紐時賞析／曾為「國會最窮議員」 拜登面對川普勝選的反思與遺憾

A Reflective Biden Harbors Some Regrets as His Term Winds Down

卸任在即 拜登反思 不無遺憾

President Joe Biden has less than a month to go until his one-term presidency ends, and he is feeling reflective.

只當一任的拜登總統距離任期結束只剩不到一個月，他正陷入反思。

He is voicing regrets about his decision not to sign his name to COVID-19 relief checks and about his longtime reputation — once considered a virtue — of being the poorest lawmaker in Congress. And now, with a planned visit to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican Jan. 10, the president is signaling that he may have additional issues on his mind. According to a person familiar with his plans for the trip, Biden will seek solace and “relief” as he exits the world stage. Francis, that person said, has become an ally and sounding board, trading occasional phone calls with Biden.

對於他決定不在新冠疫情紓困支票上簽名，及作為國會最窮議員這個一度被認為是美德的長期名聲，他表示遺憾。如今，隨著拜登計畫1月10日訪問梵蒂岡和教宗方濟各會面，拜登暗示他心裡可能還想著其他事情。熟悉他此行計畫的人士指出，隨著拜登退出世界舞台，他將尋求安慰和「解脫」。這名人士表示，方濟各已成為拜登的盟友和傾訴對象，且偶爾會和拜登通話。

Earlier last month, in remarks at the Brookings Institution in Washington, Biden spoke about his long-held belief that the key to strengthening the U.S. economy is through bolstering the middle class. But he paused just long enough to touch on a story that he has shared countless times as a candidate and officeholder. “For 36 years, I was listed as the poorest man in Congress,” he told the crowd with a laugh, before adding, “What a foolish man.”

上月稍早，拜登在華府布魯金斯研究院的談話中提到，他長久以來認為強化美國經濟的關鍵是透過扶持中產階級。但他稍作停頓，談到一個他作為候選人和官員時提過無數次的故事。他笑著對群眾說，「36年來，我被列為國會中最窮的人」，隨後補充說，「多麼愚蠢的人」。

Given the current atmosphere, the joke carried the sting of bitter truth. The billionaires are at the White House gates, ushered in by voters who were again siding with a wealthy man whose politics are antithetical to Biden’s. In a month, Washington will be led again by Donald Trump, a man who has made no secret of his wealth or his appreciation for the wealth of others. One of his top advisers, Elon Musk, is by some counts the richest man in the world.

有鑑於近期的氛圍，這個玩笑帶有苦澀真相引發的刺痛。億萬富翁們由選民引領來到白宮大門口，而選民們再度站在一位政治觀點和拜登對立的富人身邊。一個月後，華府將再度由川普領導，他毫不掩飾自己的財富或對其他人財富的欣賞。他的首席顧問之一馬斯克，據一些統計顯示是世界上最富有的人。

Biden has also openly stewed over one of Trump’s flashier — and apparently effective — stunts as president. During the same speech at Brookings, Biden said he had been “stupid” not to sign his name to COVID stimulus checks that were distributed to Americans early in his term. Trump emblazoned his signature on checks distributed after a relief bill was passed in the spring of 2020.

對於川普擔任總統時一個更浮誇且顯然有效的噱頭，拜登也公開表達不滿。在布魯金斯研究院的同場演說中，拜登說他很「愚蠢」，任期之初沒有在分發給美國人的新冠疫情經濟振興支票上簽名。2020年春季一個紓困案通過後，川普將自己的簽名印在分發出去的支票上。

Biden and his advisers learned a little something from Trump’s tendency to scrawl his name on things. By 2023, signs touting infrastructure projects “funded by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” began popping up around the country. But those had little political impact compared with a signed check.

川普偏好在一些東西上塗寫名字，拜登和他的顧問學到了一點。到了2023年，宣揚基礎建設計畫「由拜登總統的跨黨派基礎建設法資助」標語，開始在美國各地出現。但和簽上名字的支票相比，這些標語的政治影響力不大。

文／Katie Rogers　譯／羅方妤

說文解字看新聞

【張佑生】

美國總統拜登即將卸任，總有些未竟之業，悔、恨、憾都是正常情緒，中文有「不應有恨」或「嫦娥應悔偷靈藥」。Regret也有意思大同小異的字，可查https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regret。

狄更斯「小氣財神」(A Christmas Carol)的角色Jacob Marley：“No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused!”珍奧斯汀「曼斯菲爾莊園」(Mansfield Park)：He was suffering from disappointment and regret, grieving over what was, and wishing for what could never be.名家出手，文采斐然。

Reflective在本文中有沉思之意，像是in a very reflective mood，通thoughtful.這個字也有映照的意思：The school is reflective of society: the same problems that exist in society exist at the school.

拜登將教宗當成sounding board，這個與聲音有關的詞可跟echo chamber做比較，後者原指回音室，現在更常見的名稱是同溫層。Sounding board是某人做決定前會去徵詢的對象，通常是單數形態：John always used her as a sounding board for new ideas.