奥巴马凭什么赢得多数美国人的心——黑人总统奥巴马之二
美国时间2008年11月4日晚(北京时间11月5日中午),贝拉克·奥巴马最终赢得了美国2008年总统选举,成为美国第四十四位总统。这场旷日持久、举世瞩目的选举运动画上了句号,但奥巴马成为白宫主人的时代仅仅刚开始。曾几何时,美国总统选举就俨然成了“世界总统”选举,以至于“今日美国”(usatoday)在美国大选首页便出现了这样的标题:全世界公民欢呼奥巴马当选。这里网罗一些关于此次大选的评论性文章,既有回顾又有前瞻,以飨读者。文章观点仅代表作者看法,不代表本站观点。欢迎评论、及推荐相关文章。
奥巴马凭什么赢得多数美国人的心
张放
凭什么呢?可能你会说无数个理由。而且每个对美国总统大选感一点兴趣的人,都会说出个四五大六。尤其是研究美国问题的一些中国专家学者们,更会使用一些连美国选民都不一定懂的政治论述术语,把中国人给说蒙,把美国人给说迷糊,把全世界给说倒。但我作为一个平头百姓,只懂得用最基本的人性方式看美国大选。我不用听那些专家学者们的解说,我只用我自己的眼睛看,只用自己的耳朵去听,因此,我就产生了与那些专家学者们的可能完全不同也可能相同但绝对属于自己的理由。我的理由也可能与绝大多数中国人的都不同,因为我能直接看到听到美国总统候选人的话语。因为绝大多数中国人获得的只是第二手、第三手,甚至第四手的信息。更有可能的是,给你信息的人又根据自己的喜好,再次加工,成了第五手信息。
我为什么说奥巴马会赢得多数美国选民的心的主要理由如下:美国人已经对8年的布什领导下的美国经济感到愤懑,对伊拉克战争感到反感。尤其对目前的金融危机可能导致失业感到恐慌。(事实上,已经有很多人失业了。)很多美国人对只有四十几岁的年轻候选人奥巴马充满好感。尤其对于他的要改变(change)的主张十分认同。也就是说,应该由另个党试试运气了。上述这些都可能与大家理解得差不多一样。接下来,我要说的一个最大的理由是:美国总统候选人奥巴马做了一则广告!我们中国人可能这辈子也没见过美国总统候选人在电视上做广告的事吧。
其实,做广告的事情,美国总统候选人早就使用过。但奥巴马在投票倒数第六天,在电视上做了一则长达30分钟的广告,则实属罕见。而且,这则广告,已经不仅仅被叫作ad(vertisement),或commercial,而称作infomercial了。什么意思呢?是两个词的组合。对,就是information加上commercial。可以说成是“信息广告”,奥巴马光这一则广告,就斥资300万美元。由他亲自出镜,亲自解说,亲自表演。我靠,看了之后,真得服气啊。尽管那是一种政客的“秀”,但却是一种让人不得不感动的“秀”,至少看了之后,让身处经济危机中的广大美国选民心里热乎乎的啊。而民主党本来就代表着广大的中产阶层。
这一“重磅炸弹”令很多嘴损的评论家都得不得表示佩服。尽管也会有批评的声音,但也正是奥巴马这则30分钟的广告,的确让很多美国选民最后痛下决心,要把自己那宝贵的一票投给这位中国人喋喋不休地拿肤色说事儿的总统候选人。
作为中国人,有没有机会能看到这则广告大片呢,有。老张我接下来给就大家提供这个机会。而且老张我花时间免费以最快的速度翻译出来,放在博客下面。这30分钟的大片,我认为非常值得一看。至少我希望国人能大开眼界,看看美国总统候选人是怎么“动感情”地争取选民手上的并不是摆设的更不是扯淡用的选票的,另方面也可以透过这一广告大片,希望大家也跟着感受一下这个世界上头号资本主义国家里正进行着的所谓民主选举过程中,总统候选人又是多么地艰辛与不易。同时,也希望诸位从中窥视到,在美国,如果一个政客要赢得民众的喜欢,得至少承诺做些什么,还要有什么样的口才,并且得筹集到多少钱才能行。
30分钟时间,你有吗?如果此时没有,先做别的事情去吧,回头再来我的博客。但别忘记了,这个大片真的与好莱坞的商业大片完全不一样,却比商业大片更受关注哟。
美国总统候选人奥巴马竞选信息广告大片
《美国故事,美国解决之道》
with each passing month, our country has faced increasingly difficult times. but everywhere i go, despite the economic crisis and war and uncertainty about tomorrow. i still see optimism. and hope. and strength. we’ve seen over the last eight years how decisions by a president can have a profound effect on the course of history and on american lives. but much that’s wrong in our country goes back even farther than that. we’ve been talking about the same problems for decades and nothing is ever done to solve them.
