'Political Attack Dogs' Add Color to US Presidential Campaig

 

Ted¹ Landphair

Earlier this month, an open microphone caught Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in an unguarded moment, muttering to supporters about the Republican opposition³.
"These guys are the most crooked⁴, you know, lying group I've ever seen," he said.
Mr. Kerry later said he was not referring to President Bush or Republicans in general. He was singling out GOP political strategists, who had been hammering his voting record in the U.S. Senate. The flap brought attention to those colorful players in the U.S. presidential campaign known as political attack dogs.
Americans know the drill. TV talk-show hosts describe the latest political controversy⁵ in melodramatic tones. Then they trot⁶ out each party's pit bulls from a large kennel⁷ of smart, sharp-fanged pundits⁹ who are always on call, straining at the leash¹⁰ to verbally maim¹¹ each other. Here's an example from ABC-TV. Kiki McClean is the Democrat²; Ralph Reed, the Republican. "John Kerry is moving out with a very compelling message of change in the economy, which is bleeding jobs under George Bush, and change for this go-it-alone foreign policy, which has been disastrous," said Ms. McClean.
"Look, the American people just don't know that John Kerry has voted 350 times for higher taxes, that he voted to kill 27 weapons systems entirely¹² ...," replied Mr. Reed.
What's all this bickering¹³ about, and how did it become such a staple¹⁴ of American politics? Virginia writer B.J. Rudell, who wrote a grassroots account of presidential campaigning called Only in New Hampshire says each side employs these combative¹⁵ surrogates for the candidates in order to energize¹⁶ the base of already-committed voters.
"They're there to get people watching at home to say, 'Yeah! You go get 'em. That's what I want to hear out of my side,'" said Mr. Rudell. "And in the process, the candidates can really take the high road, look more presidential, seize on issues and discourse¹⁷ that appeal to the all-important independent voters, who generally swing each election."
Ned Barnett has fed political attack dogs raw meat as a speechwriter for Democratic and Republican gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates. Mr. Barnett, who now runs a political consulting firm in Las Vegas, Nevada, says many of these shouters can write thoughtful position papers one minute, and go ballistic on cue the next.
"Most of these people are sophisticated strategists," said Mr. Barnett. "They're studying polls, news articles, the comments made by their candidate and the other candidate. And they're coming up with very carefully crafted analyses on what to say and how to say it.
"Then they turn on the attack-dog switch," he continued, "throwing verbal rocks at each other. Facts are distorted or totally ignored in the effort to make enough noise to drown out the other side. But they're not going to accomplish anything. Nobody's going to be persuaded."
Wrong, says one expert on the art of persuasion¹⁸. Hellen Davis, the author of the book The 21 Laws of Influence, says attack dogs do score points with viewers and even change some minds.
"If you look at the major talk shows, and you look at the listenership, eight million white men listen to a certain talk-show host, and his programming is all about screaming, and they have the mentality¹⁹ of 'screamer du jour,'" she said. "If the screamer du jour happens to have a sound bite that they like the day before the election, that is exactly what they are going to make their voting decision on."
Hellen Davis says the only way to stop the madness, as she puts it, is for one side's surrogates to refuse the bait, let the other side rant²⁰, and then respond calmly and quietly. Of course, Ms. Davis admits, TV producers would immediately scratch such a rational person from future appearances.
Many Americans who describe themselves as ordinary citizens and political moderates, as 60-year-old Lynda O'Connor does, say they're sick of the political sound and fury. Ms. O'Connor runs a small business outside Chicago.
"I'm offended," she said. "We turn it off half the time because there's too much conflict. It's a confirmation²¹ to other countries that we're rude and that we're not considerate of other people. Instead of a discussion, it's more like attacking each other - screaming and yelling, just to kind of vent²²."
So if political attack dogs repulse²³ thoughtful voters, why are Americans seeing more and more of them on television? Ned Barnett says it's simple. Like on-air brawls²⁴ among jilted lovers and made-for-TV contests in which participants will do just about anything to win money, attack-dog matches make lively television.
"People will tune²⁵ in to see that," said Mr. Barnett. "It's like, you drive by a building that's on fire, and you can't help but look. It's kind of a dirty little pleasure."
And so, the political gladiators strap²⁶ on their talking points and step back into the ring.
"The three million people who don't have a job under this president recognize where change is and change isn't," said Mr. McClean. "And it's not with George Bush. It's with John Kerry. The other thing ..."
"That's just simply not true," fought back Mr. Reed. "The president's not going to be satisfied until every American who wants a job ..."
There's a whimsical Warner Brothers cartoon series about Ralph the Wolf and Sam the Sheepdog. After wishing each other good morning and punching a time clock, Ralph tries every trick to catch Sam's sheep, and Sam fights him at every turn. When the work whistle blows at the end of the day, they punch out and wish each other a good evening. Observers of political attack dogs see a parallel, because these bitter foes²⁷ can often be seen sharing a laugh over a beer or rubbing elbows at the same dinner party once the television lights are turned off. It's as if all their bluster²⁸ is, at least on one level, a carefully choreographed³⁰ show.

