Supporters of Caucus System in US Elections Say Process Refl

 

Greg Flakus

The Iowa caucuses² held on Monday produced a big win for Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in the race for the Democratic party presidential nomination³. Many analysts⁴, however, say the real tests lie ahead in several state primaries. Some even deride⁵ the caucuses as an anachronism that counts for little in the electoral process. But, in this Reporters Notebook filed from Des Moines, VOA's Greg Flakus describes the democratic process he witnessed there.
The caucus¹ system would not work well in a large state and, some would argue that it would not work well anywhere but Iowa. Critics say it is not representative of most voters because only a small fraction of them take part in the process. But those who do, experience something very close to the kind of democracy that the ancient Greeks experienced when they first came up with the idea.
At the school in West Des Moines where I went to witness the caucus process, there was a record turnout for the 115th precinct event. In fact, statewide the turnout was about double what it was four years ago. Neighbors and friends gathered together all over the state to discuss the issues and make their candidate preferences known.
"To me, democracy has always been neighbors and fellow citizens getting together face-to-face to talk about it," said Des Moines resident Doug Haney has been involved in the caucus process in Iowa for 20 years. "In a sense, the actual amount of commitment you have to have to come out here makes you think about it and makes you value it more."
Just before the caucus began I had a chance to speak with Iowa's Lieutenant⁶ Governor, Sally Pederson, who also hailed the participatory nature of the caucus.
"The process is not one in which you just come in and then leave, you have to be committed enough to give your evening to it. So, these are truly the real party activists," she said.
Ms. Pederson says people who attend caucuses are also driven by real concerns about the nation and the issues confronting it. As for Iowa not being very representative of the nation as a whole, she begs to differ. She told me that Iowa reflects the national political demographic in one important way, its government is seldom dominated by one party, making bipartisanship a necessity.
"In Iowa, about a third of the population are registered Democrats⁷, about a third are registered Republicans and about a third are independents," she said. "So whomever is elected, they ultimately are serving and representing more than the third of the people who are in their party, because it takes more than just your own party to elect you. We work in a bipartisan way in this state and I think that makes it successful and that is why many of the decisions are made are in the middle. People have to move to the middle to attract that independent vote."
Iowa has also been criticized by some national pundits⁹ as atypical because its population is mostly white, European descendants. But that is changing. Hispanics and Asians are increasing in numbers and the state's reputation for being a civil, quiet and peaceful place is drawing many more.
At the caucus I met a man from Iran who has lived here several years and is now a U.S. citizen. He came to the caucus mainly to learn about the process.
"It is my first try. It is my first time. Before I do anything, I wanted to see how the process goes and then decide which one," he said.
At the caucus I attended, I saw all the bargaining and negotiations¹¹ these events are famous for. Supporters of former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, for example, came just short of the number needed to be viable¹². They, along with the uncommitted, then bargained with the larger groups supporting Senators Kerry and Edwards and most ended up joining one of those groups.
In the end, Senator Edwards won five of the delegates from the 115th precinct and Senator Kerry won four. These results went into the final state count. Eventually, this will lead to a statewide selection of delegates to go to the Democratic convention in Boston in July. By then, the cold winter night of caucusing¹³ in Iowa will be but a distant memory, but Iowans will remain proud that it all started here.

注释：
caucus [5kC:kEs] n. [美]（政党选举候选人或决定政策的）预备会议
produce [prE5dju:s] vt. 产生
deride [di5raid] vt. 嘲笑
anachronism [E5nAkrEnizm] n. 不合时宜的事物
witness [5witnis] v. 亲眼看见
democracy [di5mCkrEsi] n. 民主精神
precinct [5pri:siNkt] n.（选举）区
preference [5prefErEns] n. 优先选择
commitment [kE5mitmEnt] n.（承担）义务
lieutenant [le5tenEnt] n. 副官
demographic [demE5^rAfik] n. 人口学，人口统计学
bipartisanship [bi7pB:ti5zAnFIp] n. [美] 两党合作
bipartisan [bai7pB:ti5zAn] adj. 两党连立的
pundit⁸ [5pQndit] n. 权威人士
atypical [ei5tipikEl] adj. 不规则的
descendant [di5send(E)nt] n. 子孙，后代
negotiation¹⁰ [ni7^EuFi5eiFEn] n. 谈判，协商

1 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

2 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 deride   

v.嘲弄，愚弄

参考例句：

• Some critics deride the group as self - appointed food police.一些批评人士嘲讽这个组织为“自封的食品警察”。
• They deride his effort as childish.他们嘲笑他的努力，认为太孩子气。

6 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。

7 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》

8 pundit   

n.博学之人；权威

参考例句：

• Even the outstanding excellent graduate will learn constantly if he likes to be a pundit.即使最优秀的结业生，要想成为一个博学的人也要不断地研究。
• He is a well known political pundit.他是一个著名的政治专家。

9 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

10 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

13 caucusing   

v.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的现在分词 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：