VOA常速英语2019--民主党候选人举行第一次公开电视辩论（在线收听）

On stage in Miami, ten Democrats vying for the right to challenge President Trump next year in a nationally televised debate hosted by NBC. Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren who’s been rising in the polls of late focused on the economic divide in the United States. I am in this fight because I believe that we can make our government, we can make our economy, we can make our country work not just for those at the top, we can make it work for everyone, and I promise you this I will fight for you as hard as I fight for my own family. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio crafted his appeals to working-class voters. Because putting working people first, it matters. We need to be that party again. But Ohio Representative Tim Ryan said National Democrats were out of touch. We are not connecting to the working-class people in the very states that I represent, in Ohio, in the industrial Midwest. We’ve lost all connection. New Jersey senator Cory Booker argued he was the best candidate to defeat President Trump next year.

在迈阿密的舞台上，10名民主党议员正在争夺明年挑战特朗普总统职位的权利。此时，他们正在参加由全国广播公司BC）主办的全国电视辩论。马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白最近的选票有上涨趋势，她主要关注的是美国的经济鸿沟问题。我参加了这场竞选是因为我认为我们可以让美国政府、美国经济乃至整个美国不只为高层服务，也为所有人服务。我承诺大家——我会竭尽全力为你们而战，就像我为我的家人战斗那样。纽约市长白思豪呼吁的主要对象则是工薪阶级的选民。因为以人为本是很重要的。我们需要再次成为以人为本的政党。而俄亥俄州众议员蒂姆表示，民主党不了解民间疾苦。我们与我们所代表的的那些州的工薪阶级已经脱节了，无论是俄亥俄州还是中西部的选区。我们与他们已经彻底脱节了。新泽西州参议员科里表示自己是明年击败特朗普的最佳人选。

This is a referendum on him and getting rid of him, but it’s also a referendum on us, who we are and who we must be to each other. Immigration was a flashpoint in the debate. Former cabinet secretary Julian Castro lashed out in Trump administration policies in the wake of the drowning deaths of a father and daughter from El Salvador and the haunting photos that have drawn international attention. Watching that image of Oscar and his daughter Valeria is heartbreaking. It should also piss us all off. Former Texas congressman Beto O Rourke has joined in the condemnation. He would not turn back Valeria and her father Oscar. We would accept them into this country and follow our own asylum laws. We would not build walls. We would not put kids in cages. The candidates were also asked about recent tensions with Iran. Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar said she feared that President Trump was moving the country closer to war. And this president is literally every single day ten minutes away from going to war, one tweet away from going to war, and I don’t think we should conduct foreign policies in our bathrobe at 5:00 in the morning.

这次投票关乎特朗普以及摆脱特朗普的问题，但这次投票也与我们有关，关乎我们是谁、我们必须为彼此扮演的角色是什么。移民问题是此次辩论的一个爆发点。前内阁秘书朱利安抨击了特朗普政府的移民政策，提到了此前萨尔瓦多一对父女溺亡的新闻以及引起全球关注的触目惊心的照片。奥斯卡和他女儿瓦莱里娅溺亡的照片，见者心碎。这样的事情也应该让我们所有人愤怒之至。前德克萨斯州议员欧洛克也加入了讨伐大军中。他不会拒绝这对父女的加入。我们会接受他们，让他们进入美国并遵循我们的庇护法律。我们不会建造边境墙，不会把孩子放进牢笼里。主持人对候选人们的提问还包括最近与伊朗剑拔弩张的局势。明尼苏达州参议员艾米表示，自己很害怕特朗普总统让美国再次贴近战争的边缘。毫不夸张地说，特朗普每天每分每秒都在让美国离战争更近，他发一条推特，我们就能打起仗来。我认为，美国的外交政策不应该是在早上五点还穿着浴袍的时候执行的。

It was also a debate over whether the US should stay in Afghanistan. Ohio Representative Tim Ryan said yes. And the lesson that I’ve learned over the years is that you have to stay engaged in these situations. But Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard said it was time for the United States to leave. As a soldier I will tell you that answer is unacceptable. We have to bring our troops home from Afghanistan. We are in a place in Afghanistan where we have lost so many lives. Also taking part in the Wednesday debate were former Maryland Representative John Delaney and Washington governor Jay Inslee. On Thursday, 10 more Democratic contenders will get their first chance to debate. They include Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, California Senator Kamala Harris, and the current frontrunner former Vice President Joe Biden.

辩论的话题还有美国是否应该撤军阿富汗。俄亥俄州众议员蒂姆认为不应该撤军。这些年来，我学到的一课是：我们应该了解局势变化。但夏威夷众议员图尔西认为，美国是时候撤军了。曾经当过兵的我想对您说：您的答案是不可接受的。我们必须要撤军。在阿富汗，我们失去了太多的生命。参加周三辩论的还有前马里兰州众议院议员约翰以及华盛顿州长杰伊。周四，又有10名民主党竞选者第一次加入辩论中，包括佛蒙特州参议员桑德斯、印第安纳州南本德市长皮特、加利福尼亚州参议员哈里斯以及现任的领先者前副总统拜登。