华盛顿政治家们的真实意图是?

AS IT IS 2016-10-10 What Washington Politicians Are Really Saying 华盛顿政治家们的真实意图是?

It sounds so nice.

“My good friend...”

It is what some members of Congress say about their fellow lawmakers.

But Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark offer the not-so-nice meaning. They explain the real meaning of “my good friend” and other words from American politics in their book, “Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs & Washington Handshakes.”

The authors say that members of Congress often use the phrase “my good friend” to refer to a person they do not like. The official may not even be able to stand the good friend.

Another example of words that mean something different than they appear is: “I want to spend more time with my family.”

Members of Congress often say this when they are resigning or giving up their jobs.

While it is true that members of Congress often spend many days away from their families, the authors say that politicians use this expression when they do not want to give the real reason they are resigning.

The real reason could be that they did something wrong, or they just found out that they are unlikely to win re-election.

However, some government officials say they really mean it when they say they want to spend more time with their family, McCutcheon and Mark added.

McCutcheon and Mark explained that words used by government leaders and politicians can be very confusing. They said their book is an effort to explain the hidden meanings.

Here are some other examples from their book:

Slow walk: Means to delay something from happening.

An example: When Senate Democrats¹ brought up a bill to reduce climate change, Republican² opponents demanded that every page of the 492-page bill be read out loud on the Senate floor.

Officials eventually voted on the bill, but getting there was a slow walk.

Revolving³ door: It does not refer to a real door that moves from the open to closed position. Rather, it refers to the common practice of going from a government agency that regulates⁵ a business to working for that same business.

Activists⁶ say that politicians cannot govern well if they are always passing through the revolving door between government service and private industry.

Washington handshake: The authors say this phrase describes talking to a person while looking over his shoulder in case a more important person enters the room.

You can be sure that when the more important person arrives, the discussion with the less important person will stop.

Words in this Story

whistle - n. a small device that makes a very high and loud sound when a person blows air through it. In this case, the authors are referring to words some politicians use to appeal to voters’ emotions

handshake - n. the act of grasping someone's right hand with your right hand and moving it up and down

confusing - adj. difficult to understand

regulate⁴ - v. to make rules or laws that control something

shoulder - n. the part of your body where your arm is connected

1 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》

2 republican   

n.拥护共和政体的人； adj.共和政体的，（Republican）共和党人，（Republican）共和党的

参考例句：

• Some families have been republican for generations.有些家庭世代都支持共和党。
• A third candidate has entered the contest for the Republican nomination.第三个候选人已经加入角逐共和党提名的行列。

3 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

4 regulate   

vt.管理，控制，调节，调校，调整

参考例句：

• This system can regulate the temperature of the room.这种系统能调节室内温度。
• They regulate the flow of water by the sluice gate.他们用水闸门控制水的流量。

5 regulates   

控制( regulate的第三人称单数 )； 管理； 调整； 调节

参考例句：

• "Now, this handle here regulates your speed. “看着，这个把手是控制速度的。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• This valve regulates the flow of water. 这个阀门控制着水的流量。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》