Good afternoon, everybody. Last night I had a chance to speak to the leaders of the House and the Senate and reached out to those who had both won and lost in both parties. I told John Boehner and Mitch McConnell that I look forward to working with them. And I thanked Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid for their extraordinary leadership over the last two years. 大家下午好。昨晚我有机会与参众两院的领袖们通话，并联系了两党中胜选和败选的人。我告诉约翰·博纳和米奇·麦康奈尔，我期待与他们合作。我也感谢南希·佩洛西和哈里·里德过去两年来的卓越领导。
After what I'm sure was a long night for a lot of you -- and needless to say it was for me -- I can tell you that some election nights are more fun than others. Some are exhilarating; some are humbling. But every election, regardless of who wins and who loses, is a reminder that in our democracy, power rests not with those of us in elected office, but with the people we have the privilege to serve. 我相信对你们很多人来说，昨晚肯定是个漫长的夜晚——对我而言自然也是如此——我可以告诉你们，有些选举之夜比其他的更有趣。有些令人振奋；有些则令人谦卑。但每一次选举，无论谁胜谁负，都提醒着我们：在我们的民主制度中，权力不属于我们这些身居官职的人，而属于我们有幸服务的人民。
Over the last few months I've had the opportunity to travel around the country and meet people where they live and where they work, from backyards to factory floors. I did some talking, but mostly I did a lot of listening. And yesterday's vote confirmed what I've heard from folks all across America: People are frustrated -- they're deeply frustrated -- with the pace of our economic recovery and the opportunities that they hope for their children and their grandchildren. 过去几个月，我有机会走遍全国，在人们生活和工作的场所与他们见面，从后院到工厂车间。我说了一些话，但主要是在倾听。昨天的投票印证了我从全美各地民众那里听到的声音：人们对经济复苏的步伐深感沮丧——对他们希望给予子女和孙辈的机会深感沮丧。
They want jobs to come back faster, they want paychecks to go further, and they want the ability to give their children the same chances and opportunities as they've had in life. 他们希望就业机会更快回归，希望薪水能撑得更久，希望有能力给予子女与他们自己人生中相同的机会和可能。
The men and women who sent us here don't expect Washington to solve all their problems. But they do expect Washington to work for them, not against them. They want to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely, not wasted, and that we're not going to leave our children a legacy of debt. They want to know that their voices aren't being drowned out by a sea of lobbyists and special interests and partisan bickering. They want business to be done here openly and honestly. 把我们送到这里来的男女选民并不指望华盛顿解决他们所有的问题。但他们确实期望华盛顿为他们效力，而不是与他们作对。他们希望知道，自己缴纳的税款正被明智地使用，而非被浪费；我们不会给子女留下债务的包袱。他们希望知道，自己的声音没有被游说者、特殊利益和党派争吵的汪洋所淹没。他们希望这里的事务能够公开、诚实地处理。
Now, I ran for this office to tackle these challenges and give voice to the concerns of everyday people. Over the last two years, we've made progress. But, clearly, too many Americans haven't felt that progress yet, and they told us that yesterday. And as President, I take responsibility for that. 我竞选这个职位，就是为了应对这些挑战，为普通民众的关切发声。过去两年，我们取得了进展。但显然，太多美国人尚未感受到这种进展，他们昨天表明了这一点。作为总统，我对此承担责任。
What yesterday also told us is that no one party will be able to dictate where we go from here, that we must find common ground in order to set -- in order to make progress on some uncommonly difficult challenges. And I told John Boehner and Mitch McConnell last night I am very eager to sit down with members of both parties and figure out how we can move forward together. 昨天还告诉我们，没有任何一个政党能够独自决定我们前进的方向，我们必须找到共同立场，以便在一些异常艰难的挑战上取得进展。我昨晚告诉约翰·博纳和米奇·麦康奈尔，我非常渴望与两党议员坐下来，共同探讨如何携手前行。
I'm not suggesting this will be easy. I won't pretend that we will be able to bridge every difference or solve every disagreement. There's a reason we have two parties in this country, and both Democrats and Republicans have certain beliefs and certain principles that each feels cannot be compromised. 我并不是说这会很容易。我不会假装我们能够弥合所有分歧或解决所有争议。我们国家之所以存在两个政党是有原因的，民主党和共和党都有各自认为不能妥协的信念和原则。
But what I think the American people are expecting, and what we owe them, is to focus on those issues that affect their jobs, their security, and their future: reducing our deficit, promoting a clean energy economy, making sure that our children are the best educated in the world, making sure that we're making the investments in technology that will allow us to keep our competitive edge in the global economy. 但我认为美国人民所期待的，也是我们欠他们的，就是聚焦于那些影响他们就业、安全和未来的问题：减少赤字，推动清洁能源经济，确保我们的孩子接受世界上最好的教育，确保我们在技术上进行必要的投资，以保持在全球经济中的竞争优势。
Because the most important contest we face is not the contest between Democrats and Republicans. In this century, the most important competition we face is between America and our economic competitors around the world. To win that competition, and to continue our economic leadership, we're going to need to be strong and we're going to need to be united. 因为我们面临的最重要竞争，不是民主党与共和党之间的竞争。在本世纪，我们面临的最重要竞争是美国与全球其他经济竞争对手之间的竞争。要赢得这场竞争，要延续我们的经济领导地位，我们需要强大，也需要团结。
None of the challenges we face lend themselves to simple solutions or bumper-sticker slogans. Nor are the answers found in any one particular philosophy or ideology. As I've said before, no person, no party, has a monopoly on wisdom. And that's why I'm eager to hear good ideas wherever they come from, whoever proposes them. 我们面临的挑战没有一个能用简单的方案或标语式的口号来解决。答案也不存在于任何一种特定的哲学或意识形态中。正如我曾说过的，没有任何人、任何政党垄断智慧。正因为如此，我渴望听到好主意，无论它们来自何处，无论由谁提出。
And that's why I believe it's important to have an honest and civil debate about the choices that we face. That's why I want to engage both Democrats and Republicans in serious conversations about where we're going as a nation. 也正因如此，我相信就我们所面临的选择进行坦诚而文明的辩论十分重要。正因如此，我希望与民主党人和共和党人展开严肃的对话，探讨我们国家前进的方向。
