世界矚目的美國大選中,每個候選人為了當選總是想方設法地抬高自己,貶低別人。今天我們就來講候選人之間互相攻擊的三個習慣用語。
1 blame game
Blame是責怪或指責的意思,game在這里是指策略或手法。Blame game是候選人把造成某些社會問題的責任推到競選對手身上去的手法,哪怕他明明知道這是他自己的責任。
例如:I'm not going to play the blame game and say who's at fault that so many people are out of work. But I have to tell you my opponent did vote against three bills to create new jobs.
我不會把造成那么多人失業(yè)的責任推給別人,我不會使用那種推卸責任的把戲。但是,我得告訴你們,在國會就三項有關創(chuàng)造新就業(yè)機會的提案投票時,我的對手投的是反對票。”
又如:Harry Truman, who was President from 1945 to 1952, was one man who did not play the blame game. He had a sign on his desk: The Buck Stops Here.
杜魯門從1945到1952年擔任美國總統(tǒng)。他是一個不推卸責任的人,他的桌子上有一塊牌子,上面寫著“我負責”這幾個字。
2 negative campaigning
Negative是反面的意思,campaigning就是競選。那么什么是negative campaigning呢?Negative campaigning就是候選人集中力量講對手的缺點,以此來抬高自己。
例如:A listener just called in to ask what I mean by negative campaigning. Well, it means a candidate's main strategy is to tell voters how bad the other guy is instead of talking about how good he is himself.
一位聽眾剛才打電話來問什么是negative campaigning。Negative campaigning的意思是一個候選人采用的主要策略是告訴選民他的對手是如何的壞,而不是說自己是如何如何的好。
又如:Some political observers say that negative campaigning isn't working this year--that voters want to hear positive ideas about how to create new jobs and give people better health care.
有些政治觀察家說,盡力貶低對方的反面競選方式今年行不通。選民們要聽有積極意義的主意,像如何增加就業(yè)機會、為公眾提供更好的保健措施等。
3 to come out swinging
To come out swinging實際上是來自拳擊運動的一個俗語。當兩個重量級拳擊手比賽的時候,只要鈴一響,他們就沖到場地的中央,盡力地揮舞雙臂,各自企圖在對方還沒有時間襲擊他的時候就給對方致命一擊。用在競選的時候,to come out swinging就成了候選人互相攻擊的意思。
例如:After a day off, President Bush and Governor Clinton this morning again launched another hard week of campaigning, and they both came out swinging.
休息了一天后,布什總統(tǒng)和克林頓州長今天早上又開始了一個星期的艱苦競選旅程,他們兩人一開始就互相攻擊。
又如:They say the big mistake the Democratic candidate made in 1988 was that he failed to come out swinging the day after the convention.
他們說民主黨1988年總統(tǒng)候選人的錯誤是他沒有在全國代表大會后馬上展開攻擊。