CNN 2010-03-08

Dana joins us now live from Washington.

So, Dana, you know, what is your take here? Is this typical political theater of someone's who's not going to be re-elected? Or is it a true sign of growing rage over the fact that we're spending money that we don't have?

BASH: You know, Kyra, I actually think it may be a little bit of both. You know Bunning is raising a legitimate¹ question. In a time of record deficits², what's wrong with paying for $10 billion in benefits and programs that everybody says that they want?

But you know Democrats³ are saying -- that they disagree. That they think that this is emergency spending that is not needed to be paid for. They say it's just a fundamental disagreement on that.

But there is a political subplot here that we simply can't ignore. And that is that Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, has an awful relationship with his Republican leadership, and his fellow Kentuckian, the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell -- he is somebody who really pushed Jim Bunning to retire from the Senate instead of run for re-election this year.

So McConnell has virtually no leverage⁴ with Bunning and really no senators do here for various reasons. And so that's why it's hard for them to get Bunning to back down.

Now you might ask on the substance, well, can't they just work around Bunning and pass these benefits, you know, using Senate procedure? The answer is yes, they can, but Democrats know that they have a good political issue right now.

So talking to sources, they say they have no plans to do that in the immediate⁵ future. They'll do it probably at the end of this week, maybe next week as part of a larger package, but right now they think that they have a political winner here.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dana Bash, appreciate it.

 

1 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

2 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

3 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》

4 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

5 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。