布McConnell是枉费心机：“（因为）众议院并未做出任何承诺。”

Which may prove the liberal critics’ case.

他的这一反应或许佐证了无党派评论家们的看法。