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茶党不让步 政府难开门

A one-page letter - signed by almost one-fifth of the legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives - was a factor leading to a political stalemate and the U.S. government shutdown. Congress and President Barack Obama cannot agree on continuing to fund the government, with the Republicans determined¹ to undermine the president’s signature health care law. Some powerful Republicans say they are bowing to the wishes of their constituents².

美国众议院将近五分之一的议员签署了一封一页纸长的信，导致了美国的政治僵局和政府关闭。共和党决心要推翻奥巴马总统签署的医保法案，使得国会和总统不能在政府预算问题上达成一致。一些有影响力的共和党人说，他们是遵循他们选民的意愿。

Outside the Capitol, Washington, D.C. is quiet. Inside, talk is tough. Democrats⁴ support the president.

华盛顿的国会大厦外面很安静，可是里面辩论激烈。

“What have we come to here? We have the best country in the world and it’s time we start running it again,” asked Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind).

“The House has compromised over and over and over again," insisted Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky).

Ultra-conservative

Representative Andy Barr Barr belongs to the ultra-conservative arm called the Tea Party. It arrived on the political scene in 2009. The movement is now a force within the party.

国会共和党众议员安迪?巴尔属于超级保守的共和党人，即所谓的茶党。2009年，茶党登上政治舞台，现在成了共和党内部的一股力量。

Eighty members (a third of House Republicans, including Barr) signed a letter connecting a repeal⁵ of health care reform to any resolution that keeps the government running.

众议院共和党议员中的三分之一，包括巴尔在内的80位共和党人，签署了一封信，把废除奥巴马医改作为通过任何预算方案以维持政府运转的前提。

Barr accused Democrats of pushing through the health care reform act in 2010 when they had a majority in both houses of Congress, and said his Kentucky constituents did’t like it.

巴尔说，2010年民主党在众议院占多数时通过了医改法，他在肯塔基的选民不同意。

“I cannot ignore the deluge⁶ of calls and conversations and communications that I’m getting from constituents talking about Obamacare hurting them, their businesses and their families,” he said.

巴尔说： “我不能无视选民们铺天盖地的电话，我和他们谈话和交流，他们说奥巴马医保损害了他们，损害了他们的企业和家庭。”

Anti-Obama

According to the Cook Political Report, most of the 80 Republicans come from districts that voted unlike most of the country. For example, President Obama only received 38 percent of the vote in Barr’s district. And while voters nationwide are looking more diverse, the Cook Report said Republican districts are getting whiter.

《库克政治报告》透露，这80位共和党议员所在的选区和美国大多数选区不同。比如，在巴尔的选区，奥巴马总统只得到38%的选票。库克报告说，在全国选民越来越种族多元化的同时，共和党选区白人越来越多。

Moderate Republicans agree that Obamacare should be diminished but oppose the tactics of the Tea Party - like shutting down the government. Analysts⁷ said they were looking over their shoulder, afraid of a Tea Party challenger, if they didn't go along.

温和的共和党人赞同应该废除奥巴马医保，不过反对用茶党的手段，比如关闭政府。分析人士说，他们小心翼翼，担心如果不跟茶党合作，会遭到发难。

“In the case of Republicans looking over their right shoulders, they may be safe in their districts as Republicans if they were to face a Democrat³ in an election, but they may not be safe from a primary challenge,” explained John Fortier, of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

两党政策中心的约翰?福捷说：“共和党人小心翼翼地向右边张望，在他们自己的选区里，如果他们的选举对手是民主党人，那会平安无事，可是他们如果在初选遇到党内挑战，就说不准了。”

Blame game

Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats accuse each other of refusing to compromise.

与此同时，共和民主两党相互指责对方不肯妥协。

"All we are asking for is to sit down and have a discussion," insisted House Speaker John Boehner.

众议院议长贝纳说：“我们所要求的就是坐下来进行讨论。”

"Mr. Speaker, You shut down the federal government. But now what?” asked said Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii).

民主党众议员科琳?哈纳布萨说：“议长先生，是你关闭了联邦政府，可是现在怎么办？”

“It’s part of our polarized world," remarked Fortier. "The extent that we have divided government. Our parties differ a lot. It’s likely that part of this is the new normal.”

福捷说：“这是我们所在的两极化世界的一部分，以至我们的政府分裂，我们的政党分歧很大。这可能已经成为新常态的一部分了。”

So for now, the factions⁸ wait to see which side blinks first. Until then, the federal government remains⁹ shut down until further notice.

目前，双方都在看谁先示弱。不过在这之前，联邦政府继续关闭，等待通知。