每过一个月,我们的国家就面临越来越艰难的时刻。但是,尽管有经济危机,有战争,也有对明天的不确定感,我无论走到哪里,眼里看到的,仍是人们很乐观,很抱希望,也很坚强。过去八年来,我们亲眼目睹,一个总统所做出的诸多决定,对历史进程会有多深刻的影响,对美国人民的生活有多严重的影响。但我们国家里这些错误来源还要再往前追溯。同样的问题,我们已经讨论数十年了,但却什么也没有做,来解决这些问题。
this election is a defining moment. the chance for our leaders to meet the demands of these challenging times and keep faith with our people. for the past twenty months, i’ve traveled the length of this country. and michelle and i have met so many americans who are looking for real and lasting change that makes a difference in their lives. their stories are american stories. stories that reflect the state of our union. i’d like to introduce you to some of those people tonight.
今年这次(总统)选举则是一个分水岭时分。是我们的领导人面对这些艰难时刻的一个机会,是使我们的人民保持信念的一个机会。在过去20个月里,我走了全国很多地方。我和米雪(奥巴马夫人)见了很多很多美国人,他们都在找寻着真正的也是可持续的机会,这些机会可以改变他们的生活。他们讲述的故事,就是美国人的故事。他们讲述的故事,也反映了我们国家的目前的处境。今晚,我很愿意把我见过的一些人介绍给诸位。
i will also lay out in specific detail what i’ll do as president to restore the long-term health of our economy and our middle class … and how i’ll make the decisions to get us there. what struck me most about these stories you will see tonight, is not just the challenges these americans face, but also their resolve to change this country.
我也准备详述一些如果我当选为总统要做的具体办法,目的旨在恢复我们的经济元气,恢复我们的中产阶级的元气,并且是长远意义上的元气。我也要告诉大家我将做出怎样的决定,还确保我们到达这些目标。今晚诸位将看到的,都是给我很大震动的故事。这些故事不仅仅是美国人面对艰难时的故事,您也可以从中看到,他们要改变这个国家的决心。
rebecca johnston is all about her family.
[rebecca]
“brian, me, nathan, marley, ethan, gabriella, tulula and jake.”
“the thing i love about being a mom is just that how amazing it is that everything that you do shapes who they are. it’s like molding putty in your hands. you just want to make sure you do the right thing everyday...”
瑞贝卡·约翰逊是她家里的顶梁柱。
瑞贝卡:“这是布莱恩,这是我,内森,玛丽,艾森,加伯里,土拉拉和杰克。”“我很喜欢做妈妈的感觉,因为看到自己做的一切,使他们变成今天这样,这很神奇。所以,我就特想确定,自己每天做的一切都很对就是了。”
ten years ago, she bought a house outside the city so she could send her children to good schools.
now, with rising costs, it’s getting tight. her husband brian works at a tire re-tread plant, and needs to stand all day.
