2014年经济学人 国会与总统 对峙

Congress and the president

Face-off

Anyone hoping for an outbreak of good government is likely to be disappointed

SPEAKING at the White House after a stinging mid-term defeat, Barack Obama adopted a conciliatory tone. “Both parties,” he said, “are going to have to come together and compromise to get something done here.” Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, agreed, adding that he hoped the president would work with Republicans on spending, energy and trade agreements. “The question,” said Senator McConnell, “is how do we meet in the middle?” That was in November 2010. There followed a government shutdown, two flirtations with a sovereign default over the raising of the legal limit on government borrowing, and the least productive Congress since anyone began counting.

The president and Mr McConnell once again made similar pronouncements about working together after another disastrous² mid-term election for the Democrats³ on November 4th. Those who believe that this time will be different argue that divided government works better when Congress is wholly controlled by one party and the presidency⁴ by the other. When the House and the Senate are in the hands of different parties, according to this line of thinking, it is too easy for one to blame the other for intransigence⁵ and avoid governing.

Before this idea is tested by the new Congress in January, there is a lame-duck session to finish. These sessions of Congress are typically productive when compared with the healthy-duck sort. Because the budget process pushes controversial decisions towards the end of the year, a disproportionate number of important votes on spending will fall in a session where 12 senators (or 13, if Mary Landrieu loses a run-off in Louisiana on December 6th) will not have to face the voters again and can therefore smooth their passage. In 2010 the expiring Senate allowed gay people to serve openly in the military, ratified⁷ a treaty on nuclear missiles with Russia and extended some tax cuts.

Funding the government past December 11th, the deadline to avoid another shutdown, should be straightforward⁸. The confirmation⁹ of the 35 ambassadors and 16 judicial¹⁰ nominees¹² currently before the Senate will be harder. In 2008 Democrats held a series of pretend sessions to prevent George W. Bush from making appointments while the chamber¹³ was in recess¹⁴. Republicans may now try a similar wheeze¹⁵; the Senate cannot go into recess without the agreement of the Republican-controlled House. Such shifty manoeuvres are now all too common.

Congress may give the president fast-track authority to negotiate foreign-trade deals. And there are other areas where Mr Obama and Republican leaders agree. Both sides want to lower America's high taxes on companies, which contribute to the parking of just over $2 trillion of profits overseas. Agreement may not lead anywhere: a sensible corporate-tax reform would lower rates and close loopholes; if done properly, it would mean a tax increase for those firms that now benefit from exemptions¹⁶. Since most Republican members of the House have signed a pledge to voters never to raise taxes, this will be a hard sell.

A more straightforward, though less important, change is likely when the new Senate takes up the Hire More Heroes bill, which the House has already passed and will revive in January. This would allow companies to hire veterans whose health care is covered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, without them counting towards the overall headcount for the purposes of the Affordable¹⁸ Care Act. Under that law, all firms with 50 or more full-time¹⁹ staff must provide them with health cover.

The way this bill works with Obamacare suggests that House Republicans know the law itself is not going away. (A bill to repeal²⁰ it may find its way to the president's desk, but he would veto it.) A second likely tweak will be to repeal Obamacare's 2.3% tax on medical devices, which will slightly increase the deficit²¹ but not affect the way the health law works. Republicans will also try to change the definition of full-time work, which triggers an employer's obligation to provide insurance, from 30 hours a week to something lengthier²².

Mr McConnell may attach things that the president would rather avoid to proposals with broad support. Approval of the Keystone XL pipeline²³, which would carry crude oil from Canada's tar⁶ sands to refineries²⁴ on the Gulf²⁵ coast, fits this description. But no compromise seems likely over global warming. The president wants to do something about it, as his tentative deal with China this week shows (see article). Most Republicans do not; Mr McConnell campaigned partly on rescuing his state's coal mines from federal bullying²⁶.

Where are the new faces?

The new Senate will have to vet¹⁷ the president's appointments. The most pressing of these is a new attorney-general. The president has nominated Loretta Lynch, a federal prosecutor²⁷, to take over from Eric Holder²⁸. Ms Lynch, who has a Harvard law degree, is well qualified²⁹ for the job. She also has a remarkable³⁰ family story: her great-great-grandfather, a free black, fell in love with a slave and, unable to buy her freedom, became enslaved again so he could marry her. Ms Lynch's grandfather, a pastor³¹, helped blacks escape from the organised racism³² of Jim Crow states. These qualifications should see her confirmed, but her nomination³³ hearing is likely to get caught up in a fight over immigration. The president has repeated a threat to use his executive power to slow the deportation³⁴ of illegal immigrants—though he has yet to reveal how exactly he will do this. Senators Ted¹ Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah have promised to press his nominee¹¹ on whether such a move would be legal.

After his party's drubbing in the mid-terms, Mr Obama might be expected to reshuffle his team. Yet he shows no sign of doing so. Several cabinet members are newish and unlikely to be turfed out yet. Since Rahm Emanuel left in 2010, no chief of staff has lasted much more than a year. The president will be in no rush to get rid of the current one, Denis McDonough. One adviser³⁵ whose importance is likely to grow is John Podesta, who was Bill Clinton's chief of staff when Republicans controlled Congress in the 1990s. He helped the two sides work together productively, despite the impeachment³⁶ battle.

Many in Washington were hoping that Valerie Jarrett, Mr Obama's closest confidant, might move. Her vast influence, vague job description and lack of policy expertise³⁷ infuriate Democrats and Republicans alike; but she will probably stay put. The president trusts her, and the mid-terms have made his job lonelier than ever.

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

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 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 intransigence   

n.妥协的态度；强硬

参考例句：

• He often appeared angry and frustrated by the intransigence of both sides.他似乎常常为双方各不相让而生气沮丧。
• Yet for North Korea,intransigence is the norm.不过对朝鲜来说，决不妥协是其一贯作风。

6 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

7 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

8 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

9 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

10 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

11 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。

12 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

13 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

14 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

15 wheeze   

n.喘息声，气喘声；v.喘息着说

参考例句：

• The old man managed to wheeze out a few words.老人勉强地喘息着说出了几句话。
• He has a slight wheeze in his chest.他呼吸时胸部发出轻微的响声。

16 exemptions   

n.（义务等的）免除( exemption的名词复数 )；免（税）；（收入中的）免税额

参考例句：

• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• A: The regulation outlines specific exemptions for some WPM. 答：该规定概述了某些木质包装材料的特定的例外情形。 来自互联网

17 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

18 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

19 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

20 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

21 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

22 lengthier   

adj.长的，漫长的，啰嗦的( lengthy的比较级 )

参考例句：

23 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

24 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

25 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

26 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

28 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

29 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

30 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

31 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

32 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

33 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。

34 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

35 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

36 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

37 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。