PBS高端访谈:第一次的共和党总统辩论有多重要?
时间:2019-02-25 作者:英语课 分类:PBS访谈社会系列
英语课
GWEN IFILL: The political season heads into overdrive this week, with a candidates forum 1 in New Hampshire tonight, and with a full-scale debate Thursday night in Cleveland. The debate, sponsored by FOX News, will feature the top 10 of the 17 major candidates. Who gets on stage will be determined 2 by averaging polls.
As of today, five candidates seem guaranteed a spot: Donald Trump 3, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio. Another three are highly likely to make the cut, Ted 4 Cruz, Mike Huckabee and Ben Carson. That leaves three others to fight for the two remaining spots, Chris Christie, Rick Perry and John Kasich.
What better time for Politics Monday tonight, with Tamara Keith of NPR and Susan Page of USA Today?
Welcome to you both.
So, assuming — there is an elephant in the room, as we always discuss on Monday nights, and his name is Donald Trump. But let's get past that for a moment. What do these candidates have to accomplish on the stage on Thursday night in order to break through?
SUSAN PAGE, USA Today: You know, I think they have different agendas facing them.
I think for Jeb Bush, he wants to look presidential, an alternative to Donald Trump. I think, for Marco Rubio, who's faded a bit from the scene, he needs to reassert himself as being a player on the stage. I think Scott Walker needs to look competent, especially when it comes to foreign policy, because the last time we were listening to him, he had some stumbles and missteps.
So, I think different players have different things they need to do on Thursday night.
GWEN IFILL: And is there anything Donald Trump needs to do?
TAMARA KEITH, NPR: I think he just needs to have fun, because that's what Donald Trump is there to do.
I think the real question is what these candidates do with Donald Trump. I was doing a little bit of math. The thought is that with commercials and everything else, you are going to get about 90 minutes of actual talking time for candidates. There are 10 of them. That means, best-case scenario 5, they might each get nine minutes.
How many of those nine minutes do they want to cede 6 to Donald Trump? I think it's a big question. I think a lot of them want to be substantive 7 possibly in their nine minutes or stand out in some way, and it will be a question as to whether Donald Trump will let them.
GWEN IFILL: Well, you know, it's interesting, because the rules, in order to get on the stage, are kind of important. In fact, the numbers — the names we just threw out there are not by any means official yet.
So, those on the bubble, those like, say, John Kasich or Chris Christie, one or the other of them might make it — well, how important is it, at the first of nine debates, that they make it at this point?
SUSAN PAGE: I think it's pretty important. If you're down at the bottom of the field, or toward the bottom, you're at nine, 10, 11, I think it makes you look more serious than if you make the previous forum that they're going to — that FOX is going to have at 5:00 with the people who don't quite make the cut. I think…
GWEN IFILL: Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz.
SUSAN PAGE: Right. I think it actually is important for Chris Christie or for Rick Perry to show that they should be part of the bigger conversation.
It's not the end of the world if they're not in. We're going to have a lot debates to come, eight more debates to follow. But I think it is kind of a big thing. And we know that traditionally in each debate, there's a moment that encapsulates a debate.
GWEN IFILL: Right.
SUSAN PAGE: I'm predicting that that debate will — that moment will include Trump. It will either be something Donald Trump says…
GWEN IFILL: No. She's out on the edge.
SUSAN PAGE: I know, it's crazy — or something someone says to Donald Trump.
And especially for the candidates who are not in that first two or three, for them to be part of that moment would be a breakthrough. It would be something that would make us pay more attention to them.
GWEN IFILL: And if you're John Kasich, say, the governor of Ohio, who only got in the race a little — couple of weeks ago, just being on that stage might be a big enough breakthrough on its own.
TAMARA KEITH: Well, and in your home state, to be on that stage. I think he wants to be there, absolutely.
You know, they will find other ways, though. The candidates at the kids table will find a way to stand out at the kids table debate. There is another forum tonight, two more hours of potential to stand out, and every Sunday show. And there are many opportunities, but, of course, especially for Republican candidates, on FOX News, this debate is a big moment.
GWEN IFILL: Today, we saw Hillary Clinton out with a couple of new — or over the weekend — a couple of new ads which are the kind of ads you usually see run by people who you have never heard of before.
Hillary Clinton, probably the most well-known person in this race, is running these biographical ads. We see these old pictures of her from her days, early days at the Children's Defense 8 Fund, when she was governor, first lady of Arkansas, married to Bill Clinton, obviously.
And you wonder, why are we doing that at this stage, Tamara?
