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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Alabama Senator Doug Jones is in our studios. He's the Democrats2 who just won a special election in a deep red state. He had hardly arrived here in Washington when disputes over spending and immigration led to a brief government shutdown. Jones and other Democrats voted to end it on Monday in exchange for a promise that the Senate will at least consider protecting immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.
Senator, good morning.
DOUG JONES: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: What do you say to Democrats who think that your side caved in here?
JONES: Oh, I don't think they caved in at all. I mean, you know, look - they - you make a point. I think that was important. I had a little bit different equation. If you recall, I voted to keep the government open in...
INSKEEP: Right.
JONES: ...The first vote. But, you know, I think that the way the Senate has been operating, in which everything is attached to some kind of spending bill - and the Senate - it hasn't been for some time the kind of deliberative body that it's supposed to be, where you have legislation, you come to the floor of the Senate and you debate it. And every - you know, all sides have an equal opportunity to put something on the floor, talk about it, debate it and then hopefully pass something. To be able to do that, I think, with the DACA and DREAMers and a little bit broader immigration - not necessarily the broad piece of reform - I think that was a major breakthrough. It hadn't happened in months, if not a couple of years.
INSKEEP: That's what Democrats did get, was a commitment that the Senate would at least take up legislation...
JONES: Yeah.
INSKEEP: ...To protect DACA recipients3. Do you believe that you'll have a fair shot?
JONES: I think so, absolutely. You know, I think one of the biggest issues that the Senate faced this past weekend was one of trust. And that - it was a huge hurdle4, and it was distrust on both sides.
INSKEEP: Well, this is Mitch McConnell saying, trust me. I'm going to bring it up.
JONES: Well, that's right.
INSKEEP: Do you trust him?
JONES: And there were a lot of people that did not. There were also people on the other side that didn't trust Democrats. You know, I think this was a big breakthrough because you had a bipartisan group of senators, that actually grew in number over the course of the weekend, that said, we've got to get past this. We've got to put our cards on the table. And we've got to trust each other to do what the Senate does best - and that's deliberate.
INSKEEP: So the Senate takes this up. Maybe it gets 60 votes. Maybe it becomes law and then goes to the House where lawmakers don't seem that inclined to consider it at all.
JONES: Well, I think if the Senate can come up with a bill that is 60 votes, I think there will be a lot of pressure on the White House and the House to pass something. We have another deadline of March 5 coming up, in which there are going to be people starting to be deported5. That is also, I think, a driving factor to get something done.
INSKEEP: Senator, I want to remind people you're a red-state Democrat1. Your seat was previously6 held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions...
JONES: Right.
INSKEEP: ...Who is a hard-liner on immigration. But you're both representing the same electorate7. How different, if at all, is your approach to immigration?
JONES: Well, I think my approach is going to be a lot different than Senator Sessions'. There's no question about that. I am going to try to work to try to find some agreement to go forward. I think it's important that we work to try to give the DACA kids - the DREAMers an opportunity to stay in this country like they have. It's the only country they have ever known.
I understand some of the arguments on the other side. I know - every Democrat wants to increase border security. I think there is a bipartisan consensus8 with that. The devil is always in the details. But I think that there's a way that we can go forward. With this deadline looming9 up, I just don't think you're going to want to see the videos of these kids. There are teachers - there are people in the military being deported. And I think there will be the right give and take.
INSKEEP: DACA's a tiny slice of this. We're talking about 11 million people in the United States illegally. You favor a path to citizenship10 for them?
JONES: No, I don't think we're going to get there on this right now. I think...
INSKEEP: But at any point in the near future?
JONES: Yeah, I don't know. I think we have to see. I think a broader immigration reform package is going to be down the road. I think we need to address some of the issues at hand right now - the issues of the DACA kids and the issue of the border security right now. That's the two most important things that are on the table. Let's get those on the table, find common ground the way we need to and then we - you know, once you can find common ground, Steve, you can find it on other issues.
INSKEEP: Senator, lots of people have noted11 that the Republican Party has moved right on immigration. We're reporting on that, in fact, in this very program, the evolution of the Republican Party over decades. But some people have noted that the Democratic Party has shifted, too. Do you think that your party has moved left on immigration in recent years?
JONES: No, I don't think so. I think you have people in the party with diverse views. There's no question about that. And some are probably more left than more right. What I think the people in the Democratic Party are doing - they want to find a way for these kids to stay here. They want to find a way that we can come up with some kind of comprehensive reform.
INSKEEP: But I'm just thinking - Peter Beinart of The Atlantic wrote a few months ago that, a decade ago, you could find a liberal like Paul Krugman writing explicitly12 that there are economic costs to immigration. The benefits - there are benefits, too, but they might not be so great. Is it hard for Democrats to acknowledge that now?
JONES: No, I think - you know, look, I think things have changed. We're a more diverse country than we were. I think people evolve in their views as the country changes, as circumstances changes. I think that that's appropriate. So what I really want to do is to try to let this bipartisan group of senators do their work.
INSKEEP: Senator, pleasure talking to you. Thank you very much.
JONES: Awesome13, Steve. Thanks for having me.
INSKEEP: Doug Jones, Democratic senator from Alabama.
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1
democrat
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员 | |
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democrats
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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3
recipients
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| adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器 | |
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hurdle
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| n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛 | |
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deported
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| v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止 | |
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6
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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electorate
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| n.全体选民；选区 | |
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8
consensus
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| n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识 | |
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9
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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citizenship
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| n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份) | |
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11
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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12
explicitly
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| ad.明确地，显然地 | |
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13
awesome
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| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
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