And with so much at stake, what the American people don't want from us, especially here in Washington, is to spend the next two years refighting the political battles of the last two. We just had a tough election. We will have another in 2012. I'm not so naive as to think that everybody will put politics aside until then, but I do hope to make progress on the very serious problems facing us right now. And that's going to require all of us, including me, to work harder at building consensus. 鉴于利害如此重大，美国人民不希望看到我们——尤其是在华盛顿——把未来两年花在重打过去两年的政治仗上。我们刚刚经历了一场艰难的选举。2012年还会有另一场。我并非天真到以为在那之前所有人都会放下政治，但我确实希望在我们眼下所面临的严峻问题上取得进展。而这需要我们所有人，包括我自己，更加努力地构建共识。
You know, a little over a month ago, we held a town hall meeting in Richmond, Virginia. And one of the most telling questions came from a small business owner who runs a tree care firm. He told me how hard he works and how busy he was; how he doesn't have time to pay attention to all the back-and-forth in Washington. 大家知道，一个多月前，我们在弗吉尼亚州里士满举行了一次市民大会。其中最具启发性的问题来自一位经营树木养护公司的小企业主。他告诉我他工作多么努力，多么忙碌；他没有时间关注华盛顿的种种拉锯。
And he asked, is there hope for us returning to civility in our discourse, to a healthy legislative process, so as I strap on the boots again tomorrow, I know that you guys got it under control? It's hard to have a faith in that right now, he said. 他问道：我们还有希望重回文明的言论氛围、重回健康的立法程序吗？这样我明天重新穿上靴子工作时，能知道你们已经掌控了局面？他说，现在很难对此抱有信心。
I do believe there is hope for civility. I do believe there's hope for progress. And that's because I believe in the resiliency of a nation that's bounced back from much worse than what we're going through right now -- a nation that's overcome war and depression, that has been made more perfect in our struggle for individual rights and individual freedoms. 我确实相信文明仍有希望。我确实相信进步仍有希望。这是因为我深信一个国家的韧性——这个国家从比我们眼下所经历的更糟糕的境况中恢复过来，它战胜过战争与萧条，在对个人权利和个人自由的争取中变得更加完善。
Each time progress has come slowly and even painfully, but progress has always come -- because we've worked at it and because we've believed in it, and most of all, because we remembered that our first allegiance as citizens is not to party or region or faction, but to country -- because while we may be proud Democrats or proud Republicans, we are prouder to be Americans. 每一次进步都来得很慢，甚至痛苦，但进步始终会到来——因为我们为之努力过，因为我们相信过，最重要的是，因为我们铭记：作为公民，我们的首要忠诚不是对政党、地区或派系，而是对国家——因为虽然我们可能是自豪的民主党人或自豪的共和党人，但我们更以身为美国人为傲。
And that's something that we all need to remember right now and in the coming months. And if we do, I have no doubt that we will continue this nation's long journey towards a better future. 这是我们现在和未来几个月都需要铭记的事情。如果我们这样做，我毫不怀疑我们将继续这个国家通向更美好未来的漫长旅程。
So with that, let me take some questions. I'm going to start off with Ben Feller at AP. 那么，接下来让我回答一些问题。我先从美联社的本·费勒开始。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Are you willing to concede at all that what happened last night was not just an expression of frustration about the economy, but a fundamental rejection of your agenda? And given the results, who do you think speaks to the true voice of the American people right now: you or John Boehner? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。您是否愿意承认，昨晚发生的事不仅仅是对经济形势不满的表达，而是对您施政纲领的根本性否定？鉴于这一结果，您认为现在谁更能代表美国人民的真实声音：是您还是约翰·博纳？
President Obama: I think that there is no doubt that people's number-one concern is the economy. And what they were expressing great frustration about is the fact that we haven't made enough progress on the economy. We've stabilized the economy. We've got job growth in the private sectors. But people all across America aren't feeling that progress. They don't see it. 奥巴马总统：我认为毫无疑问，人民头号关心的是经济。他们所表达的极大不满，在于我们在经济上没有取得足够的进展。我们稳住了经济。我们在私营部门实现了就业增长。但全美各地的民众并没有感受到这种进步。他们看不到。
And they understand that I'm the President of the United States, and that my core responsibility is making sure that we've got an economy that's growing, a middle class that feels secure, that jobs are being created. And so I think I've got to take direct responsibility for the fact that we have not made as much progress as we need to make. 他们明白我是美利坚合众国总统，我的核心职责是确保我们拥有一个增长的经济、一个有安全感的中产阶级、一个不断创造就业的局面。所以我认为我必须直接承担起责任——我们尚未取得我们需要的那种进展。
Now, moving forward, I think the question is going to be can Democrats and Republicans sit down together and come up with a set of ideas that address those core concerns. I'm confident that we can. 展望未来，我认为问题将是：民主党和共和党能否坐下来，共同制定一套应对这些核心关切的想法。我有信心我们能做到。
I think that there are some areas where it's going to be very difficult for us to agree on, but I think there are going to be a whole bunch of areas where we can agree on. I don't think there's anybody in America who thinks that we've got an energy policy that works the way it needs to; that thinks that we shouldn't be working on energy independence. 我认为有些领域我们将很难达成一致，但我认为还有许多领域是可以达成一致的。我认为美国没有人觉得我们现有的能源政策是行之有效的；也没有人认为我们不应该致力于实现能源独立。
And that gives opportunities for Democrats and Republicans to come together and think about, whether it's natural gas or energy efficiency or how we can build electric cars in this country, how do we move forward on that agenda. 这为民主党和共和党携手合作提供了机会，无论是天然气、能源效率，还是我们如何在国内生产电动汽车，如何推进这一议程。
I think everybody in this country thinks that we've got to make sure our kids are equipped in terms of their education, their science background, their math backgrounds, to compete in this new global economy. And that's going to be an area where I think there's potential common ground. 我认为这个国家的每个人都认同，我们必须确保孩子们在教育、科学素养和数学基础上得到充分装备，以便在这个新的全球经济中竞争。这将是 我认为存在潜在共同立场的领域。
So on a whole range of issues, there are going to be areas where we disagree. I think the overwhelming message that I hear from the voters is that we want everybody to act responsibly in Washington. We want you to work harder to arrive at consensus. We want you to focus completely on jobs and the economy and growing it, so that we're ensuring a better future for our children and our grandchildren. 所以在一系列议题上，将会有我们存在分歧的领域。我从选民那里听到的最强烈的讯息是：我们希望华盛顿的每个人都负责任地行事。我们希望你们更加努力地达成共识。我们希望你们完全专注于就业、经济和经济增长，从而确保为我们的子孙后代创造更美好的未来。
