美国国家公共电台 NPR Ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Says He Wouldn't Be A Spoiler In Race For White House

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We had a talk yesterday with Howard Schultz. The billionaire former CEO of Starbucks says he is considering an independent run for president. In our talk, the man who popularized upscale coffee answered critics who warned he could split the vote against President Trump¹.

HOWARD SCHULTZ: If there is a choice between President Trump and a progressive, liberal-minded person on a Democratic side, it would kill me to see President Trump be re-elected. And I believe that's what would take place.

INSKEEP: You think the Democrats³ are going to be too far left to win?

SCHULTZ: That's what I believe.

INSKEEP: What would Howard Schultz stand for, we asked, in a long conversation in New York? It was fitting that we met there because Schultz grew up there, and the most concrete thing he is selling is his life story. In a book called "From The Ground Up," Schultz describes a childhood in red brick public housing projects.

SCHULTZ: My father, in many ways, was a classic blue collar, uneducated laborer⁴, a World War II veteran. I also think in many ways he felt as if he was a victim of the system, not respected for his work, and over time felt beaten down and bitter and, unfortunately, never kind of found himself in a job or profession that had much purpose. He would come home fatigued⁵. He would come home depressed⁶. And at times, there was abuse.

INSKEEP: Of you?

SCHULTZ: Yes. There was.

INSKEEP: What sort of abuse?

SCHULTZ: There was physical violence. There was rage. As I look back on it today, I think that rage was not directly towards me. It was just a release for him of how angry and disappointed he was at his own station in life and the world.

INSKEEP: Howard Schultz insists he held onto that background as he built Starbucks into a national brand and then a global one. His parents never had health insurance. He made sure his employees did, even part-timers. Though the company staggered in the Great Recession, its overall success is his clearest credential in running for office.

This was a portion of President Trump's sales pitch. Do you think Americans are ready to elect another businessman with no political experience?

SCHULTZ: Well, I don't accept the premise⁸, with all due respect.

INSKEEP: Well, it's one of the things that he said...

SCHULTZ: Yeah. Well, yeah.

INSKEEP: ...I'm a businessman; I'm independent; I can make my own decisions.

SCHULTZ: Well, I just think we should ask ourselves, is that what we got? I mean, we have two years of immorality⁹, and we have two years of broken promises. People should not be interested or support me because of my experience at Starbucks. It's what I've learned along the way.

INSKEEP: What he says he's learned is better corporate¹⁰ citizenship¹¹. He says he resisted calls to cut benefits. He created initiatives to find jobs for veterans. He came to question the idea that a CEO's sole responsibility is creating value for the stockholders.

SCHULTZ: I certainly believe that a hundred percent - but not in the absolute. Shareholder¹² value had to be balanced and equaled with creating value for our customers and, most importantly, for our people.

INSKEEP: Would you be changing, as president, laws or pushing to change SEC regulations, anything else, to change the business environment in which shareholder value has become utterly¹³ paramount¹⁴ for companies across this country?

SCHULTZ: I don't think I would be changing laws, but what I would try and do is influence public CEOs to understand that we have a moral obligation and responsibility, not only to make a profit and create shareholder value, but also to do everything we can to do more for our employees and the communities we serve.

INSKEEP: Can you preach your way to that change on a large scale in a system where a CEO who doesn't maximize shareholder value can get sued or lose the company?

SCHULTZ: Financial performance, in a way, is the price of admission. We have to - a company has to perform. But you don't have to perform at the expense of your people.

INSKEEP: What Schultz has not made clear - at this early stage, at least - is how, if at all, he would change the economic or political systems under which he grew rich. It is not clear how he would reduce the national debt, although he says it is far too high. He says Republicans fail to take it seriously, and he accuses Democrats of making promises that could enlarge it.

SCHULTZ: Free Medicare for all, government-paid, free college for all - first of all, there's no free. I mean nothing is free.

INSKEEP: President Obama's theory was that you reduce the deficit¹⁵ in small measure by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans. President Trump's theory was that you reduce the deficit by cutting taxes on the wealthiest Americans. You're smiling. Which, if either of those, is true?

SCHULTZ: Can I say it in my own words?

INSKEEP: Please.

SCHULTZ: So we are in dire⁷ need of comprehensive tax reform, which would include a significant level of infrastructure¹⁶ developments.

INSKEEP: Is it safe to say that the wealthiest would have to pay more? Whatever the rates become, however the reform is structured?

SCHULTZ: What I would say is that we need comprehensive tax reform.

INSKEEP: Why do you stick with that particular phrase?

SCHULTZ: Because I think there are a number of areas here that need to be addressed. And I'm not trying to dodge¹⁷ any question. I just feel like, you know, what we have today is an unfair system. However, when I see Elizabeth Warren come out with, you know, a ridiculous plan of taxing wealthy people a surtax of 2 percent because it makes a good headline - or sends out a tweet when she knows for a fact that's it's not something that's ever going to be passed, this is what's wrong. I mean, you can't just attack these things in a punitive¹⁸ way by punishing people.

INSKEEP: But I'm just thinking, you've got trillion-dollar annual deficits¹⁹ now in good times. Getting that down calls for some specific, painful-sounding things - drastic cut in military spending, at a time when the United States is confronting China and Russia and who knows who else, changes to Medicare and Social Security, tax increases on somebody. Are you going to do that?

SCHULTZ: Well, you haven't talked about growth. So...

INSKEEP: You think you can grow your way out of a trillion-dollar deficit?

SCHULTZ: I don't think you can - no. No. I don't think you can grow your way out of a trillion dollars. But I - remember, I've been an entrepreneur for the last 40 years. I view things a little bit differently than, certainly, a traditional politician. And I have a 30-year-plus record of being able to solve complex problems in unique ways.

INSKEEP: Though he is vague about what he would do if elected, Howard Schultz is insistent²⁰ that he can be an alternative in the presidential campaign.

SCHULTZ: I can't think of anything that is a more quintessential expression of our democracy than providing the American people with a choice that doesn't have to be binary²¹ between a Republican and Democrat².

INSKEEP: He says the next president must be the right person, and he will decide within months if he thinks that person should be him.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

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 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

5 fatigued   

adj. 疲乏的

参考例句：

• The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
• The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。

6 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

7 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

8 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

9 immorality   

n. 不道德, 无道义

参考例句：

• All the churchmen have preached against immorality. 所有牧师都讲道反对不道德的行为。
• Where the European sees immorality and lawlessness, strict law rules in reality. 在欧洲人视为不道德和无规则的地方，事实上都盛行着一种严格的规则。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

10 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

11 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

12 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

13 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

14 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

15 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。

16 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

17 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

18 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

19 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

20 insistent   

adj.迫切的，坚持的

参考例句：

• There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
• He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。

21 binary   

adj.二，双；二进制的；n.双(体)；联星

参考例句：

• Computers operate using binary numbers.计算机运行运用二进位制。
• Let us try converting the number itself to binary.我们试一试，把这个数本身变成二进制数。