TAMARA KEITH: Well, her campaign and some of her good friends who I have spoken to feel like Hillary Clinton is the candidate that everyone thinks they know, but nobody really knows.
And so, they have rolled out these biographical details in her speeches, but that hasn't really broken through. The headlines are still about the e-mails and the Clinton Foundation and the e-mails again. And so they're looking for a way to research those early primary and caucus 9 voters directly and say, with sort of a soft focus, here's the Hillary Clinton we want you to know, without the filter.
GWEN IFILL: The other thing Hillary Clinton has done twice in the last few days is go directly after Jeb Bush, who she clearly thinks — first on — today on Planned Parenthood and whether Planned Parenthood should be defunded, and last week on — I'm forgetting what it was. But she went after him again last week as well.
So, what is it that she's doing that for?
SUSAN PAGE: Well, she's apparently 10 concluded that Donald Trump will not going be the Republican nominee 11, and that the most likely nominee is Jeb Bush, and so why not go after him now?
She certainly doesn't want to go after her Democratic rivals, who are not actually in a position to deny her the nomination 12, at least not at this point. So I think that she's looking a little ahead to the general election.
But it's interesting, just to go back to the autobiographical ads, the one with her — the one that is focused on her mother is really quite touching 13. And I think even people — and it makes her look — it goes to what her motivation has been in working for kids, as she did particularly in her early years as a lawyer.
And I think that does show a side of Hillary Clinton that a lot of — even people who know her pretty well haven't — haven't really seen before. And it's something that I think she doesn't do well herself on stage when she's talking about it, but when you have those pictures narrated 14 by Hillary Clinton, I think that is a different kind of picture of Hillary Clinton than we have seen before.
GWEN IFILL: Now, the person who has surfaced in the political chat world this week, but who is not on anybody's ballot 15, is Joe Biden, the vice 16 president, and questions about whether Joe Biden, whether he should, or could or would run for president at this late stage in the debate.
What have you heard?
TAMARA KEITH: Well, and, obviously, there has been reporting that his son, as he was dying, said, “Dad, you should run.”
What I'm getting is not anything that concrete. What I'm hearing from people is that, sure, there are feelers that are being put out by people who are close to Joe Biden. The question, though, is, is that — are feelers enough? I mean, Hillary Clinton, at this point, has a 50-state organizing strategy.
She has 40 offices — 49 offices in Iowa. Bernie Sanders has something like 40 organizers in Iowa. There's a lot of infrastructure 17 that Joe Biden doesn't yet have because he hasn't yet decided 18 what he's doing.
GWEN IFILL: So, how serious a trial balloon is it, Susan?
SUSAN PAGE: We know that Joe Biden wants to run. If Joe Biden could run, he would run. His heart tells him that.
He head tells him — has told him, at least this far, that he can't, there's not an opening. We talk about Hillary Clinton being beleaguered 19. She is not beleaguered among Democrats 20. Democrats like Hillary Clinton. They're excited about the idea of nominating the first woman.
GWEN IFILL: The question is whether she can beat the Republican next fall.
SUSAN PAGE: Now, if she imploded 21 in a more serious way than she has so far, Joe Biden would love to be the person who rushes in there, but it's hard for me to see the opening being there for him at this time.
GWEN IFILL: But it's always a good idea to keep your name up there in the air.
Susan Page of USA Today, Tamara Keith of NPR, as always, thank you.
TAMARA KEITH: Thank you.
SUSAN PAGE: Thanks.
n.论坛,讨论会
- They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
- The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。
adj.坚定的;有决心的
- I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
- He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭
- 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。
vt.翻晒,撒,撒开
- 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。
n.剧本,脚本;概要
- But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
- This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。
v.割让,放弃
- The debater refused to cede the point to her opponent.辩论者拒绝向她的对手放弃其主张。
- Not because I'm proud.In fact,in front of you I cede all my pride.这不是因为骄傲,事实上我在你面前毫无骄傲可言。
adj.表示实在的;本质的、实质性的;独立的;n.实词,实名词;独立存在的实体
- They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
- A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议,但也需要感情上的支持。
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
- The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
- The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
n.秘密会议;干部会议;v.(参加)干部开会议
- This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
- It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
- 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。
n.被提名者;被任命者;被推荐者
- His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
- Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。
n.提名,任命,提名权
- 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。
v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )
- Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
n.(不记名)投票,投票总数,投票权;vi.投票
- The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
- The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。
n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
- 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。
n.下部构造,下部组织,基础结构,基础设施
- 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。
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
adj.受到围困[围攻]的;包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词);困扰;骚扰
- The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
- We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )
- 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》