奥巴马旁白:十年前,她在这个城边买了一幢房子,这样她就可以送孩子去很好的学校读书。可现在,一切开销都涨了价。她感到不太容易应对了。她丈夫布莱恩在一家轮胎翻新厂里打工,整天都不能坐下来。
[rebecca]
“he has a torn acl and meniscus that he walks around with everyday. he was going to have the surgery in june, but we couldn’t really afford for him to get the disability pay.”
瑞贝卡:“他韧带受过伤,里面还有个夹板,他每天就带着它一切去打工。原定今年6月去动手术,但现在我们拿不出钱来给他做手术。”
[sen. obama off-camera]
and so they put off the operation, to take care of other things.
奥巴马旁白:所以,他们把手术的事情给推迟了,继续做别的事情去了。
[rebecca]
“this is where our snacks would go… gabriela, and then nathan and then my husband and i, and my daughter, and ethan my son. if they know this is it for them, for the whole week, then they will make it last longer. i think everybody feels the same way, they would like to see an end in sight to all the worry and the chaos of everyday living. trying to make ends meet. ok, how much are we bringing in this week?”
瑞贝卡:“这是我们的饭菜。这是加伯里的,然后是内森的,然后是我和我丈夫的,然后是我女儿,再下来是我儿子艾森的。如果他们知道这是给他们的,而是整个一周的饭菜的话,那么,他们就会想办法让这些吃的能维持的时间更长些。我想,每个人都有同样的感受吧。都想看到所有生活上的忧虑和困惑早些结束。就是整天在盘算钱别断了捻。就是这样,这周又赚了几个钱回来?”
[rebecca]
“how much is the car payment? when roughly can we pay this bill?”
瑞贝卡:“车款还有多少没有还上?什么时候才能把这个账单给还上?”
[sen. obama off-camera]
all across the country, i’ve met families just like rebecca’s getting the kids to school, meeting their mortgage payments, fighting for their families.
奥巴马旁白:“走遍整个美国,我遇到的,都是像瑞贝卡一样的家庭,送孩子上学,想办法还贷,为家庭生活而奔波。”
[rebecca]
“it just keeps going up and up and up, and i can remember a time when i didn’t have to worry about this stuff.”
瑞贝卡:“现在一切东西都在涨价,就是一个劲地涨。我现在还能记得我不用为这些事情操碎心的时候呢。”
________________________________________
[sen. obama – 2008 democratic convention speech]
“we measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work.”
奥巴马在2008年民主党大会上的讲话:“我们在评估经济好与坏时,不是以我们有多少亿万富翁还衡量,也不是以福布斯500强的利润增加了多少来衡量,而是以这样一种尺度衡量:如果有人又有了个新点子,他要承担多大风险才能开始为此新点子进行创业;如果一个服务生以小费为生,那么,他有没有可能敢休一天假,去照顾一下自己生病的孩子,而不会被炒了鱿鱼。也就是说,看我们的整个经济体系是不是把工作尊严视为一种荣誉。”
[sen. obama to camera]
earlier this year, we already knew our country was in trouble. home foreclosures, lost jobs, high gas prices … we were running a record deficit and our national debt had never been higher. but then a little over a month ago, the bottom fell out. what happened in the financial markets was the final verdict on eight years of failed policies. and we’re now going through the worst economic crisis since the great depression. a few weeks ago, we passed a financial rescue plan. it’s a step in the right direction … and as president, i’ll ensure that you, the taxpayers, are paid back first.
but we also need a rescue plan for the middle class … starting with what we can do right now that will have an immediate effect.
