美国有线新闻 CNN 2012-12-11

 Hi, I'm Anderson Cooper, welcome to the podcast. Finally some signs the adults are taking control in Capitol Hill, perhaps, several key Republicans now say they'll support higher tax rates on the reach to get a deal done. But it's still ridiculous, let's get started.

 

We begin tonight with breaking news on the looming¹ fiscal² cliff and signs of a potential. A potential fall, little bit, for the past few nights, we've been telling you about the frustrating³ lack of progress towards a deal to avert⁴ the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts that kicked in less than four weeks from now. Poll after poll shows that you, the American people want a compromise, but there weren't many signs that was gonna happen. Nothing was getting done. In a CNN/ORC poll taken a few weeks ago, 67% said Washington officials would behave like spoiled children in the fiscal cliff discussions, only 28% said they'd behave like responsible adults. The are signs that maybe, just maybe, some responsible adult behavior may prevail that a compromise might actually be reached.

 

All this week, we've been focusing on what it is about this Congress and this administration that makes it seems like compromise is a dirty word, certainly the extremes in the party that seems to view it that way.

 

We've been talking, as I mentioned, with past congressional leaders who sat down at the negotiating table facing sharp differences with the other political party in the past and still managing to come out with a deal.

 

Today, I spoke⁵ a short while ago with the former senate majority leader, Trent Lott, author of "Herding⁶ Cats", a life in politics. Listen to him.

 

Senate Lott, you and senate Michell, who we spoke with yesterday on the program, both wrote Op-Eds, diagnosing dysfunction in Washington right now. And now offering some solutions, you said one solution was for Congress to start holding routine committee hearings, marking up bills, voting on legislation. I think most Americans would agree with that, but be surprised to hear that, I mean, that's their job. I think most of us, you know, would assume, isn't that their job description?

 

Well, they've slowly slipped the way from that, that over the last four years, I guess, particularly the last two years. The senate hasn't passed a budget resolution in several years now. They don't do their appropriation⁷ bills before the end of the fiscal year, not even the end of the calendar year. They haven't had a traditional conference between the House and Senate in at least a year.

 

I mean, I don't want to sound hysterical⁸, but that's just sounds crazy to me.

 

It does to me too, and frankly⁹ it's one of the simple thing that they can do, that would be a solution to the gridlock and a partisanship¹⁰ we have now. I think if they would go back to the old way of getting things done carefully, systematically¹¹, would really help them.

 

I mean, here we are to your point, here we are at the edge of a fiscal cliff. And Congress is still taking a three-day weekends and planning on a holiday break.

 

You know, I did an interview last night, the moderator of an panel I was on with Mark Shields. And he asked me, if you could just recommend one thing other than going back to what we call regular order. What would it be? And my recommendation to the Congress and to the president would be quit campaigning, quit having press conferences sat down at a round table and negotiate a deal. And there is a little bit of revisionist history where we talk about how it was so good in the old days. It was tough then, too. But we got it done, and one of the way we did it, we quit running around talking at each other, and sat down and talked with each other.

 

Your Op-Ed, the headline was "Washington lost it's love of the deal." And it really does seem like that, the deal making, that compromise, even just talking to each other like civilize¹² human beings, doesn't seem like that's happening at all.

 

It's not happening, and you know, Anderson, I was always a conservative Republican, I have very strong believes about certain things we should or shouldn't do. But also thought that I was sent to Washington by the people of my state, not to make a statement but to make a difference and try to get a result. When you're dealing¹³ with 100 United States senators, let alone 435 House members. You are not gonna get it all the way you want it. The president is going to have give some, the president is going to have to show leadership, the leaders in the Congress have to step up. Now, it's kind of dangerous, because they, you know, the extremes in both parties there, they are not looking for compromise, they are looking for a win on their point of view. But you have to be prepared to give some, you have to be prepared to push to get some thing done, and if you do that, if you make up your mind, I'm going to get this done.

1 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

2 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

3 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 herding   

中畜群

参考例句：

• The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
• They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。

7 appropriation   

n.拨款，批准支出

参考例句：

• Our government made an appropriation for the project.我们的政府为那个工程拨出一笔款项。
• The council could note an annual appropriation for this service.议会可以为这项服务表决给他一笔常年经费。

8 hysterical   

adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的

参考例句：

• He is hysterical at the sight of the photo.他一看到那张照片就异常激动。
• His hysterical laughter made everybody stunned.他那歇斯底里的笑声使所有的人不知所措。

9 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

10 Partisanship   

n. 党派性, 党派偏见

参考例句：

• Her violent partisanship was fighting Soames's battle. 她的激烈偏袒等于替索米斯卖气力。
• There was a link of understanding between them, more important than affection or partisanship. ' 比起人间的感情，比起相同的政见，这一点都来得格外重要。 来自英汉文学

11 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

12 civilize   

vt.使文明，使开化 (=civilise)

参考例句：

• We must civilize away the boy's bad habit.我们必须教育这孩子使其改掉恶习。
• Those facilities are intended to civilize people.那些设施的目的在于教化民众。

13 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。