And I think that there's no doubt that as I reflect on the results of the election, it underscores for me that I've got to do a better job, just like everybody else in Washington does. 我认为毫无疑问，当我反思这次选举的结果时，它向我强调：我必须做得更好，就像华盛顿的其他人一样。
Question: [Inaudible.] 提问：[听不清。]
President Obama: Well, I think John Boehner and I and Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are going to have to sit down and work together -- because I suspect that if you talk to any individual voter yesterday, they'd say, there are some things I agree with Democrats on, there are some things I agree with Republicans on. 奥巴马总统：嗯，我认为约翰·博纳和我，以及米奇·麦康奈尔、哈里·里德和南希·佩洛西，必须坐下来共同合作——因为我猜想，如果你昨天和任何一位选民交谈，他们都会说：有些事情我同意民主党，有些事情我同意共和党。
I don't think people carry around with them a fixed ideology. I think the majority of people, they're going about their business, going about their lives. They just want to make sure that we're making progress. And that's going to be my top priority over the next couple of years. 我不认为人们心里都抱着一种固定的意识形态。我认为大多数人只是在忙自己的事、过自己的生活。他们只想确保我们正在取得进展。这将是我未来几年的头号优先事项。
Savannah Guthrie. 萨凡纳·格思里。
Question: Just following up on what Ben just talked about, you don't seem to be reflecting or second-guessing any of the policy decisions you've made, instead saying the message the voters were sending was about frustration with the economy or maybe even chalking it up to a failure on your part to communicate effectively. If you're not reflecting on your policy agenda, is it possible voters can conclude you're still not getting it? 提问：接着本刚才的话题，您似乎并没有在反思或重新审视您做出的任何政策决定，而是说选民传达的讯息是对经济的不满，甚至把这归因于您在有效沟通上的失败。如果您不反思您的政策纲领，选民是否有可能得出结论：您仍然没有明白？
President Obama: Well, Savannah, that was just the first question, so we're going to have a few more here. I'm doing a whole lot of reflecting and I think that there are going to be areas in policy where we're going to have to do a better job. I think that over the last two years, we have made a series of very tough decisions, but decisions that were right in terms of moving the country forward in an emergency situation where we had the risk of slipping into a second Great Depression. 奥巴马总统：嗯，萨凡纳，那只是第一个问题，所以接下来我们还有几个问题。我做了大量的反思，我认为在政策方面我们将需要在某些领域做得更好。我认为在过去两年中，我们做出了一系列非常艰难的决定，但这些都是正确的决定，使我们得以在紧急情况下推动国家前进——当时我们面临着陷入第二次大萧条的风险。
But what is absolutely true is that with all that stuff coming at folks fast and furious -- a recovery package, what we had to do with respect to the banks, what we had to do with respect to the auto companies -- I think people started looking at all this and it felt as if government was getting much more intrusive into people's lives than they were accustomed to. 但绝对正确的是，当这么多东西以排山倒海之势涌向民众——经济复苏方案、我们对银行所采取的措施、我们对汽车公司所采取的措施——我认为人们开始审视这一切，并感觉政府比他们所习惯的更深入地介入了他们的生活。
Now, the reason was it was an emergency situation. But I think it's understandable that folks said to themselves, you know, maybe this is the agenda, as opposed to a response to an emergency. And that's something that I think everybody in the White House understood was a danger. We thought it was necessary, but I'm sympathetic to folks who looked at it and said this is looking like potential overreach. 原因是那是紧急情况。但我可以理解，民众会对自己说：你知道吗，也许这就是它的施政议程，而非应对紧急情况的举措。这是白宫里每个人都意识到的一种危险。我们认为这是必要的，但我对那些看着这一切并说这看起来像是潜在越权的民众抱有同情。
In addition, there were a bunch of price tags that went with that. And so, even though these were emergency situations, people rightly said, gosh, we already have all this debt, we already have these big deficits; this is potentially going to compound it, and at what point are we going to get back to a situation where we're doing what families all around the country do, which is make sure that if you spend something you know how to pay for it -- as opposed to racking up the credit card for the next generation. 此外，这些措施还附带着一系列代价标签。所以，尽管这些都是紧急情况，人们理所当然地说：天哪，我们已经背负了这么多债务，已经有这么大的赤字；这可能会让情况雪上加霜。我们什么时候才能回到像全国所有家庭那样的处境——确保如果花费了某些东西，就知道如何为之买单——而不是让下一代背负信用卡账单。
And I think that the other thing that happened is that when I won election in 2008, one of the reasons I think that people were excited about the campaign was the prospect that we would change how business is done in Washington. And we were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn't change how things got done. And I think that frustrated people. 我认为发生的另一件事是：当我在2008年胜选时，我认为人们对竞选感到兴奋的原因之一，是我们有望改变华盛顿的做事方式。而我们当时急于把事情办成，却没有改变办事的方式。我认为这让大家感到失望。
I'm a strong believer that the earmarking process in Congress isn't what the American people really want to see when it comes to making tough decisions about how taxpayer dollars are spent. And I, in the rush to get things done, had to sign a bunch of bills that had earmarks in them, which was contrary to what I had talked about. And I think folks look at that and they said, gosh, this feels like the same partisan squabbling, this seems like the same ways of doing business as happened before. 我坚信，国会的专项拨款程序并非美国人民希望看到的——在他们看来，关于如何花费纳税人钱财的艰难决策不应该是这样的。我在急于推进工作时，不得不签署了一些包含专项拨款的法案，这与我之前所讲的相悖。我认为民众看着这些会说：天哪，这感觉就像同样的党派争吵，这看起来就像以前那种办事方式。
And so one of the things that I've got to take responsibility for is not having moved enough on those fronts. And I think there is an opportunity to move forward on some of those issues. My understanding is Eric Cantor today said that he wanted to see a moratorium on earmarks continuing. That's something I think we can -- we can work on together. 因此，我必须承担责任的一件事，就是没有在这些方面推动得足够多。我认为有机会在这些议题上取得进展。据我所知，埃里克·坎托今天表示，他希望看到对专项拨款的暂停延续下去。这是我认为我们可以——可以共同努力的事情。
Question: Would you still resist the notion that voters rejected the policy choices you made? 提问：您仍然拒绝接受选民否定了您所做政策选择的说法吗？