奥巴马说:今年年初的时候,我们已经知道我们的国家陷入麻烦之中。房子被提前收回,很多人失业,油价一路攀高。我们在打破赤字总数,我们国家的债务达到历史新高。但就在大约一个月以前,股市开始崩溃,在金融市场里所发生的一切,在在宣告,过去八年的全部政策都是失败。现在,我们正经历着(1929年)经济大萧条以来最糟糕的经济危机。几周前,我们通过了一个金融拯救计划。这是朝正确方向迈出的一步。那么,作为总统,我要保证,你们,美国的纳税人,将是第一个收回损失的人。但是我们的确需要一个拯救计划。这个计划是为了我们美国中产阶层的人们而制定的。这个计划将从现在开始,它将很快显现成效。
as president, here’s what i’ll do:
cut taxes for every working family making less than $200,000 a year.
give businesses a tax credit for every new employee that they hire right here in the u.s. over the next two years … and eliminate tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas.
help homeowners who are making a good faith effort to pay their mortgages, by freezing foreclosures for 90 days.
and just like after 9-11, we’ll provide low-cost loans to help small businesses pay their workers and keep their doors open.
none of that grows government. it grows the economy and keeps people on the job.
this is what we can do right now … to restore fairness to the american economy and fulfill our commitments to the american people.
作为总统,我将做下面的事情:
为每个年收入不足20万美元的打工家庭减税。
今后两年内,给所有在美国雇佣新打工者的企业,提供课税扣除,取消所有向国外提供工作机会的企业的减税优惠政策。
通过冻结90天房屋收回,以帮助所有具有很好信誉并愿意为房贷努力打拼的人们。
如911之后的情形那样,我们将提供低息贷款,帮助小企业支付员工们的开支,不至使其关门停业。
所有一切承诺,都不会让政府开支费用增加,而只会促进经济的复苏,并使人们有工作可做。
这些就是我们目前能做的:给美国经济恢复公平竞争的精神,并完成我们向国人做出的承诺。
[town hall meeting exchange with “dave”]
dave:
“the company i worked for went broke. before they went down, they used $19 million dollars of the retirement. and when they closed up, i should have gotten about $1,500 dollars a month from retirement. i only ended-up with $379 dollars a month.”
戴维:“我打工的那家公司已经倒闭了。倒闭前,他们用掉了1900万的退休金。所以,当他们倒闭时,我应该得到每月1500元的退休金。可现在每个月我只领到379元。”
sen. obama:
“you earned your pension. you earned it. it wasn’t a gift. you gave up wages so that money could be set aside for your retirement. time and time again, what we’re seeing is companies who owe their workers retirements, pensions shedding those obligations. when you make a commitment to workers at a company, those aren’t idle promises. those are promises that should have the force of law.”
奥巴马:“你应该得到你的退休金,你应该得到。这不是别人赐予你的礼物。你放弃了工资,这样,那些钱就可以拿来作为你的退休金。我们总不时地看到,有些公司欠员工们的退休金。公司如果要向员工做了承诺的话,那这些承诺绝对不应该是空头支票,而是具有法律效益的承诺。”
[sen. obama interview]
“americans – they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. they’re not looking for a handout. if they’re able and willing to work, they should be able to find a job that pays a living wage. they should be able to retire with some dignity and some respect.”
奥巴马接受采访:“美国人民__他们从来不指望政府来解决他们的问题。他们也不去四下找寻救济品。如果他们有能力并愿意工作的话,那们他们就完全应该找到一份能维持生计的工作。他们退休时,也必须给予尊严和某种尊重。”
[governor ted strickland, ohio]
“think of this – barack obama is going to be a democrat in the presidency who actually cuts taxes. but he’s going to cut taxes for the people who really need a tax cut. he’s going to cut taxes for the struggling families, and he’s going to do that while holding accountable those companies that take advantage of tax breaks in order to send jobs offshore and to other countries.”
俄亥俄州长:“想想看——奥巴马将成为民主党的总统,他要减税。他要给那些真正需要减税的人减税。他要为那些活得很艰辛的家庭减税,他减税的同时,还要给那些占减税优惠政策的公司增税。因为那些公司把就业机会输出到了其他国家。”
[governor kathleen sebelius, kansas]
“i don’t know if it’s that common sense, mid-western way of getting things done, but barack obama has kansas roots and he really has a plan to put us back on track and help us move forward.”
