纽约时报 弗吉尼亚领导人将民主党人拖入噩梦(1)（在线收听）

Virginia Leaders Pull Democrats into Nightmare

弗吉尼亚领导人将民主党人拖入噩梦

By Jonathan Martin, Alan Blinder and Campbell Robertson

文乔纳森·马丁，艾伦·布林德和坎贝尔·罗伯逊

Justin E. Fairfax’s refusal to resign as lieutenant governor of Virginia in the face of two allegations of sexual assault has presented Democats with an excruciating choice:

面对两项性侵指控，贾斯汀·费尔法克斯拒绝辞去弗吉尼亚州副州长一职，此举使民主党人陷入了一个痛苦的问题：

whether to impeach an African-American leader

是否在该州另外两名最高领导人，均为白人，

at a moment when the state’s other two top leaders, both white, are resisting calls to quit after admitting to racist conduct.

承认有种族歧视行为但拒绝辞职的情况下，弹劾一位非裔领导人。

Less than a week after Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark R. Herring said they wore black face as young men,

距离州长拉尔夫·诺瑟姆和司法部长马克·赫林说他们年轻时都曾化过黑人妆才不到一周，

Mr. Fairfax on Friday faced a second assault accusation in three days.

周五，费尔法克斯就遭遇了连续三天内的第二次性侵指控。

On Saturday night, Mr. Fairfax called on the F.B.I. to investigate the allegations,

周六晚上，费尔法克斯呼吁联邦调查局对针对他的这些指控展开调查，

and asked that “no one rush to judgment” and for “due process.”

要求“任何人都不要急于做出判断”，还要求调查局在调查的时候走“正当程序”。

But he is now under intense pressure to resign or face impeachment,

但他现在已经面临着要么辞职，要么面临弹劾的巨大压力，

transforming what had been a crisis for Virginia Democrats into a searing dilemma for the national party.

把原本只是维吉尼亚州民主党的危机升级成了整个民主党的两难境地。

The political turmoil for Democratic leaders this weekend is unfolding at the intersection of race and gender,

本周末民主党领导人陷入的这场政治动荡触及到了种族和性别交织的区域，

and risks pitting the party’s most pivotal constituencies against one another.

带来了激发民主党最关键的选区相互对立的风险。

If Democrats do not oust Mr. Fairfax, at a time when the party has taken a zero-tolerance stand on sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era,

在这个民主党对“我也是”时代的性不端行为采取零容忍态度的时代，如果民主党人不对费尔法克斯进行撤职处理，

they could anger female voters.

他们就可能会激怒女性选民。

But the specter of Mr. Fairfax, 39, being pushed out while two older white men remain in office —

但要是两个年长的白人男子得到留任，尽管两人化黑人妆的行为唤起了部分这个国家最痛苦的种族主义形象

despite blackface behavior that evoked some of the country’s most painful racist images —

而39岁的费尔法克斯先生却要被赶出去的话，

would deeply trouble many African-Americans.

他的幽魂就会让很多非洲裔美国人陷入深深的困扰。

“I think the Democratic Party would lack credibility if they followed a double standard,”

“我认为如果民主党实行双标制的话，他们的可信度就会大打折扣，”

said Representative Karen Bass of California, who is the head of the Congressional Black Caucus.

加州众议员、国会黑人议员团负责人凯伦·巴斯说道。

Ms. Bass said that both Mr. Northam and Mr. Fairfax should step down.

巴斯女士说，诺瑟姆和费尔法克斯都应该下台。

On Saturday, an adviser to Mr. Fairfax said the lieutenant governor was deeply distraught over the allegations and had no intention of resigning.

周六，费尔法克斯的一名顾问表示，费尔法克斯副州长对这些指控感到非常的心烦意乱，而且无意辞职。

In Mr. Fairfax’s statement on Saturday night,

在费尔法克斯上周六晚间的声明中，

the lieutenant governor confirmed he had an encounter with his second accuser, Meredith Watson,

这位副州长证实，他确实与第二名原告梅雷迪思·沃森有过接触。

but said it was consensual.

但他说当时双方都是自愿的。

He asked for an independent investigation of all the allegations and for he and his accusers to “be respected during this process.”

他要求对所有指控进行独立调查，并要求自己和指控他的人“在这一过程中都能到尊重”。