[2008.05.22] Indiana McCain rides again 印第安纳麦凯恩再次策马扬鞭

Lexington
列克星顿

Indiana McCain rides again
印第安纳麦凯恩再次策马扬鞭

May 22nd 2008
From The Economist print edition
2008年5月22日
经济学人印刷版

The Republican cannot dismiss the question of his age with a few jokes
麦凯恩的年龄问题并非是这位共和党人几句玩笑所能打消的。

JOHN McCAIN is a master of jesting about his advanced years. He says people only turn up to watch him to see if he needs a “drool cup”. He amusingly called a young voter who asked about his age a “little jerk”. On May 17th he appeared on “Saturday Night Live” to claim that “I have the courage, the wisdom, the experience and, most importantly, the oldness necessary.”
在拿自己的高龄开玩笑方面,约翰麦凯恩算得上一位行家里手。他说人们来看他只是想瞧瞧他是否需要一只 “口水杯’’ .他将一位询问他年龄的青年选民戏称为“小傻瓜”。5月17号,在 <<周六夜现场>>做节目时,他声称:“我拥有所必需的胆识,智慧,经验,更重要的是,我的岁数够大。”
继续阅读“[2008.05.22] Indiana McCain rides again 印第安纳麦凯恩再次策马扬鞭”

[2008.05.22] Close but no cigar 几近结束,但无法庆祝

The Democrats
民主党

Close but no cigar
几近结束,但无法庆祝

May 22nd 2008 | WASHINGTON, DC
From The Economist print edition

The contest that refuses to die
拒绝认输的竞争

ON MAY 20th both Democratic candidates had a chance to declare themselves winners. Hillary Clinton, speaking in Louisville, Kentucky, celebrated her two-to-one victory over Barack Obama in the state. A little later Mr Obama, speaking in Des Moines, Iowa, the state that turned him into a front-runner back in January, celebrated the fact that he was “within reach” of locking up the nomination.
5月20日,两位民主党人都有宣布自己获胜的机会。希拉里克林顿在肯塔基州路易斯维尔宣布,她在这个州的初选当中以2:1的比例战胜奥巴马。晚些时候,奥巴马在爱荷华州得梅因宣布自己“几乎”锁定提名。正是这个州在今年一月使奥巴马成为领头羊。

Mrs Clinton’s gigantic victory in Kentucky has steeled her determination to run the race to the very end. She will contest the three remaining primaries (in Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota). She will also present a vigorous case to a special meeting of the Democratic National Committee on May 31st that the votes in Florida and Michigan should be counted. She told supporters in Louisville that she would keep campaigning until the party had a nominee—“whoever she may be”.
克林顿夫人在肯塔基州的大胜更加坚定了她战斗到底的决心。她会参加剩下的三场初选(波多黎各,蒙大拿和南达科他)。并且在民主党全国委员会5月31日的特 殊会议上据理力争,要求将佛罗里达和密歇根的投票计入统计。她告诉路易斯维尔的支持者,自己会继续竞选,除非党内提名最终确定——“不管她是谁”。
继续阅读“[2008.05.22] Close but no cigar 几近结束,但无法庆祝”

[2008.05.17] The mystery of violence 暴力之谜

Urban crime
城市犯罪

The mystery of violence
暴力之谜

May 15th 2008 | CHICAGO
From The Economist print edition

Chicago’s continuing fight against gangs and guns
芝加哥不停地与黑帮和枪支作斗争

APRIL was a cruel and bloody month in Chicago. “We want futures, not funerals!” students shouted at a rally on April 1st. But more funerals followed. The most violent weekend, April 18th-20th, saw no few than 36 shootings—15 of them gang-related—and nine deaths. As Chicago prepares for the summer, when violence usually tends to rise, two questions linger: what has caused this outburst, and what can be done about it?
在 芝加哥,四月是残酷血腥的一月。“我们要未来,而不是葬礼!”学生们在四月一号的一次集会中这样喊到。然而更多的葬礼接踵而来。四月十八日到四月二十日这 个最暴力的周末,发生了不少于三十六起枪击案-其中十五起与黑帮有关-并导致九人死亡。芝加哥即将迎来夏天,而暴力通常随之上升。这里有两个问题:什么导 致了暴力行为的暴发?我们能对此做些什么?
继续阅读“[2008.05.17] The mystery of violence 暴力之谜”

[2008.05.17]Lexington: Why not both? 为何不两人都要?

Lexington
莱克星顿专栏

Why not both?
为何不两人都要?

May 15th 2008 2008年5月15日
From The Economist print edition 经济人印刷版

The dubious case for a Democratic dream team
组建民主党梦之队的理由令人生疑。

BACK in March Barack Obama compared the Democratic primary to a “good movie” that has lasted “half an hour too long”. The movie has long since gone bad, and half an hour has dragged into an eternity. Surely it is high time to roll out the Hollywood ending.
在三月份,巴拉克奥巴马将民主党初选比作一部“拖长了半个小时的好电影”。这部电影早已变味了,这半个小时也长得似乎无穷无尽。想必该到上演好莱坞式结局的时候了。

继续阅读“[2008.05.17]Lexington: Why not both? 为何不两人都要?”

