美国国家公共电台 NPR--Can moderates survive state politics? In Montana, they may be going extinct

Can moderates survive state politics? In Montana, they may be going extinct

Transcript¹

HELENA, Mont. — At just 21 years old, Mallerie Stromswold had burned out from public service during her sophomore² term in the Montana legislature.

She says it boiled down to a few things — the high cost of housing and juggling³ school and work. But most of all, she felt a decline in her mental well-being⁴.

"When you're struggling with that, and then decide to throw on the challenges of serving," it becomes a lot, the young Republican says, "especially the way I chose to serve."

Stromswold voted against her fellow Republicans' efforts to limit the rights of transgender Montanans and for a Democrat⁵'s bill aiming to protect the rights of minors⁶. Her style of serving, she says, "was not aligned⁷ with how those around me would have preferred me to at times."

It all became too much and Stromswold announced her resignation earlier this year. "I'm big on principles more than anything. If you're going to say, 'it's my body, my choice, it's my body, my choice, it's my body, choice with everything,' " she says.

Stromswold, who established herself as an independent voice in the Montana GOP early in her first term, says she was pressured by other lawmakers and politicos outside of the state Capitol to fall in line and vote with her caucus⁸. When she didn't, she was ostracized⁹.

"I think it makes it more difficult to make policy for the greater good and to focus on what Montanans really need," Stromswold says. "I think it becomes a lot of political statement legislation."

Party consolidation¹⁰ across the country

Stromswold's story is part of a growing pattern.

The number of states under one party's control is at an all-time high and the number of split legislatures, where the two chambers¹¹ are held by different parties, remains¹² near a historic low.

In Oregon last year, a group of retired¹³ moderate Democrats¹⁴ formed a PAC to help fund campaigns for other moderate Democrats who are becoming harder and harder to find in the state.

Moderate Republicans took a hit in the 2022 midterms in Colorado, a state where Democrats have grown their power in recent years. "There's going to be a lot of negative policy outcomes from not having a sane¹⁵ and relevant loyal opposition¹⁶ party," former Republican state Rep. Colin Larson, who lost his reelection bid last year, told Colorado Public Radio.

In Montana, the consolidation of power is having an on-the-ground effect changing political representation and whose voice counts.

At the Montana GOP convention in July, well-known moderate conservative Rep. David Bedey was booed for suggesting that Montana's elections are secure. The party also adopted a platform requesting a record to be kept of Republican lawmakers' votes and how often they deviated¹⁷ from the majority.

Then, last month, the Montana Republican Party voted to formally rebuke¹⁸ former Republican Gov. Marc Racicot. He's been out of office for more than two decades but Racicot used to be a leader in the party nationally.

Racicot was once chair of the Republican National Committee and led former President George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign.

Twenty years later, Montana GOP members are now pointing to Racicot's endorsements²⁰ of Democrats over Republicans in recent elections in their rebuking²¹. They say Racicot "cannot claim with any authority to speak on behalf of Montana Republicans."

Racicot says he's not surprised by his ex-communication, but he is concerned.

"Separating people into factions²² and pitting them against one another, and trying to appeal to the worst side of our nature, is not the way to preserve a democracy."

Not just red states. Not just Republicans

The rebuking of Racicot, and the broader trend of the GOP tightening²³ its grip on its members, is not exclusive to Montana, or Republicans, says Montana State University Political Scientist Jessi Bennion.

"More and more, both parties are calling for ideological²⁴ conformity," Bennion says. "There is not a lot of room for, for instance, a pro-life Democrat these days, when maybe 20 years ago, we saw both liberals and conservatives in each party."

Bennion says this kind of consolidation makes it so the party is easier to control.

In Montana, the state Republican Party holds more power over elected office than at any time in about the last century.

Can the moderate Montana titans survive?

As the party seeks to expand control come 2024, they have their sights set on Democrats' last stronghold in Montana — the U.S. Senate seat held by Jon Tester. Tester has been identified nationally as a vulnerable seat Republicans hope to pick up in order to flip²⁵ the Senate. Racicot could try to stand in their way.

Tester, so far, is the only candidate in the race. But Racicot says he would endorse¹⁹ the Democrat.

"I'm not going to defer²⁶ to party over principle," Racicot says. He calls it a "happy coincidence" if someone in his own party "serves all of the interests of the people of Montana well, and if they proceed in a way that's reasonable and lacks extremism," but that's not always the case.

In a Montana that's growing deeper and deeper red, it's not clear whether long-time political leaders like Tester and Racicot still have the pull they once did.

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 sophomore   

n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的

参考例句：

• He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
• I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。

3 juggling   

n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was charged with some dishonest juggling with the accounts. 他被指控用欺骗手段窜改账目。
• The accountant went to prison for juggling his firm's accounts. 会计因涂改公司的帐目而入狱。

4 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

5 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。

6 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

8 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

9 ostracized   

v.放逐( ostracize的过去式和过去分词 )；流放；摈弃；排斥

参考例句：

• He was ostracized by his colleagues for refusing to support the strike. 他因拒绝支持罢工而受到同事的排斥。
• The family were ostracized by the neighborhood. 邻居们都不理睬那一家人。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

11 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 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。

14 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》

15 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

16 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。

17 deviated   

v.偏离，越轨( deviate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• On this occasion the plane deviated from its usual flight path. 这一次那架飞机偏离了正常的航线。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His statements sometimes deviated from the truth. 他的陈述有时偏离事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

19 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

20 endorsements   

n.背书( endorsement的名词复数 )；（驾驶执照上的）违章记录；（公开的）赞同；（通常为名人在广告中对某一产品的）宣传

参考例句：

• He must make much money on those tennis shoe endorsements he does. 他替那些网球鞋珍重广告，就赚了不少钱。 来自互联网
• But celebrity endorsements remain an important promotional tool for marketers. 尽管如此，邀明星助阵仍是营销人员重要的推广手段之一。 来自互联网

21 rebuking   

责难或指责( rebuke的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Rebuking people who disagree with them. 指责和自己意见不同的人。
• We could hear the director rebuking Jim for being late from work again. 我们听得见主任在斥辞责吉姆上班又迟到了。

22 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

23 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

24 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

25 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

26 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。