紐時賞析／「用作嘔來形容還不夠」 美國人對華府反感到懶得再抱怨

抱怨政治是美國曆史悠久的消遣，但近來美國政治情緒已經跌至有史以來最糟水平。圖爲美國白宮。 新華通訊社

Americans Are Too Turned Off by Washington to Even Complain

美國人對華府反感到懶得再抱怨

Whitney Smith’s phone buzzed with a text from her mother, alerting her to the latest can-you-believe-it mess in Washington: “Far right ousted the House speaker. Total chaos now.”

惠妮．史密斯的手機響起，是母親發來的訊息，提醒她最近華府發生一件令人難以置信的事：「極右派罷免聯邦衆議院議長。現在完全陷入混亂。」

Smith, 35, a bookkeeper and registered independent in suburban Phoenix, wanted no part of it. She tries to stay engaged in civic life by voting, volunteering in local campaigns and going to city meetings. But over the past week, the pandemonium of a narrowly averted government shutdown and leadership coup in the Republican-controlled House confirmed many Americans’ most cynical feelings about the federal government.

35歲的史密斯是名簿記員，在亞歷桑納州鳳凰城郊區註冊爲獨立人士，她不想參與其中。她試圖透過投票、志願投入當地競選活動和前往市民大會，保持公民參與。但在過去一週，政府勉強免於關門，及共和黨把持的衆院領導層改變所造成的騷動，證實了許多美國人對聯邦政府抱持的最憤世嫉俗心情。

“It was just like, Oh God, what now?” she said.

她說：「這種感覺就像是，喔天啊，現在怎麼辦？」

Griping about politics is a time-honored American pastime — but lately, the country’s political mood has plunged to some of the worst levels on record.

抱怨政治是美國曆史悠久的消遣，但近來美國政治情緒已經跌至有史以來最糟水平。

After weathering the tumult of the Trump presidency, a pandemic, the Capitol insurrection, inflation, multiple presidential impeachments and far-right Republicans’ pervasive lies about fraud in the 2020 election, voters say they feel tired and angry.

經歷川普執政時期混亂，疫情、國會暴亂、通貨膨脹、多次總統彈劾案，還有極右派共和黨人普遍對於2020年總統大選詐欺說謊，選民表示他們感到疲憊和憤怒。

In dozens of recent interviews across the country, voters young and old expressed a broad pessimism about the next presidential election that transcends party lines, as well as a teetering faith in political institutions.

在近期的數十個採訪中，年輕和年長的選民都對下次總統大選表達出悲觀的情緒，這超越了黨派界線，他們對政治機構的信心也搖搖欲墜。

The White House and Congress have pumped out billions of dollars to fix and improve the nation’s roads, ports, pipelines and internet. They have approved hundreds of billions to combat climate change and lower the cost of prescription drugs. President Joe Biden has canceled billions more in student debt. Yet those accomplishments have not fully registered with voters.

白宮和國會已投入數十億美元修復和改善美國道路、港口、管線以及網際網路。他們批准了上千億美元對抗氣候變遷和降低處方藥成本。總統拜登則已經取消數十億美元的學生債務。但是這些成就都尚未得到選民的認可。

Voters said that Washington infighting and the Republicans’ flirtation with debt default and government shutdowns recklessly put people’s paychecks, health care and benefits at risk at a moment when they are preoccupied with how to pay rising health care and grocery bills, or to cope with a fast-warming climate unleashing natural disasters in nearly every corner of the nation.

選民表示，民衆全神貫注思考如何支付漲價的健保和食品雜貨帳單，或是應付快速暖化的氣候幾乎在全美國每個角落造成自然災害之際，華府內鬥、共和黨人挑起債務違約和輕率地讓政府關門，使民衆工資、健保和福利在一瞬間陷入風險。

“Disgust isn’t a strong enough word,” said Bianca Vara, a Democrat and grandmother of five in the Atlanta area who runs a stall at a flea market that crackles with discussions of politics.

擁有五名孫子女、住在亞特蘭大的民主黨人畢安卡．瓦拉在跳蚤市場上經營一個攤位，當地充滿各種政治討論。她說：「用作嘔這個字來形容這個狀況還不夠強烈。」

文／Jack Healy, J. David Goodman, Jenna Russell, Alan Blinder　譯／羅方妤