肯萨斯州长:“我不知道这是不是常识,也不知道是不是中西部人的做事方式,但奥巴马有在我们州有很根基,他真的有办法能把我们带回到正确轨道上去,并使我们继续前行。”
[governor deval patrick, massachusetts]
“the challenges before us now are big. what we need are big solutions and big thinking. barack obama is a problem solver who thinks big. it’s a once in a generation kind of leadership and that’s what barack obama is offering us.”
麻州州长:“我们眼前的困难很大。所以我们需要大手笔的解决办法,大手笔的思维方式。奥巴马是个解决问题的能手,因为他的思维方式很宽。这的确是一代人的领导方式,这也正是奥巴马能提供给我们的。”
________________________________________
[ real story #2 ]
[sen. obama off-camera]
after 30 years working on the b& o railroad, larry stuart and his wife juanita, hoped to reap the rewards from their working years. six grown children, seven grandchildren, two great grandchildren. and a home that they own themselves
第二个真实的故事
奥巴马:在b&)铁路工作了30年后,拉里和他的妻子朱尼塔希望能收获这30年的工作成果。6个成年孩子,7个孙子辈的孩子,两个曾孙子辈的孩子,还有一幢属于他们自己的房子。
[juanita stuart]
“we’ve lived in this home for ten years.”
[larry stuart]
“a lot of work on this house, i did it myself. that floor down there. i put this floor in this house.”
[juanita stuart]
“we had our home paid for so we just knew that retirement would be great.”
[sen. obama off camera]
but with her rheumatoid arthritis, and other ailments, her medical bills have been rising.
朱尼塔:“我们在这里生活了十年了。”
拉里:“这房子我没少花心血,都是我一个人弄的。那边的台阶,我给这房子搭的台阶。”
朱尼塔:“我们已经把房子给买了下来,所以我们知道,有退休金那是太好了。”
奥巴马:“但她有风湿性关节炎,还有其他的病,现在她花在医药上的费用正在增长。”
[juanita stuart]
“i take twelve different medications per day. when larry was working all of that was covered. when he retired, i did not have medical insurance. and each year, it just got worse, worse, worse.”
[sen. obama off camera]
to meet their payments, they’ve had to take a loan on their house. and they’re losing equity.
[juanita stuart]
“larry is retired a total of ten years. but five of those years, he had to go back to work.”
[larry stuart]
“associate salesman, in other words, i just sell stuff. that’s all. i’m 72 years old, and things are changing.”
[juanita stuart]
“you just wonder, you know, where am i going from here?”
朱尼塔:“我一天得吃12种药。拉里工作那阵儿,这一切费用都不成问题。现在他退休了,我又没有医疗保险。现在我们的经济情况是,一年不如一年了。”
奥巴马:为了解决支付问题,他们已经把房子抵押出去,得到了一些贷款。但他们将失去公平对待。
朱尼塔:“拉里退休整整十年了,这最近五年来,他不得不重新回去工作。”
拉里:“我是副推销员。换句话说,我就是推销商品的。没别的。我已经72岁了,可事情发生了变化啊。”
朱尼塔:“你可能心里会想,你看,今后我们的日子得咋办呢?”
________________________________________
[sen. obama to camera]
i spoke earlier about some of the immediate actions i’ll take to address the economic crisis. we also have to take a longer view. we have to stop just talking about health care reform and lost jobs and energy independence and finally do something about it. all across america, i’ve seen entrepreneurs and innovators who point the way to a better future. starting with energy independence. recently, i visited the mckinstry company in seattle. they’re retrofitting schools and office buildings to make them energy efficient – creating jobs, saving their customers money, reducing carbon emissions and helping end our dependence on middle eastern oil.