President Obama: Well, Savannah, I think that what I think is absolutely true is voters are not satisfied with the outcomes. If right now we had 5 percent unemployment instead of 9.6 percent unemployment, then people would have more confidence in those policy choices. The fact is, is that for most folks, proof of whether they work or not is has the economy gotten back to where it needs to be. And it hasn't. 奥巴马总统：嗯，萨凡纳，我认为绝对正确的是，选民对结果不满意。如果现在我们的失业率是5%而不是9.6%，那么人们对那些政策选择会更有信心。事实是，对大多数人来说，检验这些政策是否奏效的标准就是经济是否回到了应有的水平。而它并没有。
And so my job is to make sure that I'm looking at all ideas that are on the table. When it comes to job creation, if Republicans have good ideas for job growth that can drive down the unemployment rate, and we haven't thought of them, we haven't looked at them but we think they have a chance of working, we want to try some. 所以我的工作是确保我审视桌上所有的想法。在创造就业方面，如果共和党人有好的就业增长点子，能够降低失业率，而我们还没有想到、还没有研究过，但我们认为它们有可能奏效，我们愿意尝试。
So on the policy front, I think the most important thing is to say that we're not going to rule out ideas because they're Democrat or Republican; we want to just see what works. And ultimately, I'll be judged as President as to the bottom line, results. 所以在政策方面，我认为最重要的是声明：我们不会因为一个主意是民主党或共和党提出的就排除它；我们只想看看什么有效。最终，我作为总统将根据底线——结果——受到评判。
Mike Emanuel. 迈克·伊曼纽尔。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Health care -- as you're well aware, obviously, a lot of Republicans ran against your health care law. Some have called for repealing the law. I'm wondering, sir, if you believe that health care reform that you worked so hard on is in danger at this point, and whether there's a threat, as a result of this election. 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。医疗保健——您很清楚，许多共和党人竞选时反对您的医改法案。一些人呼吁废除该法案。我想知道，总统先生，您是否认为您辛苦推进的医改目前处于危险之中，是否因此次选举而面临威胁。
President Obama: Well, I know that there's some Republican candidates who won last night who feel very strongly about it. I'm sure that this will be an issue that comes up in discussions with the Republican leadership. As I said before, though, I think we'd be misreading the election if we thought that the American people want to see us for the next two years relitigate arguments that we had over the last two years. 奥巴马总统：嗯，我知道有些共和党候选人昨晚胜选了，他们对此感受强烈。我确信这将成为与共和党领导层讨论中提及的议题。但正如我之前所说，我认为如果我们以为美国人民希望看到我们在未来两年里重新辩论过去两年的那些争论，那就是误读了这次选举。
With respect to the health care law, generally -- and this may go to some of the questions that Savannah was raising -- you know, when I talk to a woman from New Hampshire who doesn't have to mortgage her house because she got cancer and is seeking treatment but now is able to get health insurance, when I talk to parents who are relieved that their child with a preexisting condition can now stay on their policy until they're 26 years old and give them time to transition to find a job that will give them health insurance, 关于医改法案——这或许涉及萨凡纳提出的一些问题——你知道，当我与一位来自新罕布什尔州的女士交谈，她因为患癌寻求治疗但如今能够获得医疗保险，而不必抵押她的房子；当我与那些如释重负的父母交谈，他们患有既往病史的孩子现在可以留在他们的保单上直到26岁，让孩子有时间过渡并找到能提供医保的工作；
or the small businesses that are now taking advantage of the tax credits that are provided -- then I say to myself, this was the right thing to do. 或者那些正在利用所提供税收抵免的小企业——那时我对自己说，这是正确的事情。
Now, if the Republicans have ideas for how to improve our health care system, if they want to suggest modifications that would deliver faster and more effective reform to a health care system that has been wildly expensive for too many families and businesses and certainly for our federal government, I'm happy to consider some of those ideas. 现在，如果共和党人对如何改进我们的医疗体系有想法，如果他们想提出修改建议，使一个对太多家庭、企业乃至联邦政府而言过于昂贵的医疗体系实现更快、更有效的改革，我很乐意考虑其中一些想法。
You know, for example, I know one of the things that's come up is that the 1099 provision in the health care bill appears to be too burdensome for small businesses. It just involves too much paperwork, too much filing. It's probably counterproductive. It was designed to make sure that revenue was raised to help pay for some of the other provisions, but if it ends up just being so much trouble that small businesses find it difficult to manage, that's something that we should take a look at. 例如，我知道其中一项被提及的问题是：医改法案中的1099条款对小企业来说似乎过于繁琐。它涉及太多的文书工作和申报。这可能是适得其反的。该条款的设计初衷是确保筹集到收入，以帮助支付其他条款的费用，但如果它最终带来了太多麻烦，使小企业难以应对，那我们应该审视一下。
So there are going to be examples where I think we can tweak and make improvements on the progress that we've made. That's true for any significant piece of legislation. 所以，将会有一些例子表明我们可以在已取得的进展上进行微调和改进。这对于任何重大立法都是如此。
But I don't think that if you ask the American people, should we stop trying to close the doughnut hole that will help senior citizens get prescription drugs, should we go back to a situation where people with preexisting conditions can't get health insurance, should we allow insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick even though you've been paying premiums -- I don't think that you'd have a strong vote for people saying those are provisions I want to eliminate. 但我不认为，如果你问美国人民：我们是否应该停止努力填补"甜甜圈洞"——这有助于老年人获得处方药；我们是否应该回到那些有既往病史的人无法获得医疗保险的状况；我们是否应该允许保险公司在您生病时取消您的保险——即使您一直在缴纳保费——我不认为会有很多人投票支持取消这些条款。
Question: According to some exit polls, sir, about one out of two voters apparently said that they would like to either see it overturned or repealed. Are you concerned that that may embolden voters who are from the other party perhaps? 提问：总统先生，根据一些出口民调，大约有一半的选民表示他们希望看到该法案被推翻或废除。您是否担心这可能会使反对党的选民更加大胆？
President Obama: Well, it also means one out of two voters think it was the right thing to do. And obviously this is an issue that has been contentious. But as I said, I think what's going to be useful is for us to go through the issues that Republicans have issues on -- not sort of talking generally, but let's talk specifics. Does this particular provision -- when it comes to preexisting conditions, is this something you're for or you're against? Helping seniors get their prescription drugs -- does that make sense or not? 奥巴马总统：嗯，这也意味着一半的选民认为这是正确的事情。显然，这是一个有争议的议题。但正如我所说，我认为有用的做法是我们逐一梳理共和党人有异议的议题——不是泛泛而谈，而是谈具体细节。这项具体条款——就既往病史而言，你是支持还是反对？帮助老年人获得处方药——这合理吗？
