In Atlanta speech, Biden will advocate for protecting voting rights

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In Atlanta speech, Biden will advocate for protecting voting rights

Transcript¹

President Biden and Vice² President Harris head to Atlanta — a city at the epicenter of past and present battles over voting rights — to make the case to advance stalled legislation in Congress.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

President Biden and Vice President Harris are traveling to Atlanta today, where they're expected to make an impassioned plea to pass voting rights legislation. It's something they've done before, but this time Biden is going to take a new step. He's going to throw his support behind changing Senate rules to try to make it happen. Here to discuss is NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordo?ez. Now, Franco, this fight over voting rights legislation has been going on for a long time, for months. What is President Biden going to say to try and get through to Americans?

FRANCO ORDO?EZ, BYLINE³: Well, A, so first he's going to a place that's rich in symbolism on the civil rights issue - Atlanta. Biden and Harris plan to visit Ebenezer Baptist Church and lay a wreath at the crypt of Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King. But it's also a state where Republican lawmakers have passed laws that limit voting, one of 19 states, actually, to take this step after the 2020 election. Biden's going to describe the fight over voting rights as a turning point in the nation. And this was the theme last week, too, of course, in his speech about the January 6 insurrection. Here's actually some of what he said then.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Right now, in state after state, new laws are being written, not to protect the vote, but to deny it, not only to suppress the vote, but to subvert⁴ it, not to strengthen or protect our democracy - because the former president lost.

MARTINEZ: All right. So there are two bills currently held up in Congress that President Biden says are critical to protecting the right to vote. What is he going to do to try and break the stalemate in Congress?

ORDO?EZ: Right. You know, they're held up because they need 60 votes to pass. Republicans are opposed to them, and Democrats⁵ have only a narrow majority in the Senate. President Biden, who served in the Senate for decades and believes in the institution, has been reluctant to change the 60-vote threshold. That's the rule known as the filibuster⁶. But today, the White House says he's going to say he supports changing the rules because of the importance of this issue. The problem, though, is the White House needs the support of all the Democrats in the Senate to pass any changes. And Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have been expressing opposition⁷, and others have expressed some reluctance⁸, too. Nonetheless, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer set a deadline of January 17 for a vote on changing the Senate rules.

MARTINEZ: Some activists⁹ in Georgia have said they plan to skip President Biden's remarks today. Why?

ORDO?EZ: Well, they're frustrated¹⁰ that he hasn't put the same political muscle behind this effort as he has other parts of his domestic agenda. And they argue that his time is better spent trying to convince the Democratic senators who need to pass the rule changes instead of giving another speech. But other civil rights leaders disagree. And many prominent national leaders are traveling to Atlanta to be there for the remarks. Biden's also going to meet with the immediate¹¹ family of Martin Luther King Jr. while he's there.

MARTINEZ: And what are Republicans saying about this focus on voting rights?

ORDO?EZ: You know, the Republican National Committee is calling it a, quote, "push for a federal takeover of local elections." And they're going to have more to say about that later today. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell argues voting rights are not in jeopardy¹². And he says Democrats are trying to, quote, "use fake hysteria to break the Senate." So it's already getting pretty ugly.

MARTINEZ: Sure is. That's NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordo?ez. Thanks a lot.

ORDO?EZ: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• 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。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 subvert   

v.推翻；暗中破坏；搅乱

参考例句：

• The rebel army is attempting to subvert the government.反叛军队企图颠覆政府统治。
• They tried to subvert our state and our Party. This is the crux of the matter.他们是要颠覆我们的国家，颠覆我们的党，这是问题的实质。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 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》

6 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

12 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。