注释：
mutter [5mQtE] v. 低声说，嘀咕
GOP abbr. Grand Old Party 大老党（美国共和党的别称）
controversy [5kCntrEvE:si] n. 辩论，论战
melodramatic [7melEudrE5mAtik] adj. 戏剧性的，感情夸张的
trot out [口] 给人看
sharp-fanged [5FB:p5fANd] adj. 讥讽的, 挖苦的
pundit⁸ [5pQndit] n. 专家
leash [li:F] v. 控制, 约束
verbally [5vbEli] adv. 用言辞地，口头地
maim [meim] vt. 使不能工作
staple [5steipl] adj. 主要的
Virginia [vE(:)5dVinjE] n.（美国东部）弗吉尼亚州
discourse [dis5kC:s] n. 演说
gubernatorial [7^ju:bEnEtC:riEl] n. [美] 州长的
go ballistic [口] 发怒，生气
sophisticated [sE5fistikeitid] adj. 老于世故的，老练的
listenership [5lisEnEFip] n. 听众（人数）
surrogate [5sQrE^it] n. 代表
gladiator [5^lAdieitE] n. 论争者
whimsical [5(h)wimzikEl] adj. 古怪的，异想天开的
parallel [5pArElel] n. 相似之物
bluster [5blQstE] n. 恫吓，夸口
choreograph²⁹ [5kC(:)riE^rB:f] vt. 精心策划，设计

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

5 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。

6 trot   

n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧

参考例句：

• They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
• The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

7 kennel   

n.狗舍，狗窝

参考例句：

• Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
• Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。

8 pundit   

n.博学之人；权威

参考例句：

• Even the outstanding excellent graduate will learn constantly if he likes to be a pundit.即使最优秀的结业生，要想成为一个博学的人也要不断地研究。
• He is a well known political pundit.他是一个著名的政治专家。

9 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

10 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。

11 maim   

v.使残废，使不能工作，使伤残

参考例句：

• Automobile accidents maim many people each year. 汽车车祸每年使许多人残废。
• These people kill and maim innocent civilians.这些人杀死和残害无辜平民。

12 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

13 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

15 combative   

adj.好战的；好斗的

参考例句：

• Mr. Obama has recently adopted a more combative tone.奥巴马总统近来采取了一种更有战斗性的语调。
• She believes that women are at least as combative as are.她相信女性至少和男性一样好斗。

16 energize   

vt.给予(某人或某物)精力、能量

参考例句：

• It is used to energize the city.它的作用是为城市供给能量。
• This is a great way to energize yourself and give yourself more power!这种方法非常棒，可以激活你的能量，让你有更多的活力！

17 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

18 persuasion   

n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派

参考例句：

• He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说，他才决定离开。
• After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后，她同意去了。

19 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

20 rant   

v.咆哮；怒吼；n.大话；粗野的话

参考例句：

• You can rant and rave at the fine,but you'll still have to pay it.你闹也好，骂也好，罚金还是得交。
• If we rant on the net,the world is our audience.如果我们在网络上大声嚷嚷，全世界都是我们的听众。

21 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

22 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

23 repulse   

n.击退，拒绝；vt.逐退，击退，拒绝

参考例句：

• The armed forces were prepared to repulse any attacks.武装部队已作好击退任何进攻的准备。
• After the second repulse,the enemy surrendered.在第二次击退之后，敌人投降了。

24 brawls   

吵架，打架( brawl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Whatever brawls disturb the street, there should be peace at home. 街上无论多么喧闹，家中应有宁静。
• I got into brawls in the country saloons near my farm. 我在离我农场不远的乡下沙龙里和别人大吵大闹。

25 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

26 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

27 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

28 bluster   

v.猛刮；怒冲冲的说；n.吓唬，怒号；狂风声

参考例句：

• We could hear the bluster of the wind and rain.我们能听到狂风暴雨的吹打声。
• He was inclined to bluster at first,but he soon dropped.起初他老爱吵闹一阵，可是不久就不做声了。

29 choreograph   

v.设计舞蹈动作

参考例句：

• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself.阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。
• She has danced,choreographed,lectured and taught all over the world.她在世界各地跳过舞、编过舞、讲过学、也教过书。

30 choreographed   

v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• There was some carefully choreographed flag-waving as the President drove by. 总统的车经过时，人们按精心编排的动作挥舞着旗帜。
• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself. 阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。 来自辞典例句