美国有线新闻 CNN 2012-12-09

 Hi, I'm Anderson Cooper, welcome to podcast, why there are no negotiations¹ right now about the "Fiscal² Cliff". Let's get started.

 

We being tonight as we do everynight, "Keep Them Honest", looking for facts, not offering opinions or playing favorites. We're supporting Democrats³ or Republicans, you can find that on other cable channels. Our goal is just reporting, real reporting, trying to find the facts and the truth, calling out hypocrisy⁴. 

 

Tonight we are one day close to the "Fiscal Cliff", and not one iota⁵ closer to a deal to avoid it. Now on January 1th, four weeks from today, automatic tax hikes and spending cuts kick in with potentially serious consequences for virtually every taxpayer⁶ in America. And there's been zero progress on a deal, Zero.

 

"Keep Them Honest," though, the American people clearly want some sort of a compromise, poll show they want results. But the two sides are still far apart on the issue at the heart of the debate whether the wealthiest Americans should pay more taxes than they do right now.

 

Now the people you elected to get things done simply are not getting it done, not even close. But maybe, we should not be surprised. Because in a CNN/ORC poll, taken a few weeks ago, 67% said Washington officials would behave like spoiled children in "Fiscal Cliff" discussions. Only 28% said they'd behave like responsible adults.

 

With that in mind, here is what the key players, the grownups have said in just the past 24 hours. Listen.

 

"The math, it doesn't work."

 

"His proposal was so outlandish, I don't think we should go back to the table until he puts something there that we can work with."

 

"We are not going to twister ourselves into contortions⁷ to appease⁸ a vocal⁹ minority."

 

"What I'm not going to do is to agree to a plan in which we have some revenue that is vague."

 

"Republicans have proven to be, will to be held accountable, Democrats have not."

 

"So we look forward to working with the president when he decides to get serious."

 

"We're looking for solutions and it doesn't seem, at least from the president's proposal that he is at all serious about finding the solution."

 

"His last two budgets, so unserious."

 

"What is this man talking about? Mr.Speaker, what the heck are you talking about?"

So not only there is no sign of progress, there aren't even any formal negotiating session scheduled that we know of. Unless you think this is all public posturing¹⁰ while there are backroom deals being hammered out right now. Congressional aides say that is not simply not happening. In fact, even when president Obama and House Speaker John Boehner were in the same room together like they were last night at the White House holiday reception for Congress members. They didn't even speak, the president was asked about that today.

 

"Speaker Boehner was here at the White House last night for Christmas Party, the two of you didn't even speak. What's it going to take to get the two of you in a room to harsh this out?"

 

"Well, the speaker Boehner and I speak frequently, and I, you know, I think the issue right now..."

 

"So when, when will the two of you sit down in a room?"

 

"You know, I don't think that the issue right now has to do with sitting in a room."

 

As I mentioned, the American people want the people they elected to sit down together work it out. A new Gallup poll shows 62% want government leaders to compromise on the "Fiscal Cliff," just 25% said they should stick to their principles. So why is that this Congress and this White House can't seem to get together and compromise on a deal. Well, certainly it isn't the first time Republicans and Democrats haven't seen eye to eye on an important issue. But the players in this debate seem to be almost allergic¹¹ to budging¹² even a little bit. Republican Senator John McCain said that hasn't always been that way, and it's time for both sides to sit down together.

1 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。

2 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

3 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》

4 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

5 iota   

n.些微，一点儿

参考例句：

• There is not an iota of truth in his story.他的故事没有一点是真的。
• He's never shown an iota of interest in any kind of work.他从来没有对任何工作表现出一点儿兴趣。

6 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

7 contortions   

n.扭歪，弯曲；扭曲，弄歪，歪曲( contortion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Trimeris' compound, called T-20, blocks the final structural contortions from taking place. T-20是特里米瑞斯公司生产的化合物。它能阻止分子最终结构折叠的发生。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 癌症与艾滋病
• The guard was laughing at his contortions. 那个警卫看到他那难受劲儿感到好笑。 来自英汉文学

8 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

9 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

10 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。

11 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

12 budging   

v.（使）稍微移动( budge的现在分词 )；（使）改变主意，（使）让步

参考例句：

• Give it up, plumber. She's not budging. 别费劲了，水管工。她不会改变主意的。 来自互联网
• I wondered how Albert who showed no intention of budging, felt about Leopold's desertion. 对于从未有迁徙打算的艾伯特来说，我不知道它会怎样看待利奥波德这样弃它而去呢。 来自互联网