奥巴马:我早些时候曾说过,要对经济危机采取一些紧急行动。我们也同时要以长远些的目光来看待问题。我们必须马上停止就医疗保险改革计划,就失业问题,就能源独立问题无休止的讨论,而是马上做起事情,来解决问题。我看到,现在整个美国的企业家们和发明家们都指出了未来更好的方向。也就是从能源独立问题上着手。最近,我到西雅图访问了mckinstry公司。他们正在翻修一些学校和写字楼,以使自己更有效率__他们在创造着就业机会,省下客户的钱,减少碳释放,以帮助我们结束对中东石油的依赖局面。
as president, i’ll use companies like mckinstry as a model for the nation. i’ll invest $15 billion dollars a year in energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy – like wind, solar and bio-fuels – creating five million clean energy jobs over the next decade – jobs that pay well and can never be outsourced. and i’ll help our auto companies retool, so that the fuel efficient cars of the future are built right here in america. i’ll also make it easier for you to afford these new cars with a tax credit … so we can get as many on the road as possible. and to further reduce our demand for foreign oil, i’ll tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology and expand domestic production of oil. but we know government can’t do it all. that’s why i’ll call on every american to join in conservation efforts.
作为总统,我将树立mckinstry这样的公司为全国的楷模。我将每年投入1500亿在能源效率开发上面,投入在能源再生资源上面。如风能,太阳能和生物燃料能源上面。这将在未来十年里创造出500万个洁净的能源工作位置。这种工作收入高,又不至于被淘汰。另外,我也将帮助我们的汽车公司重新想辙,这样,未来的十分节省燃料的汽车将在我们美国生产出来。而且,我还要通过减税优惠政策,让你们能很容易购买得起这些新式汽车。这样,我们就可以多多地生产这样的汽车上路。为了进一步减轻我们对国外石油的依赖,我将开发国内储备油田,对洁净煤技术进行投资,并扩大国内石油生产。但我们也知道,政府不可能把这一切都承担下来。这就是为什么我要号召每一个美国人,来加入到这个保护美国的奋斗过程之中。
i believe we need to usher in a new era of responsibility. across the country, families are tightening their belts, and so should washington. that’s why, for my energy plan, my economic plan and the other proposals you’ll hear tonight, i’ve offered spending cuts above and beyond their cost. i’ll also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that don’t work … and making the ones we do need work better and cost less. and one of the biggest savings we can make is to change our policy in iraq.
我相信,我们需要进入一个新的负起责任的时期。现在整个美国,家家都在勒紧腰带。首都华盛顿也同样要勒紧腰带。这些就是今天晚上你们听到的我的能源计划,我的经济计划和我的其他计划的全部,我要进行消费削减计划,我要仔细地,一行一行地看联邦预算,把所有目前没有用的开销计划,统统删除。最终做出一个我们真正需要的更趋合理开支也更少些的计划出来。我们能省的最大一笔开销计划,就是改变我们在伊拉克的政策。
[sen. obama]
“we are currently spending $10 billion a month in iraq, when they have a $79 billion dollar surplus. it seems to me that if we’re going to be strong at home as well as strong abroad, that we’ve got to look at bringing that war to a close.” “we are actually spending more in iraq now then we were spending when the war first started. how many schools would that build? how many hospitals? how many people could get health care? how many college scholarships could we give our youth? it’s time for us to invest some of that money right here in america.”
奥巴马:“我们目前在伊拉克一个月要花1000亿美元,但目前只有7900亿盈余。依我看,假如我们不仅要在国外,也要在国内变得很强大的话,那我们就应该把这场战争结束。”“我们现在花在伊拉克的费用,远比战争刚开始时大得多。用这些钱,会建多少所学校呢?会建多少所医院?有多少人会得到医疗保险呢?我们又会拿出多少奖学金来给我们的学子们用呢?现在该是把那些钱拿回来,投资在我们美国本土的时候了。”
[eric schmidt, ceo, google]
“when i read his economic plan, and i saw the people endorsing it and all the new ideas – warren buffett and others – i thought ‘this is the right plan for america.’”
