PBS高端访谈:美国民主党启动虚拟全国代表大会

JUDY WOODRUFF: Tonight, the Democratic Party will make history by holding its first national convention to nominate a president not in person, but remotely, in scores of different locations, all made necessary by the extraordinary events of the past six months, events that have turned life upside down in this country. Amna Nawaz reports on how we got here.

朱迪·伍德乐夫：今晚，民主党将通过召开首次全国代表大会而创造历史。这次大会将在几十个不同的地方提名一位总统，但不是当面提名，而是远程提名。过去六个月里发生的一些意外事件致使美国发生了翻天覆地的变化。下面由阿姆纳·纳瓦兹为我们报道进展情况。

AMNA NAWAZ: Historically, it is fanfare¹ and spectacle, celebration, and performance. The Democratic National Convention would typically bring together thousands of people, all under one roof, for a four-day affair. But today, in Milwaukee, home base for this year's convention, it is a much different scene, as organizers have been forced by the coronavirus pandemic to dramatically scale back plans to an almost entirely² virtual convention.

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：历届的民主党全国代表大会都是大张旗鼓、声势浩大，有欢呼、有表演。通常在一个地方聚集数千人举行为期四天的会议。不过今天，在今年大会的大本营密尔沃基，情况就大不一样了。受新冠影响，组织者们被迫大幅精减计划，将其精减为了一个几乎完全虚拟的大会。

LT. GOV. MANDELA BARNES (D-WI): If COVID had been more appropriately managed in this country, you would see thousands of people in the streets of the city of Milwaukee.

曼德拉·巴恩斯副州长（维吉尼亚州民主党人）：如果说美国的新冠已经得到了很好的控制，那么你会在密尔沃基市的街道上看到成千上万的人。

AMNA NAWAZ: Wisconsin Lieutenant³ Governor Mandela Barnes is a vice⁴ chair of the convention, and fought for months to bring this historic event to his home city.

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：威斯康辛州副州长曼德拉·巴恩斯是这次大会的副主席，为让这一历史性事件能在他所在的城市举行他已经奋斗了几个月。

LT. GOV. MANDELA BARNES: But the writing was on the wall earlier this year, as COVID numbers continued to rise. And with that in mind, I knew that it would be very difficult, nearly impossible, to pull off the large-scale convention that we thought we'd be able to. And when I saw the news, you know, I had already felt like I was playing the violin on the Titanic⁵ at that point.

副州长曼德拉·巴恩斯：但今年早些时候，随着新冠感染人数的持续上升，形势已经不容乐观。考虑到这一点，我知道举行一场我们能够举行的大型会议会非常困难，几乎已经成为了不可能。当我看到新闻的时候，你知道，那一刻我感觉自己就像在泰坦尼克号上拉小提琴。

AMNA NAWAZ: Organizers have been working and reworking plans for months, making clear public health was a priority. Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez:

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：组织者们几个月来一直在不停修改计划，他们明确表示公共健康是重中之重。民主党全国委员会主席汤姆·佩雷斯：

TOM PEREZ, Chairman, Democratic National Committee: Our North Star has always been public health and safety. That was clear from the outset. And we have always made sure that we listen to the experts.

民主党全国委员会主席汤姆·佩雷斯：我们从来都是以公共健康和公共安全为重，这一点从一开始就很明确，我们会确保听取专家意见。

AMNA NAWAZ: Originally scheduled for July, the convention was delayed to August. The venue⁶, originally the Fiserv Forum⁷, home to Milwaukee's NBA team, with capacity for 18,000 people, was changed to the smaller Wisconsin Center that can house up to 4,000 people. Instead of one city hosting the entire event, the convention will now be anchored from Milwaukee, with curated content from other cities. As for the headliners, they will be virtual too. In years past, the party's presumptive nominee⁸ delivering an acceptance speech before roaring crowds has been a signature convention moment.

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：会议原定于7月举行，后来推迟到8月。举办地原先是密尔沃基NBA球队的费瑟夫广场，那里可容纳18000人，现在改成了可容纳4000人的场地较小的威斯康辛中心。这次大会将不再由一个城市单独举办，而是以密尔沃基为主，辅以其他城市的策划内容，头条新闻也会以虚拟形式进行。过去几年里，民主党候选人在喧嚣的人群前发表提名演讲一直是代表大会的标志性时刻。

AUDIENCE: Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!

群众：希拉里！希拉里！希拉里！

AMNA NAWAZ: This year, former Vice President Joe Biden will deliver his remarks from his home state of Delaware on the final night of the convention. In fact, all speakers, including his running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, and other key figures in the Democratic Party, will be delivering speeches remotely.

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：今年，前副总统乔·拜登会在大会的最后一晚在他的家乡特拉华州发表讲话，其实，所有的演讲者，包括他的竞选伙伴加州参议员卡玛拉·哈里斯以及民主党的其他关键人物都将发表远程讲话。

WOMAN: We cast 47 votes for the next president of the United States.

女子：我们为美国下一任总统投了47票。

AMNA NAWAZ: Even the roll call vote, a hallmark moment featuring each state declaring its delegate count, will be done virtually, with input⁹ from each of the 57 states and territories. The event meant to cap off the primary season and kick off the general election won't be what it once was. But Barnes says he isn't worried it will fail to inspire the Democratic base.

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：甚至是每个州宣布其代表人数的标志性时刻“点名表决”也将通过虚拟方式进行，57个州和地区的每个人都将参与。这一旨在结束初选并拉开大选序幕的活动将不再是过去的样子。不过巴恩斯表示，他并不担心这会无法鼓舞民主党阵营的士气。

LT. GOV. MANDELA BARNES: This is a virtual pep rally. And I think that folks will still leave excited, because, you know, we now have a vice presidential nominee. The ticket is finally set. And there's a lot of enthusiasm there.

副州长曼德拉·巴恩斯：这是一场虚拟的动员大会，我想人们还是会兴奋地离开，因为，你知道，我们现在有了副总统候选人，候选人名单已经定好了，有很多能够激发大家热情的东西。

AMNA NAWAZ: As around the nation, COVID cases continue to climb, millions remain unemployed¹⁰, and a national racial reckoning unfolds, the Democratic National Committee says all these issues will make their way into convention programming, with Americans from around the country sharing their stories. Next week, President Trump¹¹ and the Republican Party will host their own convention, similarly upended during the pandemic. But, before then, Democrats¹² have four days to get voters excited for their party's 2020 ticket, all from safe distance. For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Amna Nawaz.

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：全国范围内的新冠感染人数持续攀升，至今有数百万人仍处于失业状态，一场全国性的种族清算正在展开。民主党全国委员会表示，所有这些问题都将成为大会的议程，全国各地的美国人都将分享他们的故事。下周，特朗普总统和共和党也将举行自己的全国代表大会，这次大会在新冠期间同样遭到了颠覆。但是，在此之前，民主党还有四天的时间拉票，一切都保持在安全距离。这里是PBS新闻一小时，我是阿姆纳·纳瓦兹。

1 fanfare   

n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布

参考例句：

• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide.这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King.嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

2 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

3 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

6 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

7 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

8 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。

9 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

10 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

11 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。

12 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》