And if we take that approach -- which is different from campaigning -- I mean, this is now governing -- then I think that we can continue to make some progress and find some common ground. 如果我们采取这种方法——这与竞选不同——我是说，这已经是执政了——那么我认为我们可以继续取得一些进展，找到一些共同立场。
Chip Reid. 奇普·里德。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Republicans say more than anything else what this election was about was spending. And they say it will be when hell freezes over that they will accept anything remotely like a stimulus bill or any kind of a proposal you have out there to stimulate job growth through spending. Do you accept the fact that any kind of spending to create jobs is dead at this point? And if so, what else can government do to create jobs, which is the number one issue? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。共和党人说这次选举最核心的主题是支出。他们说，除非地狱结冰，否则他们绝不会接受任何类似刺激法案的东西，或任何您提出的通过支出刺激就业增长的方案。您是否承认，此时任何通过支出创造就业的方案都已夭折？如果是这样，政府还能用什么其他方式创造就业——这是头号议题？
President Obama: Well, I think this is going to be an important question for Democrats and Republicans. I think the American people are absolutely concerned about spending and debt -- and deficits. And I'm going to have a deficit commission that is putting forward its ideas. It's a bipartisan group that includes Republican and Democratic members of Congress. 奥巴马总统：嗯，我认为这将是民主党和共和党面临的一个重要问题。我认为美国人民绝对关心支出、债务和赤字。我将有一个赤字委员会提出其想法。这是一个两党合作的小组，包括国会中的共和党和民主党成员。
Hopefully they were able to arrive at some consensus on some areas where we can eliminate programs that don't work, cut back on government spending that is inefficient, can streamline government, but isn't cutting into the core investments that are going to make sure that we are a competitive economy that is growing and providing opportunity for years to come. 希望他们能够就某些领域达成一些共识，在这些领域我们可以淘汰无效的项目，削减低效的政府支出，精简政府机构，但不会削减那些核心投资——这些投资将确保我们成为一个有竞争力的经济体，一个在未来多年都能增长并提供机会的经济体。
So the question I think that my Republican friends and me and Democratic leaders are going to have answer is, what are our priorities? What do we care about? And that's going to be a tough debate, because there are some tough choices here. 因此，我认为我的共和党朋友们、我以及民主党领袖们需要回答的问题是：我们的优先事项是什么？我们关心什么？这将是一场艰难的辩论，因为这里有一些艰难的选择。
We already had a big deficit that I inherited, and that has been made worse because of the recession. As we bring it down, I want to make sure that we're not cutting into education that is going to help define whether or not we can compete around the world. I don't think we should be cutting back on research and development, because if we can develop new technologies in areas like clean energy, that could make all the difference in terms of job creation here at home. 我已经继承了一个巨大的赤字，而由于经济衰退，情况变得更加糟糕。在削减赤字的过程中，我希望确保我们不会削减教育方面的投入，因为这关系到我们能否在世界舞台上竞争。我不认为我们应该削减研发投入，因为如果我们在清洁能源等领域开发新技术，可能会对国内的就业创造产生决定性影响。
I think the proposal that I put forward with respect to infrastructure is one that historically we've had bipartisan agreement about. And we should be able to agree now that it makes no sense for China to have better rail systems than us, and Singapore having better airports than us. And we just learned that China now has the fastest supercomputer on Earth -- that used to be us. They're making investments because they know those investments will pay off over the long term. 我认为我就基础设施提出的提案，历来都得到了两党的共识。我们现在应该能够就以下事实达成一致：中国的铁路系统比我们好，新加坡的机场比我们好，这毫无道理。我们刚刚了解到，中国现在拥有世界上最快的超级计算机——这本应是我们。他们在进行投资，因为他们知道这些投资长期来看会有回报。
And so in these budget discussions, the key is to be able to distinguish between stuff that isn't adding to our growth, isn't an investment in our future, and those things that are absolutely necessary for us to be able to increase job growth in the future as well. 所以，在这些预算讨论中，关键在于能够区分那些不会促进增长、不是对未来投资的支出，与那些对我们未来增加就业增长绝对必要的事项。
Now, the single most important thing I think we need to do economically -- and this is something that has to be done during the lame duck session -- is making sure that taxes don't go up on middle-class families next year. And so we've got some work to do on that front to make sure that families not only aren't seeing a higher tax burden -- which will automatically happen if Congress doesn't act -- 现在，我认为经济上我们需要做的最重要的一件事——也是必须在跛脚鸭会期完成的事——是确保明年中产阶级家庭的税收不会上涨。因此，在这方面我们还有一些工作要做，以确保家庭不仅不会承受更高的税负——如果国会不采取行动，这种情况将自动发生——
but also making sure that business provisions that historically we have extended each year that, for example, provide tax breaks for companies that are investing here in the United States in research and development, that those are extended. I think it makes sense for us to extend unemployment insurance because there are still a lot of folks out there hurting. 还要确保我们每年通常会延续的那些商业条款得以延长，例如为在美国投资研发的公司提供税收减免的条款。我认为我们延长失业保险也是有意义的，因为仍然有很多人在艰难挣扎。
So there are some things that we can do right now that will help sustain the recovery and advance it, even as we're also sitting down and figuring out, okay, over the next several years what kinds of budget cuts can we make that are intelligent, that are smart, that won't be undermining our recovery but, in fact, will be encouraging job growth. 所以，我们现在就可以做一些事情来维持并推进复苏，同时我们也在坐下来研究：好的，未来几年我们可以进行哪些明智、聪明的预算削减，这些削减不会损害我们的复苏，反而会鼓励就业增长。
Question: But most of those things that you just called investments they call wasteful spending and they say it's dead on arrival. It sounds like -- without their support, you can't get any of it through. 提问：但您刚才称之为投资的大多数项目，他们称之为浪费性支出，并说一提出就注定失败。听起来——如果没有他们的支持，您什么都通不过。