谷歌ceo:“当我研究了他的经济计划之后,我发现有很多人赞同这一计划和这一计划里的所有新点子。赞同的人里包括了巴菲特等人。我想,‘这个计划正适合美国。’”
[governor tim kaine, virginia]
“barack has looked at the small business side of the american economy and says look, that’s where most innovation and entrepreneurship is. let’s give them the rocket fuel to really accelerate, rather than giving tax cuts to, you know, the exxon mobiles or big oil companies that need not one ounce of help from government to be very, very successful.”
佛吉尼亚州长:“奥巴马实际上是看到了美国经济里面的小企业一边的情形。于是说,大家看看,这才是最具有发明创造性最具有企业精神的地方。咱们给这个地方添加上燃油,让美国的小企业们腾飞起来吧,而不是仅仅给类似埃克森石油公司或相同的大型公司减税。因为那些公司一点儿都不需要政府的帮助,但仍然非常非常成功。”
[sen. obama in town hall meeting]
“so i’m not worried about ceo’s, i’m not worried about corporate lobbyists, i’m not worried about the drug companies or the oil companies or the insurance companies. they’ll be fine, they’re going to look out for themselves. i’m worried about the couple that’s trying to figure out how they’re going to retire. i’m worried about the family that’s trying to figure out how they can save for their child’s college education. i’m worried about the single mom that doesn’t have health insurance. i’m worried about the guy who has worked in a plant for 20 years and suddenly sees his job shipped overseas. that’s who i’m worried about and that’s who i’m going to be fighting for and that’s who i will be thinking about every single day that i’m in the white house.”
奥巴马:“所以,我对ceo们一点也不担心,对公司游说者们也不担忧,还有那此制药公司,或石油公司,或保险公司,我都没有一点担心。他们会安然度过此关,他们会自己照料好自己的。我只对那些试着想辙看自己如何才能退休的夫妻们表达我的关注。我只对那些整天想着如何才能存够钱,才能确保自己的孩子们得到大学教育的家庭给予关注。我只对那些没有医疗保险的单亲妈妈们表示关注。我只对那些在某地方做工20年,却突然发现他们的工作机会已经被转移到了国外的人们表达我的关注。在我进入白宫后,是上述这些人,将成为我每天关注的对象,是我要极力保护的对象。
______________________________________
[real story #3]
[sen. obama off-camera]
juliana sanchez is a widow with two children and a mortgage. her parents, richard, and francis, were both educators. like her family, juliana has devoted her life to giving her daughter, jessica, and son, adam, a good education. every morning, she’s up before the sun.
第三个真实的故事
奥巴马:“朱莉安是个寡妇,自己带着两个孩子,还在还着房贷。她父母亲都是从事教育的工作者。和很多美国人的家庭都一样,她把自己全部精力都投入到了女儿杰西卡和儿子亚当身上,希望他们能受到良好的教育。每天一大早天还没亮,她就已经起床了。”
[juliana sanchez v/o]
“i work at a school for at risk kids.”
[juliana sanchez welcoming students]
“good morning how are you?”
[juliana sanchez]
“a lot of the families here go through extreme financial hardships.”
[juliana sanchez at school entrance]
“it’s about time we see you. are you going to stay?”
[sen. obama off-camera]
at the end of the school day, her work is only half done.
朱莉安:“我在学校负责照顾家里可能有经济风险的孩子。”“早上好,你好啊。”“我们这里有很多家庭正在经济危机中艰难度日。”“该我们看你了。你要不要呆在这里呢?”
奥巴马:“一天的学校工作结束后,她的工作才完成了一半。”
[juliana]
“come on baby, jump in.”
[sen. obama off-camera]
she works for a health care company, taking care of shelly, a 7-year-old with special needs.
[juliana sanchez]
“most of us that are educators, we all have second jobs.”
