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The Republican response
共和黨回應(yīng)
When Joni poked Barry
喬尼戳巴里脊梁骨
A polite request for the president to co-operate
客氣要求總統(tǒng)合作
JONI ERNST did not flub her lines or commit any gaffes. So compared with Republican efforts of recent years, her response to Barack Obama's state-of-the-union message was a success. But the new senator from Iowa had promised, during her campaign, to make Washington squeal like a hog having its testicles removed, and platitudes rarely have that effect. Her personal stories of hardship—like using bread bags as a child to keep rain off her shoes—were aimed more at the heart than any other organ.
瓊妮厄恩斯特沒有站錯陣營也沒嘩眾取寵。與近幾年來共和黨的表現(xiàn)相比，她對奧巴馬國情咨文的回復(fù)真是一大創(chuàng)舉，這位來自愛荷華州的新議員許諾她的競選將讓白宮飽嘗撕心裂肺的苦頭，而這絕不是說說而已，她的個人經(jīng)歷就充滿著艱難困苦，比如童年時代曾用面包袋擋鞋子上的雨水，而這比任何東西都能打動人心。
Like the president before her, Mrs Ernst's speech suggested little willingness to compromise. Having walloped the Democrats in the mid-term elections, Republicans feel that the president should move in their direction. Mrs Ernst called for repealing Obamacare, which Mr Obama obviously won't allow, and building the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which he probably won't.
和奧巴馬一樣，厄恩斯的言辭也是斬釘截鐵的語氣，在中期選舉一舉擊垮民主黨之后，共和黨人只覺得牽著總統(tǒng)鼻子走也是理所應(yīng)當(dāng)，厄恩斯呼吁撤銷奧巴馬醫(yī)改建設(shè)基石管道，前者沒有商量的余地，而后者可能還有一線生機。
She called for tax reform, without raising rates as Mr Obama would like. She urged the president to get on board, though her party doubts he will. Mr Obama shows “no willingness to even meet somewhere in the middle on issues that have been percolating for some time”, said Richard Burr, a senator from North Carolina.
她呼吁稅務(wù)改革，拒絕順著奧巴馬的意愿提高稅率，并要求奧巴馬回到談判桌前，但對此她也不抱什么希望，“奧巴馬也沒有任何在這個已僵持過得問題上折衷”北卡羅來納州議員理查德說。
That is not entirely true. Mr Obama and Mrs Ernst agreed on the need for trade deals with Asia and Europe. And Republicans seem likely to authorise the use of force against Islamic State, as the president asked. But on domestic issues, the gulf between the parties is as wide as ever. “What he's talking about so far he knows doesn't have any chance whatsoever of passing,” said Lamar Alexander, a senator from Tennessee. Mrs Ernst was more polite. “With a little co-operation from the president,” she said, “we can get Washington working again.”
這也不是完全正確，奧巴馬和厄恩斯在對亞洲和歐洲的貿(mào)易協(xié)定上達成了一致，共和黨似乎也如總統(tǒng)所愿同意授權(quán)出兵打擊伊斯蘭國勢力，但雙方在國內(nèi)問題上爭執(zhí)不下，田納西亞議員亞歷山大說，他所說的那些他自己都知道不可能通過，厄恩斯更為客套，她說，只要總統(tǒng)有一點合作的意向，我們就能讓華盛頓運作起來。譯者：張孟夏
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