美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Moscow Mitch': Democrats Push McConnell, But Kentucky Loyalists Stand By Him

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Critics of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have given him a new nickname owing to his refusal to take up election security bills, Moscow Mitch. Democrats² say that he is assisting Russian election meddlers. But as Kentucky Public Radio's Ryland Barton reports, the senator is not feeling much pressure from voters in his home state.

(SOUNDBITE OF PROTEST)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting) Moscow Mitch. Moscow Mitch. Moscow Mitch.

RYLAND BARTON, BYLINE³: Sure, Democrats in Kentucky have latched⁴ onto the Moscow Mitch line just like Democrats across the country.

CHRISTINA TROSPER: My hat is an ode to Mitch McConnell and his apparent love for all things Russia.

BARTON: That's Christina Trosper. She's a teacher from rural Knox County. She's wearing a comically large Russian-style fur hat with a button on it that says Say Nyet to Moscow Mitch at a very hot political event.

TROSPER: As a lifelong Kentuckian, I think it's time that - we gave him his chance. He got in power. He got into his leadership position, and he's turned his back on the hardworking people of this state.

BARTON: McConnell was tagged with the nickname in July after he refused to take up two election security bills that passed out of the Democratic-led House of Representatives. He normally embraces derogatory epithets⁵, like Grim Reaper⁶ and Cocaine⁷ Mitch, but he bristles⁸ at this one. Back in July, he took to the Senate floor to denounce people accusing him of cozying up to Russia, calling it modern-day McCarthyism.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MITCH MCCONNELL: No matter how much they lie, no matter how much they bully⁹, I will not be intimidated¹⁰.

BARTON: McConnell says the country has already done enough to boost security.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MCCONNELL: Well, there won't be votes on things that are unrelated to having a successful election in 2020. Don't buy the spin.

BARTON: A billboard¹¹ has just gone up in downtown Louisville with a giant picture of McConnell's face and the message, tell Mitch McConnell stop blocking election security funding. It was rented by Stand Up America, which is spending $100,000 to pressure McConnell and a handful of vulnerable Republican senators to boost election security funding. But the progressive group is preaching to the choir¹² in mostly liberal urban Louisville.

Out in Pikeville, in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, retired¹³ coal miner and railroad worker John Deskins says election security is important, but the Democrats are the ones who have mishandled the issue.

JOHN DESKINS: What little bit that I understand about it is that they put other implements¹⁴ in it to try to alter exactly what's needed.

BARTON: The bill blocked by McConnell would've required all ballots¹⁵ for federal elections to be backed up electronically, given states $600 million to improve their election infrastructure¹⁶ and required electronic voting machines to be manufactured in the United States, among other things.

DeRonda Smith is a retired teacher from Hazard. She says she also thinks election security is important, but McConnell's handling of the issue won't change her support for him.

DERONDA SMITH: I don't think it's really a driving issue. I think it's just a very big safety concern.

BARTON: McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and will try to win his seventh term in office next year. Over the course of his tenure¹⁷, Kentucky has turned from a solidly Democratic-voting state to a Republican one. And local Republican voters say the change came because they no longer related with Democrats at the federal level.

JIM HAMILTON: And when Trump¹⁸ decided¹⁹ to run, I'm not a Democrat¹ anymore. I'm a Republican.

BARTON: Pikeville resident Jim Hamilton says he was a Democrat for 47 years.

HAMILTON: I couldn't stand any more of this Obama thing. Obama came here to eastern Kentucky. He shut our coal mines down.

BARTON: McConnell's biggest pressure points might come from his Republican colleagues in the Senate, some of whom are facing tough reelections. But the pressure is unlikely to mount in his home state, which is largely rural, increasingly Republican and very, very supportive of President Trump.

For NPR News, I'm Ryland Barton in Pikeville, Ky.

(SOUNDBITE OF DAVID PRITCHARD'S "PANAMINT")

1 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。

2 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》

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 latched   

v.理解( latch的过去式和过去分词 )；纠缠；用碰锁锁上（门等）；附着（在某物上）

参考例句：

• The government have latched onto environmental issues to win votes. 政府已开始大谈环境问题以争取选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He latched onto us and we couldn't get rid of him. 他缠着我们，甩也甩不掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 epithets   

n.（表示性质、特征等的）词语( epithet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He insulted me, using rude epithets. 他用粗话诅咒我。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He cursed me, using a lot of rude epithets. 他用上许多粗鲁的修饰词来诅咒我。 来自辞典例句

6 reaper   

n.收割者，收割机

参考例句：

• The painting is organized about a young reaper enjoying his noonday rest.这幅画的画面设计成一个年轻的割禾人在午间休息。
• A rabbit got caught in the blades of the reaper.一只兔子被卷到收割机的刀刃中去了。

7 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

8 bristles   

短而硬的毛发，刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the bristles on his chin 他下巴上的胡楂子
• This job bristles with difficulties. 这项工作困难重重。

9 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

10 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

12 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

13 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

14 implements   

n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

18 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。

19 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。