[another teacher teaching juliana]
“the answer lies in your hands, effective teaching starts here.”
朱莉安:“来,宝贝,上车。”
奥巴马:“她为一家健康保险公司打工,照料一个需要特别服务的7岁小姑娘。”
朱莉安:“我们大多数人都是从教人员,我们都有第二职业。”
另个老师在教朱莉安:“答案就在我们的手里,有效率的教学法就从这里开始。”
[sen. obama off-camera]
and to advance herself and develop her skills, she takes teacher training classes.
[juliana sanchez]
“financially, the pressure is just to keep your head above water. so, you don’t feel like you’re drowning all the time. health care, food, electric, gas - it takes out so much out of my pay check. you go buy a gallon of milk and you’re like going ok – is it a gallon or half gallon? what can i afford? you feel like you can’t breathe even though you need to breathe.”
[sen. obama off-camera]
every parent in america wants the same thing. a good education for their child.
奥巴马:“为了使自己有进步,掌握一些技能,她开始了老师进修课程。”
朱莉安:“从经济角度来说,压力主要是得先谋生。这样,就不会总感到要没有饭吃的感觉。健康保险,吃的喝的,用电,汽油等,这些东西占了我的总收入的太大的部分。”
________________________________________
[sen. obama in dayton speech 9/9/08]
“responsibility for our children’s’ success doesn't start in washington. it starts in our homes. no education policy can replace a parent who's involved in their child's education from day one, who makes sure their children are in school on time, helps them with their homework, and attends those parent-teacher conferences. no government program can turn off the tv set, or put away the video games, or read to your children.”
[pause]
奥巴马:“我们的孩子们的成功所担负的责任,不应该只由华盛顿来承担。这份责任首先来自于我们每个家庭。任何教育方面的政策,都不可能替代孩子所接受的教育过程中每位家长的参与。正是这些家长们保障孩子们按时上学,保障孩子们完成家庭作业,并参加家长会。也没有任何一项政府计划,能把(干扰孩子学习的)电视机关掉,或把游戏机拿走,或能真正读懂你们孩子们的心声。”
[sen. obama off-camera]
“my father … i only met him once, for a month. when i was ten. … i probably was shaped more by his absence than his presence.” “my mother she said to herself, you know, my son he’s an american and he needs to understand what that means.
[pause]
and she was working, full time, so she’d wake me up at 4:30 in the morning. and we’d sit there and go through my lessons.
[pause]
and i used to complain and grumble, you can imagine, an eight year old kid ...
[sen. obama on-camera]
having to wake up at 4:30 and you know if i grumbled she’d say ‘well this is no picnic for me either, buster.’”
奥巴马:“我父亲,我一个月能见他一面。我十岁时,我大概更多地受到他的影响,是因为他不怎么在我的身边,而不是相反。”“我母亲她总自言自语,我的儿子,他是个美国人,他应该明白这意味着什么。”“她从早晨忙到晚上。所以,她总是早晨4点半就把我叫醒。然后我们就坐在那里,温习我的功课。”“大家可以想像出来,我那时候总是抱怨,嘴里咕哝着什么,我可是个只有8岁大的孩子啊。”“由于早晨得4点半起床,所以如果我咕哝的话,她就会说‘你看,这么早起床,对于我来说,也不是什么美差事啊。’”
[sen. obama – 2008 democratic convention speech]
"now is not the time for small plans - now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation - to provide every child a world class education. i'll invest in early childhood education. i'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries, and give them more support. and in exchange i'll ask for higher standards and more accountability.”
奥巴马:“现在已经不是规划小计划的时候了。现在已经是我们完成道德意义上的责任的时候了——给每个孩子提供世界级的教育水准。我要在孩子早期教育上进行投资。我还要征聘更多的老师,给他们支付更高的薪水,并提供更多的支持。作为交换条件,我要求他们显示出更高的教育水平,和更多的责任。”
(来源:张放博客)