President Obama: Well, what is absolutely true is, is that without any Republican support on anything, then it's going to be hard to get things done. But I'm not going to anticipate that they're not going to support anything. I think that part of the message sent to Republicans was we want to see stronger job growth in this country. And if there are good ideas about putting people to work that traditionally have garnered Republican support and that don't add to the deficit, then my hope is and expectation is, is that that's something they're willing to have a serious conversation about. 奥巴马总统：嗯，绝对正确的是，如果在任何事情上都没有共和党的支持，那么很难办成事。但我不会预判他们什么都不会支持。我认为传达给共和党人的部分讯息是：我们希望看到这个国家有更强劲的就业增长。如果有让人民就业的好主意——这些主意历来得到共和党支持，且不会增加赤字——那么我的希望和期待是，他们愿意就此进行严肃的对话。
When it comes to, for example, the proposal we put forward to accelerate depreciation for business, so that if they're building a plant or investing in new equipment next year, that they can take a complete write-off next year, get a huge tax break next year, and that would then encourage a lot of businesses to get off the sidelines -- that's not historically considered a liberal idea. That's actually an idea that business groups and Republicans I think have supported for a very long time. 例如，关于我们提出的加速企业折旧的提案——如果他们明年建造工厂或投资新设备，他们明年就可以全额冲销，明年获得大幅减税，这将鼓励许多企业走出观望——这在历史上并不被视为自由派的主意。这实际上是商业团体和共和党人长期以来一直支持的想法。
So again, the question is going to be do we all come to the table with an open mind and say to ourselves, what do we think is actually going to make a difference for the American people? That's how we're going to be judged over the next couple of years. 所以问题将是：我们是否能以开放的心态坐下来，对自己说：我们认为什么才会真正为美国人民带来改变？这是我们在未来几年里被评判的标准。
Peter Baker. 彼得·贝克。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. After your election two years ago, when you met with Republicans you said that, in discussing what policies might go forward, that elections have consequences, and that you pointed out that you had won. I wonder what consequences you think this election should have then, in terms of your policies. Are there areas that you're willing -- can you name today areas that you would be willing to compromise on that you might not have been willing to compromise on in the past? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。两年前您当选后，在与共和党人会面时您说，在讨论未来可能推进哪些政策时，选举是有后果的，您指出自己赢了。我想知道您认为这次选举应该产生什么后果，就您的政策而言。您今天能说出您愿意妥协的领域吗——那些您过去可能不愿妥协的领域？
President Obama: Well, I think I've been willing to compromise in the past and I'm going to be willing to compromise going forward on a whole range of issues. Let me give you an example -- the issue of energy that I just mentioned. 奥巴马总统：嗯，我认为我过去一直愿意妥协，未来也将在一系列议题上继续愿意妥协。让我举个例子——我刚才提到的能源问题。
I think there are a lot of Republicans that ran against the energy bill that passed in the House last year. And so it's doubtful that you could get the votes to pass that through the House this year or next year or the year after. But that doesn't mean there isn't agreement that we should have a better energy policy. And so let's find those areas where we can agree. 我认为许多共和党人竞选时反对去年在众议院通过的能源法案。所以今年、明年或后年要在众议院通过该法案，票数恐怕很悬。但这并不意味着大家在我们应该制定更好的能源政策上没有共识。所以，让我们找到能够达成一致的领域。
We've got, I think, broad agreement that we've got terrific natural gas resources in this country. Are we doing everything we can to develop those? There's a lot of agreement around the need to make sure that electric cars are developed here in the United States, that we don't fall behind other countries. Are there things that we can do to encourage that? And there's already been bipartisan interest on those issues. 我认为我们达成了广泛的共识：我们国家拥有极好的天然气资源。我们是否在尽一切努力开发这些资源？在确保电动汽车在美国研发、不落后于其他国家方面，也有很多共识。我们能做些什么来推动这件事吗？这些议题上已经有了两党的兴趣。
There's been discussion about how we can restart our nuclear industry as a means of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing greenhouse gases. Is that an area where we can move forward? 关于如何重启我们的核能产业——作为减少对外国石油依赖、减少温室气体排放的手段——已经有了讨论。这是我们能够推进的领域吗？
We were able, over the last two years, to increase for the first time in 30 years fuel-efficiency standards on cars and trucks. We didn't even need legislation. We just needed the cooperation of automakers and autoworkers and investors and other shareholders. And that's going to move us forward in a serious way. 在过去两年里，我们30年来首次提高了汽车和卡车的燃油效率标准。我们甚至不需要立法。我们只需要汽车制造商、汽车工人、投资者和其他股东的合作。这将以严肃的方式推动我们前进。
So I think when it comes to something like energy, what we're probably going to have to do is say here are some areas where there's just too much disagreement between Democrats and Republicans, we can't get this done right now, but let's not wait. Let's go ahead and start making some progress on the things that we do agree on, and we can continue to have a strong and healthy debate about those areas where we don't. 所以我认为，就能源这类议题而言，我们可能需要做的是说：在某些领域，民主党和共和党之间的分歧太大，我们现在无法解决，但不要等待。让我们就开始在能够达成一致的议题上取得进展，至于那些我们无法达成一致的领域，我们可以继续进行有力而健康的辩论。
Question: Is there anything in the 'Pledge to America' that you think you can support? 提问：《向美国承诺》中有什么您认为可以支持的内容吗？
President Obama: You know, I'm sure there are going to be areas, particularly around, for example, reforming how Washington works, that I'll be interested in. I think the American people want to see more transparency, more openness. As I said, in the midst of economic crisis, I think one of the things I take responsibility for is not having pushed harder on some of those issues. And I think if you take Republicans and Democrats at their word this is an area that they want to deliver on for the American people, I want to be supportive of that effort. 奥巴马总统：你知道，我肯定会有一些领域我会有兴趣，特别是关于改革华盛顿的运作方式。我认为美国人民希望看到更多的透明度和开放性。正如我所说，在经济危机之中，我认为我应当承担责任的一件事就是在某些议题上没有更强力地推动。我认为，如果你相信共和党人和民主党人所说，他们希望为美国人民在这方面兑现承诺，我愿意支持这种努力。
