美国国家公共电台 NPR--For Democrats to keep control of the Senate, New Hampshire race is a must win

For Democrats² to keep control of the Senate, New Hampshire race is a must win

Transcript³

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan won her last race by 1,000 votes. This time she's facing a stronger than expected challenge from a far-right candidate stressing the impact of inflation.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

New Hampshire is a must-win state for Democrats in their campaign to keep control of the Senate. Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan narrowly won her last race in 2016. This time, she's facing a far-right Republican candidate who wants to keep the focus on the economy. NPR's congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh reports.

DEIDRE WALSH, BYLINE⁴: In the purple state of New Hampshire, voters across the political spectrum⁵ agree on the big problem.

SHELLEY HANSON: I mean, we can't - I can't afford to live like this.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: My head's still not above water. The prices are ridiculous.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: My home electrical bill went from $200 a month to $600 a month.

WALSH: Don Bolduc, retired⁶ Army brigadier general, is hitting inflation hard.

DON BOLDUC: Boom, down comes the hammer from the Biden-Hassan agenda, which skyrockets inflation.

WALSH: Bolduc won the GOP primary echoing former President Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was rigged. The day after that primary win, Bolduc reversed himself and said Biden won but since then has made conflicting public statements. Trying to attract independents, 40% of the voters in the state, Bolduc told reporters in Rochester...

BOLDUC: I do not believe the election was stolen. The simple thing is I changed my mind, and I have the freedom to do that.

WALSH: Another issue that Bolduc has shifted on - abortion⁷. He's said he backs a system that protects life from beginning to end. Asked if that means he'd vote no on a federal abortion ban, Bolduc grew frustrated⁸ at the topic.

BOLDUC: Yes, I've said that. I don't know how many times I need to say it. I can put together a skit⁹ for you.

WALSH: Women are on both sides of the abortion issue. Barbara Dunnington, a Bolduc supporter, said the economy is a bigger factor for her.

BARBARA DUNNINGTON: If you can't buy food, if you can't hang on to a job, abortion is not that crucial.

WALSH: But abortion was a major concern for some voters in the lunch crowd at Lou's Restaurant in Hanover.

KIMBERLY VALCIN: Top-of-mind issues for me are things like women's rights.

WALSH: That's Kimberly Valcin, a first-time New Hampshire voter and Democrat¹. Senator Maggie Hassan, running for her second term, chatted with her and other diners.

MAGGIE HASSAN: Do you eat here regularly? I'm your senator.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: This is our first time.

WALSH: In her pitch to voters, Hassan points to her accomplishments¹⁰.

HASSAN: I voted to give Medicare the power to negotiate prescription¹¹ drug prices.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: I see.

HASSAN: OK. And voted to make sure people could get tax cuts for making energy-efficient improvements.

I have a record of delivering on a number of issues, doing it across party lines and doing it the way Granite¹² Staters expect me to.

WALSH: Hassan says her supporters believe the issue of abortion is no less important than inflation.

HASSAN: You know, as I started to talk with women about inflation, they all change the subject to abortion. They also said to me, but if my fundamental rights are gone, that's much harder to get back.

WALSH: She warns the race is close and puts some distance between herself and President Biden on the economy.

HASSAN: The administration was too slow to recognize the long-term reality of inflation, and they took too long to react to it.

WALSH: Asked about what she was doing about inflation, Hassan pointed¹³ to short-term solutions she's advocated for.

HASSAN: To release more oil from the Strategic Petroleum¹⁴ Reserve to help with the price of gas. And as you know, this week, the administration did another release.

WALSH: Hassan touts¹⁵ money for infrastructure¹⁶ projects and investing billions to manufacture products in the U.S. But at a steel company in Greenland, Bolduc emphasized to employees that Hassan was out of touch with the reality of rising costs.

BOLDUC: She's failed - six years of failing - fail, fail, fail, fail, fail.

WALSH: He said he'd turn things around.

BOLDUC: I go to Washington, D.C., to be your United States senator and work on the real problems that Americans and Granite Staters are having right now.

WALSH: One employee, Shelley Hanson, a Democrat, says she's still figuring out who to support.

HANSON: I had my mind made up of who I was going to vote for before this. And now maybe I might look a little deeper into it.

WALSH: She voted for Biden in 2020 but is not a fan of the system in Washington.

HANSON: I think it needs to change because I think the whole thing needs to be shaken up.

WALSH: Both candidates and their allies are flooding the airwaves. One Hassan supporter, Jenn Alford-Teaster, says one thing is constant here.

JENN ALFORD-TEASTER: I don't think there will ever be a race in the history of New Hampshire that will never not be close.

WALSH: Republicans need to net just one seat to retake the majority on November 8. A lot of attention is focused in contests in Georgia and Nevada, but the political fate of the Senate could also be decided¹⁷ here.

Deirdre Walsh, NPR News, Hanover, N.H.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 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》

3 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。

4 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。

5 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

8 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》

9 skit   

n.滑稽短剧；一群

参考例句：

• The comic skIt sent up the foolishness of young men in love.那幅画把沉溺于热恋中的青年男子的痴态勾勒得滑稽可笑。
• They performed a skit to amuse the crowd.他们表演了一个幽默小品来娱乐观众。

10 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

12 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

13 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

14 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

15 touts   

n.招徕( tout的名词复数 )；（音乐会、体育比赛等的）卖高价票的人；侦查者；探听赛马的情报v.兜售( tout的第三人称单数 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• Many vouchers are returned for cash, allowing touts and middle men to make a healthy margin. 许多月饼券都被兑换成现金，这让券贩子和中间商赚取了不蜚的利润。 来自互联网
• Spotting prey, the customary crowd of hustlers and touts swarmed around, jostling for my business. 照例有大群的拉客黄牛在寻觅猎物，他们争相过来抢我的生意。 来自互联网

16 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• 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。

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• 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。