经济学人314:肯尼迪三世-巧克力蛋糕的诱惑

 　　THE tourists taking pictures of John Kennedy’s relatively 2 modest birthplace in Brookline on Presidents’ Day had not heard that the former president’s great-nephew had just entered the family business. But it seemed that everyone else in Massachusetts and beyond knew that the Kennedy family’s break from politics was over. Joe Kennedy III announced via YouTube on February 15th that he was entering the race for the open 4th congressional district seat. Even before he had formally announced his entry, he led his main Republican rival by two-to-one in a University of Massachusetts Lowell/Boston Herald 3 poll. And he had won the endorsement 4 of the state’s largest labour organisation 5.

　　总统节这一天，在布鲁克莱，许多游客拿着相机对着美国前总统肯尼迪略显朴素的出生地一阵狂拍。他们可没有想到这位前总统的侄孙也继承了家族遗风，步入了政坛。然而美国人却都明白肯尼迪家族离别政坛的岁月已经告一段落。2月15日周二，约瑟夫?肯尼迪三世通过YouTube宣布他将竞选第4届国会马萨诸塞州选区的席位。在正式参选前，他已在马萨诸塞州大学洛威尔/波士顿先驱报的民调中以2:1的战绩领先共和党对手。此外，他还赢得了该州最大的劳工组织的支持。
　　The 31-year-old former prosecutor 6 has inherited the Kennedy smile and the voluminous Kennedy hair (his is red; he looks more Irish than his forefathers 8 did). But winning the seat, which stretches from the Rhode Island border to the outskirts 9 of Boston, is not going to be easy. It is no longer the same district which for three decades voted by mostly wide margins 10 for Barney Frank, recently the irascible head of the House Financial Services Committee. Redistricting has reconfigured the historically blue district to include conservative strongholds, while losing New Bedford, a Democratic bastion. Indeed Mr. Frank decided 11 not to seek re-election, in part, because he reckoned that the 325,000 new constituents 12 would require an extra $1.5m-$2m in fund-raising.
　　这位现年31岁的前检察官俨然继承了肯尼迪家族的微笑和浓密的头发(他满头红发，使他比自己的祖辈看上去更像爱尔兰裔)。马萨诸塞州选区从罗得岛延伸到波士顿市郊，要赢得这一选区席位，却并非易事。这个选区早已不是昔日那个三十年以来绝大多数选票都投给巴尼?弗兰克的选区了，如今这位性情暴躁的弗兰克成为了众议院金融服务委员会的主席。选区的再划分使保守党的据点并入了历史上的蓝区，而失去了民主党的堡垒重镇新贝德福德，整个选区重新组合。弗兰克确实也没有在寻求连任，部分原因在于他估计了下，获得325,000新选民的支持，还需要150万到200万美元的筹款。
　　Raising money will not be a problem for Mr Kennedy. The name alone is bound to fill seats at fund-raisers. Elsewhere it may put people off, as it did in New York, when Caroline Kennedy, JFK’s daughter, explored running for the Senate three years ago. Cynical 13 New Yorkers resented her apparent sense of entitlement and her lack of political experience. But things are different in Massachusetts. Even though a third of voters think the Kennedys have too much influence in Bay State politics, a hefty 73% of them, including Republicans, view the family favourably 14. Voters are astute 15. They know a freshman 16 representative at the bottom of Capital Hill’s totem pole is more likely to get a call returned if his name is Kennedy. They want their representatives to stand out, says Scott Ferson, a political consultant 17 and Ted 7 Kennedy’s former press secretary. Mr Frank, who is openly gay, is also notably 18 outspoken 19, and Ted, Mr Kennedy’s great-uncle, was the liberal lion of the Senate.
　　而筹款对于肯尼迪三世可不是什么问题。仅凭自己的姓名，募款者之位必定座无虚席。换作其他地方，人们可能会对这个名字感到厌烦，就像曾经在纽约发生的那样，三年前肯尼迪总统的女儿卡洛琳?肯尼迪也打算在参议院谋个位置坐坐。除了没什么政治资历，愤世嫉俗的纽约人对她那天经地义、非我莫属的感觉很看不顺眼。而在马萨诸塞州，事情可就完全两样了。尽管有三分之一的选民认为肯尼迪家族在海湾州的政绩势力过大，还是有高达73%的选民，包括共和党人，对他们很有好感。选民们精明着呢。他们很清楚在国会山图腾柱下，一个初出茅庐的代表有更多的可能让他们的要求得到回应，条件是这位年轻的代表得姓肯尼迪。爱德华?肯尼迪的前新闻秘书，现身为政治顾问的斯科特?福尔森表示，选民希望他们的代表能够脱颖而出。公开自己同性恋取向的弗兰克也是个直言不讳的人，肯尼迪三世的叔祖父爱德华?肯尼迪生前也是参议院的自由之狮。
　　And, like the rest of his kin 1, the political novice 20 knows how to campaign. In less than a week he went twice to Attleboro, which voted for Scott Brown, a Republican, in the election to fill the Senate seat held for 46 years by Ted. He was bred for this. His grandfather was Bobby Kennedy, once attorney-general; his great-uncle was JFK; his father, Joe II, served in Congress for 12 years. Bay State politicos say Joe III is the real deal, and would be a good candidate no matter what his name. So far he is scandal-free, which is a plus for any candidate, especially a Kennedy. Kennedy fatigue 21 may yet rear its head, but it may not matter, says Thomas Whalen, a political historian at Boston University. For many in Massachusetts, voting Kennedy is like dessert addiction 22: “You swear off chocolate cake, but you keep coming back to it.”
　　正如他的族人一样，身为政坛新秀的他对于如何竞选很有两下子。不到一周的时间他就去了两次阿特尔博勒。阿特尔博勒此前选的是共和党人斯科特?布朗，让他去填补爱德华曾坐了46年的参议院席位。而约瑟夫?肯尼迪似乎为此选举而生。他的祖父是前司法部长罗伯特?肯尼迪；他的叔祖父是美国前总统约翰?肯尼迪；他的父亲约瑟夫?肯尼迪二世在国会工作了12年。海湾州政界认为肯尼迪三世有真才实学，无论他姓什么都是个很不错的候选人。目前来看，他没有丑闻，对于任一个候选人这都是个加分项，尤其是个肯尼迪家族的人。波士顿大学政治史学家托马斯?维尔伦说，肯尼迪审美疲劳可能会稍有抬头，但这也没关系。对许多马萨诸塞州人而言，投肯尼迪的票就像上了吃甜品的瘾:“你发誓再不吃巧克力蛋糕了，但你就是忍不住还要吃。”
　　1. modest a.谦虚的；适度的；羞怯的
　　例句：The girl has a quiet, modest demeanor 23. 这个女孩子的态度娴静而谦逊。
　　2. stronghold n. 要塞, 堡垒, 大本营
　　例句：We took possession of the enemy's stronghold. 我们占领了敌人的要塞。
　　3. addiction n.沉溺，上瘾
　　例句：Drug addiction is a dangerous canker in society. 吸毒成瘾是腐蚀社会的一大祸害。