Jake Tapper. 杰克·塔珀。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. I have a policy question and a personal one. The policy question is, you talked about how the immediate goal is the Bush tax cuts and making sure that they don't expire for those who earn under $200,000, $250,000. Republicans disagree with that strongly. They want all of the Bush tax cuts extended. Are you willing to compromise on that? Are you willing to negotiate at all, for instance, allow them to expire for everyone over $1 million? Where are you willing to budge on that? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。我有一个政策问题和一个私人问题。政策问题是，您谈到眼前的目标是布什减税政策，确保年收入低于20万、25万美元的人不会面临减税到期。共和党人强烈反对。他们希望所有布什减税政策都得到延长。您愿意在这方面妥协吗？您愿意进行任何谈判吗，例如允许对所有收入超过100万美元的人减税到期？您愿意在哪些方面让步？
And the second one is, President Bush when he went through a similar thing came out and he said this was a 'thumpin'.' You talked about how it was humbling, or you alluded to it perhaps being humbling. And I'm wondering, when you call your friends, like Congressman Perriello or Governor Strickland, and you see 19 state legislatures go to the other side, governorships in swing states, the Democratic Party set back, what does it feel like? 第二个问题是，布什总统经历类似情况后出来说这是一次"痛击"。您谈到这是令人谦卑的，或暗示它或许令人谦卑。我想知道，当您给朋友打电话，比如佩里埃洛众议员或斯特里克兰德州长时，您看到19个州议会转向另一党，摇摆州的州长职位易手，民主党受挫——您的感觉如何？
President Obama: It feels bad. You know, the toughest thing over the last couple of days is seeing really terrific public servants not have the opportunity to serve anymore, at least in the short term. And you mentioned -- there are just some terrific members of Congress who took really tough votes because they thought it was the right thing, even though they knew this could cause them political problems, and even though a lot of them came from really tough swing districts or majority-Republican districts. 奥巴马总统：感觉很糟。你知道，过去几天最艰难的事情，就是看到真正优秀的公仆失去继续服务的机会，至少短期内是这样。你提到的——有一些非常优秀的国会议员，他们投下了非常艰难的票，因为他们认为这是正确的事情，即使他们知道这可能会带来政治麻烦，即使他们中许多人来自非常艰难的摇摆选区或共和党占多数的选区。
And the amount of courage that they showed and conviction that they showed is something that I admire so much. I can't overstate it. 他们所展现的勇气和信念，是我非常钦佩的。这一点我怎么强调都不为过。
And so there is a not only sadness about seeing them go, but there's also a lot of questioning on my part in terms of could I have done something differently or done something more so that those folks would still be here. 所以，看到他们离开不仅有悲伤，我自己也有很多反思：我是否可以采取不同的做法，或者做得更多，让这些人还能留在这里。
It's hard. And I take responsibility for it in a lot of ways. 这很艰难。我在很多方面都对此承担责任。
I will tell you, they've been incredibly gracious when I have conversations with them. And what they've told me is, you know, we don't have regrets because I feel like we were doing the right thing. And they may be just saying that to make me feel better, which, again, is a sign of their character and their class. And I hope a lot of them continue to pursue public service because I think they're terrific public servants. 我可以告诉你们，与他们交谈时，他们非常宽容。他们告诉我：你知道吗，我们没有遗憾，因为我们觉得自己在做正确的事情。他们可能只是为了让我好受一些才这样说，但这也再次体现了他们的品格和风度。我希望他们中的许多人继续投身公共服务，因为我认为他们是优秀的公仆。
With respect to the tax cut issue, my goal is to make sure that we don't have a huge spike in taxes for middle-class families. Not only would that be a terrible burden on families who are already going through tough times, it would be bad for our economy. It is very important that we're not taking a whole bunch of money out of the system from people who are most likely to spend that money on goods, services, groceries, buying a new winter coat for the kids. 关于减税问题，我的目标是确保中产阶级家庭的税收不会出现大幅飙升。这不仅对已经在艰难时刻挣扎的家庭是沉重负担，对我们的经济也是不利的。非常重要的是，我们不要从那些最有可能把钱花在商品、服务、日用品、为孩子买新冬衣的人身上抽走大量资金。
That's also why I think unemployment insurance is important. Not only is it the right thing to do for folks who are still looking for work and struggling in this really tough economy, but it's the right thing to do for the economy as a whole. 这也是我认为失业保险很重要的原因。这不仅对那些仍在找工作、在当前非常艰难的经济中挣扎的人来说是正确的，对整个经济而言也是正确的。
So my goal is to sit down with Speaker-elect Boehner and Mitch McConnell and Harry and Nancy sometime in the next few weeks and see where we can move forward in a way that, first of all, does no harm; that extends those tax cuts that are very important for middle-class families; also extends those provisions that are important to encourage businesses to invest, and provide businesses some certainty over the next year or two. 所以，我的目标是在未来几周内与候任议长博纳、米奇·麦康奈尔、哈里和南希坐下来，看看我们能如何推进——首先，不造成伤害；延长对中产阶级家庭非常重要的减税政策；也延长那些鼓励企业投资、为企业提供未来一两年确定性所必需的条款。
And how that negotiation works itself out I think is too early to say. But this is going to be one of my top priorities, and my hope is, is that given we all have an interest in growing the economy and encouraging job growth, that we're not going to play brinksmanship but instead we're going to act responsibly. 至于谈判会如何收场，现在说还为时过早。但这将是我最优先的事项之一，我的希望是——鉴于我们都有促进经济增长和鼓励就业增长的共同利益——我们不会玩弄边缘政策，而是会负责任地行动。
Question: So you're willing to negotiate? 提问：那么您愿意谈判吗？
President Obama: Absolutely. 奥巴马总统：绝对愿意。
Laura Meckler. 劳拉·梅克勒。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. You said earlier that it was clear that Congress was rejecting the idea of a cap-and-trade program, and that you wouldn't be able to move forward with that. Looking ahead, do you feel the same way about EPA regulating carbon emissions? Would you be open to them doing essentially the same thing through an administrative action, or is that off the table, as well? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。您早些时候说，很明显国会否决了总量管制与交易方案的想法，您无法在这方面继续推进。展望未来，您对环保署监管碳排放有何看法？您是否对他们通过行政行动做本质上相同的事情持开放态度，还是这也已经不可能了？
And secondly, just to follow up on what you said about changing the way Washington works, do you think that -- you said you didn't do enough to change the way things were handled in this city. Some of -- in order to get your health care bill passed you needed to make some of those deals. Do you wish, in retrospect, you had not made those deals even if it meant the collapse of the program? 其次，就您所说的改变华盛顿的运作方式作进一步追问——您说您在改变这座城市做事方式上做得不够。其中一些——为了通过医改法案，您需要达成一些那样的交易。您是否在事后希望，即使这意味着该计划流产，您当初也不应该达成那些交易？