[2008.02.14]The Democratic race-His to lose 奥巴马还会输吗?

The Democratic race民主党竞选

His to lose奥巴马还会输吗?

Feb 14th 2008 | WASHINGTON, DC
From The Economist print edition

 

Barack Obama is now the clear front-runner for the Democratic nomination

巴拉克.奥巴马现在显然已经是民主党提名候选人中的领先者了


ON SATURDAY February 9th an overflowing crowd of Virginians got a chance to see the Democratic presidential candidates giving duelling speeches at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond. More interesting than anything the candidates said, however, was the detritus afterwards. The crowds stripped the place clean of Obama signs, tearing every last one off the walls. Hillary signs were abandoned on chairs and trampled under foot.

29星期六在Richmond举行的Jefferson-Jackson晚宴会中,人潮涌动的弗吉尼亚选民们获得了一个机会现场聆听民主党总统候选人发表的决战演说。会后满地的狼藉似乎比奥巴马演讲的任何内容更加有趣。人们把所有奥巴马的竞选标语、旗帜都从墙上取下来;而希拉里的则被扔弃在椅子上或者被践踏在脚下。

继续阅读“[2008.02.14]The Democratic race-His to lose 奥巴马还会输吗?”

[2008.02.07] half-way there

America’s election
美国大选

Half-way there
下半场拉开帷幕
Feb 7th 2008
From The Economist print edition

The Republicans, at least, seem to have found a decent candidate
看来共和党已经找到了一位体面的候选人

                         Illustration by Kevin Kallaugher
WINSTON CHURCHILL, that famous half-American, once said that his mother’s countrymen could always be counted on to do the right thing, after exhausting the available alternatives. His words would apply well to the Republican Party just now. Having lengthily lionised “America’s mayor”, Rudy Giuliani, looked longingly at Reagan-lite Fred Thompson, flirted with millionaire Mitt Romney and sung along with preacherman Mike Huckabee, the party’s voters have sensibly plumped for John McCain, the only Republican whom pollsters give a chance of keeping the White House out of Democratic hands (see article). It is possible—just—to imagine Mr McCain failing to carry the nomination after Super Tuesday, which saw him win three times as many delegates as his nearest rival, Mr Romney, who suspended his campaign. But that would now require spectacular intervention by the Almighty on behalf of the admittedly pious Mr Huckabee.
声名显赫的温斯顿•丘吉尔拥有一半美国血统,在谈到母亲的同胞时,他曾作出如下评论:美国人在试遍各种可供选择的方案后,一定会做出正确的决定。如今的共和党恰恰印证了这句话。他们先是将鲁迪•朱利安尼奉为“美国的市长”,称道之声,不绝于耳;后又对佛莱德•汤普森寄予厚望,希望他继承里根总统的衣钵;忽而垂青于百万富翁米特•罗姆尼;忽而与传教士迈克•赫卡比放声高歌;但最后,共和党的选民终于理智地选择了党内唯一有望与民主党人争夺总统宝座的候选人:约翰•麦凯恩。在刚刚结束的超级星期二预选中,麦凯恩赢得的代表人数是紧随其后的米特•罗姆尼三倍之多,后者现已宣布退出竞选。虽然麦凯恩代表共和党角逐总统大选尚未成为定局,但要从他手中夺走党内提名,除非万能之主出手相助无比虔诚的赫卡比先生。

继续阅读“[2008.02.07] half-way there”

[2008.01.10] America’s election-Up in the air

America’s election-Up in the air
美国大选——悬而未决

Jan 10th 2008
From The Economist print edition

America wants change; it just can’t work out what sort of change
美国希望改变,但问题在于明确需要什么样的改变。

 

IF A week is famously a long time in British politics, five days can be an eternity in America. On January 3rd Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton by roughly 17,000 votes, out of around 220,000 cast, in Iowa’s Democratic caucus at the start of the presidential nominating season. It was the vote that launched a thousand editorials: the charismatic young black senator was compared to Jack Kennedy, Martin Luther King and even Ronald Reagan. France’s Libération hailed the man who “will restore America’s image in the world”. The nomination, not to mention the presidency, seemed Mr Obama’s not by election but by global acclamation.
在英国政治中,如果说一周的时间就能够因为其旷日持久而变得著名;那么在美国,五天就已经可以说成是永恒了。1月3 日在衣阿华(Lowa)举行的民主党候选人选拔会议中,Obama在总数为220000张选票中以 17000张的优势在总统提名选季开端时刻击败了希拉里克林顿。此次投票结果引发了数千篇社论,将这个魅力十足的青年黑人议员与杰克肯尼迪、马丁路得金,甚至是里根相提并论。法国自由报以”有可能重新树立美国国际形象”的标题盛赞此人。抛开总统任职不提,Obama此次获得的竞选提名对他而言似乎意味着全球的赞赏。

继续阅读“[2008.01.10] America’s election-Up in the air”