美国国家公共电台 NPR--McCarthy fails to secure the 218 votes needed to become speaker of the House

McCarthy fails to secure the 218 votes needed to become speaker of the House

Transcript¹

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was dealt humiliating blow after blow Tuesday after he failed to gain the speaker's gavel over three rounds of votes. Republicans will try again Tuesday.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

For the first time in a century, the U.S. House began a congressional term without a speaker.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

More than 90% of House Republicans have favored Kevin McCarthy for that job. The California lawmaker has worked toward his turn for years, but a few lawmakers rebelled enough to cause the clerk to say this three times yesterday.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHERYL JOHNSON: No persons having received a majority of the whole number of votes cast by surname, a speaker has not been elected.

INSKEEP: McCarthy did not even receive as many votes as Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader who received around 203.

SCHMITZ: He'll try again today, with the outcome no more certain than yesterday. NPR's congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales joins us now.

Hey, Claudia.

CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE²: Hey there.

SCHMITZ: Republicans adjourned³ the House after McCarthy lost their third ballot⁴. What happens now?

GRISALES: The chamber⁵ is set to convene⁶ at noon today for more votes, but Republicans met overnight to try to hash out a way forward. But just like yesterday, there seems to be still plenty of division and little room for error. McCarthy can lose only four members of his conference, assuming everyone is there to win the speakership. And he's lost much more than that. And his opposition⁷ seems to be growing. Some McCarthy supporters, such as Texas Representative Pete Sessions, said these losing rounds for McCarthy cannot go on forever.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PETE SESSIONS: Even though both sides are dug in, trust me, I think somebody's going to have to say, this is starting to look bad. I mean, the good of the party, the good of the majority is what we should be about.

GRISALES: And we should note, no business in the House can move forward, no members can be sworn in until a speaker is elected.

SCHMITZ: Wow. So what's keeping that from happening?

GRISALES: Although most Republicans support McCarthy, a conservative fringe as oppose him for years, and it even cost him an earlier speakership bid. And it seems they will not change their mind or their votes. McCarthy had already threatened to go multiple ballots⁸, if needed, but that seems to be having the opposite effect now. He lost 19 defectors in the first round. And by the last, that number grew to 20, with Florida Republican Byron Daniels (ph). These defectors voted for Ohio Congressman⁹ Jim Jordan instead. McCarthy has been defiant¹⁰ about this lack of needed support, telling reporters his defectors will eventually fold, and this fight is not about him.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KEVIN MCCARTHY: This isn't about me. This is about the conference now, 'cause the members who are holding out is what they want something for their personal selves. If anybody wants to earn something - committee slots or others - you go to the conference. You don't get it by leveraging¹¹ here.

GRISALES: So he's saying these defectors who've asked for more concessions¹² for House rules, for example, to be adjusted, that they can't negotiate this way on the floor, and he thinks members will tire out over these ballots and give him the win. But it may not be a winning argument. Scott Perry, one of these defectors, said McCarthy's trying to order them into voting for him by threatening to take away committee assignments. And Perry said he does not take orders from anyone.

SCHMITZ: So what's going to happen today?

GRISALES: We'll see if there's a deal that - some sort of breakthrough here with these negotiations¹³. Ken¹⁴ Buck¹⁵ of Colorado, who voted for McCarthy, said it's worth keeping an eye now on the more senior members of the party to see if they start to pool their support.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KEN BUCK: You know who the cardinals¹⁶ are. You know who the chairs are. You know who - the people that have been here 12, 14 years. When those folks decide that it's been long enough and we don't have any white smoke, they're going to start looking elsewhere.

GRISALES: He thinks some have already told McCarthy they'll hang with him for a few more rounds, but eventually that welcome mat will be taken away.

SCHMITZ: That's NPR's Claudia Grisales.

Claudia, thank you.

GRISALES: Thank you much.

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 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。

3 adjourned   

（使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The court adjourned for lunch. 午餐时间法庭休庭。
• The trial was adjourned following the presentation of new evidence to the court. 新证据呈到庭上后，审讯就宣告暂停。

4 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

5 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

6 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

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 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

10 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

11 leveraging   

促使…改变( leverage的现在分词 )； [美国英语]杠杆式投机，（使）举债经营，（使）利用贷款进行投机

参考例句：

• De-leveraging is a painful process: it has barely begun. 去杠杆化是个痛苦的过程：它才刚刚开始。
• Archimedes said, saying: Give me a fulcrum, I can leveraging the Earth. 阿基米德说过一句话：给我一个支点，我可以撬动地球。

12 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

13 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

14 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

15 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

16 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。