美国国家公共电台 NPR--In Iowa, voters are already sizing up the 2024 GOP presidential field

In Iowa, voters are already sizing up the 2024 GOP presidential field

Transcript¹

NPR's A Martinez talks to Bob Vander Plaats, president of the conservative group The Family Leader, about how Iowa voters are evaluating the GOP presidential field.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

In the coming months, Tim Scott, as well as other Republican presidential candidates, are likely to be seen in Iowa. That's because the state kicks off the GOP presidential primary race with its first-in-the-nation caucuses² in early 2024. Bob Vander Plaats is president and CEO of The Family Leader, an Iowa-based Christian³ activist⁴ group that's influential⁵ in Republican politics there. In a conversation with our co-host A Martínez, Vander Plaats said the state is not a lock for any Republican right now, but that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has had a good start in Iowa.

BOB VANDER PLAATS: His record in Florida plays exceptionally well in Iowa. Obviously, Floridians rewarded him with a landslide⁶ victory in the Sunshine State, much like in Iowa, where Governor Reynolds was well received. Both of them kept the schools open during COVID. Both of them have implemented⁷ school choice in their state. And both of them have taken on the woke agenda, basically. I think the more he makes a tie to Governor Reynolds in the state of Iowa, the better it will be for him.

A MART?NEZ, BYLINE⁸: When it comes to abortion⁹ rights, how do you think the candidates are appealing to voters so far?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, I think what it is on the abortion issue is that every candidate needs to deliver their message with clarity, not with nuance¹⁰ and confusion. So, for example, President Trump¹¹'s answer at the CNN town hall with Kaitlan Collins about we're ready to make a deal that'll be great for everybody. That's not saying anything. That's very nuanced. It's very confusing. And I don't think it's going to win a whole lot of votes either way, but to offer it with clarity and that a candidate would be a champion for a culture of life for Governor DeSantis and again, Governor Reynolds, who both signed heartbeat bill legislation - and I think it's all in how they communicate it. But I think they need to be clear on it.

MART?NEZ: But for, say, any Republican candidate, Bob, that wants to try and ding Donald Trump, can't he always fall back to saying, hey, if it wasn't for me, the Supreme¹² Court wouldn't be the way it is and Roe¹³ v. Wade¹⁴ would still be the law of the land?

VANDER PLAATS: (Laughter) Well, he definitely can say that. And he is saying that. That's a very good thing. But then it is, how do you follow it up? To say that the heartbeat bill is too harsh, to throw the pro-life community under the bus after the 2022 midterm elections because they're the ones to blame because of the abortion issue, that's not going to work.

MART?NEZ: What other areas do you think Donald Trump could be vulnerable on?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, I think that his biggest issue, in addition to the sanctity of human life, is his focus on the past, his grievance¹⁵ on the past. He lost the 2020 election, and then many of his candidates got beat in the 2022 midterms. That's got a lot of people thinking, is he the right one to be our standard bearer moving forward?

MART?NEZ: Bob, is it fair to say that you're looking for anyone else to support other than Donald Trump?

VANDER PLAATS: Well, there's no doubt. I've been very clear. I've been very open that I consider myself a friend to Donald Trump. But I really believe that for us to win in 2024, we need to have someone who can cast a compelling vision for the future of this country, that can unite America again versus¹⁶ divide America. Now, the former president can make his case that he's still that guy. But I think if he gets beat in Iowa, I think it's game on to the nomination¹⁷. I think if he wins Iowa and wins Iowa by a big margin¹⁸, he's your nominee¹⁹.

MART?NEZ: That's Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader.

Bob, thank you very much.

VANDER PLAATS: 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 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

6 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

7 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 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。

10 nuance   

n.(意义、意见、颜色)细微差别

参考例句：

• These users will easily learn each nuance of the applications they use.这些用户会很快了解他们所使用程序的每一细微差别。
• I wish I hadn't become so conscious of every little nuance.我希望我不要变得这样去思索一切琐碎之事。

11 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

12 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

13 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

14 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

15 grievance   

n.怨愤，气恼，委屈

参考例句：

• He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
• He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。

16 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

17 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

18 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

19 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。