President Obama: I think that making sure that families had security and were on a trajectory to lower health care costs was absolutely critical for this country. But you are absolutely right that when you are navigating through a House and a Senate in this kind of pretty partisan environment that it's a ugly mess when it comes to process. And I think that is something that really affected how people viewed the outcome. 奥巴马总统：我认为，确保家庭获得安全感，并走在降低医疗成本的道路上，对这个国家至关重要。但你说得完全正确，在这种相当党派化的环境中，在众议院和参议院之间斡旋时，过程确实是一个丑陋的烂摊子。我认为这真正影响了人们对结果的看法。
That is something that I regret -- that we couldn't have made the process more -- healthier than it ended up being. But I think the outcome was a good one. 这是我感到遗憾的事情之一——我们本可以让过程变得比最终的结果更健康一些。但我认为结果是一个好结果。
With respect to the EPA, I think the smartest thing for us to do is to see if we can get Democrats and Republicans in a room who are serious about energy independence and are serious about keeping our air clean and our water clean and dealing with the issue of greenhouse gases -- and seeing are there ways that we can make progress in the short term and invest in technologies in the long term that start giving us the tools to reduce greenhouse gases and solve this problem. 至于环保署，我认为我们最明智的做法是看看能否让认真对待能源独立、认真保持空气和水源清洁、处理温室气体问题的民主党和共和党人坐到一间屋子里——看看我们能否找到在短期内取得进展、在长期内投资技术的方法，开始给我们提供减少温室气体并解决这一问题的工具。
The EPA is under a court order that says greenhouse gases are a pollutant that fall under their jurisdiction. And I think one of the things that's very important for me is not to have us ignore the science, but rather to find ways that we can solve these problems that don't hurt the economy, that encourage the development of clean energy in this country, that, in fact, may give us opportunities to create entire new industries and create jobs that -- and that put us in a competitive posture around the world. 环保署受到一项法院命令的约束，该命令规定温室气体是属于其管辖范围的污染物。我认为对我而言非常重要的一点是，我们不要忽视科学，而是寻找那些不会损害经济、能鼓励本国清洁能源发展、事实上可能给我们创造全新产业和就业机会的方法，使我们在世界上处于有竞争力的地位。
So I think it's too early to say whether or not we can make some progress on that front. I think we can. Cap and trade was just one way of skinning the cat; it was not the only way. It was a means, not an end. And I'm going to be looking for other means to address this problem. 所以现在就断言我们能否在这方面取得进展还为时过早。我认为我们可以。总量管制与交易只是实现目标的一种方式，并不是唯一的方式。它是一种手段，而非目的。我将寻找其他手段来解决这个问题。
And I think EPA wants help from the legislature on this. I don't think that the desire is to somehow be protective of their powers here. I think what they want to do is make sure that the issue is being dealt with. 我认为环保署在这方面希望得到立法机构的帮助。我不认为他们的愿望是要保护自己的权力。我认为他们想做的是确保这个问题得到处理。
Ed Henry. 埃德·亨利。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to do a personal and policy one as well. On personal, you had a lot of fun on the campaign trail by saying that the Republicans were drinking a Slurpee and sitting on the sidelines while you were trying to pull the car out of the ditch. But the point of the story was that you said if you want to go forward, you put the car in 'D'; if you want to go backwards, you put it in 'R.' 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。我想问一个私人问题和一个政策问题。私人问题是，您在竞选活动中很有兴致地说，共和党人喝着思乐冰在旁边袖手旁观，而您却努力把车从沟里拉出来。但那个故事的关键是您说：如果想前进，就把车挂到"D"挡；如果想后退，就挂"R"挡。
Now that there are least 60 House districts that seem to have rejected that message, is it possible that there are a majority of Americans who think your policies are taking us in reverse? And what specific changes will you make to your approach to try to fix that and better connect with the American people? 现在至少有60个众议院选区似乎否定了这个讯息，是否有可能大多数美国人认为您的政策正带我们倒退？您将对自己的做法做出哪些具体改变，以试图扭转这一点，更好地与美国人民建立联系？
And just on a policy front, 'don't ask, don't tell' is something that you promised to end. And when you had 60 votes and 59 votes in the Senate -- it's a tough issue -- you haven't been able to do it. Do you now have to tell your liberal base that with maybe 52 or 53 votes in the Senate, you're just not going to be able to get it done in the next two years? 而在政策方面，"不问不说"是您承诺要废除的政策。当您在参议院有60票、59票时——这是一个艰难的议题——您却未能做到。您现在是否必须告诉您的自由派基本盘：在参议院可能只有52或53票的情况下，您在未来两年就是无法完成这件事？
President Obama: Well, let me take the second issue first. I've been a strong believer in the notion that if somebody is willing to serve in our military, in uniform, putting their lives on the line for our security, that they should not be prevented from doing so because of their sexual orientation. And since there's been a lot of discussion about polls over the last 48 hours, I think it's worth noting that the overwhelming majority of Americans feel the same way. It's the right thing to do. 奥巴马总统：那么，让我先回答第二个问题。我一直坚信：如果有人愿意服役于我们的军队，身着军装，为我们的安全冒着生命危险，他们不应该因为性取向而被阻止这样做。鉴于过去48小时对民调有很多讨论，我认为值得一提的是，绝大多数美国人也持同样的看法。这是正确的事情。
Now, as Commander-in-Chief, I've said that making this change needs to be done in an orderly fashion. I've worked with the Pentagon, worked with Secretary Gates, worked with Admiral Mullen to make sure that we are looking at this in a systemic way that maintains good order and discipline, but that we need to change this policy. 现在，作为三军统帅，我曾说这一改变需要以有序的方式进行。我与五角大楼、盖茨部长、马伦上将合作，确保我们以系统性的方式看待此事，维持良好的秩序与纪律，但我们需要改变这项政策。
There's going to be a review that comes out at the beginning of the month that will have surveyed attitudes and opinions within the armed forces. I will expect that Secretary of Defense Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen will have something to say about that review. I will look at it very carefully. But that will give us time to act in -- potentially during the lame duck session to change this policy. 本月初将发布一份评估报告，对武装部队内部的态度和意见进行了调查。我预计国防部长盖茨和参谋长联席会议主席马伦上将会对这份评估发表意见。我会非常仔细地研读。但这将给我们时间在——有可能在跛脚鸭会期内采取行动，改变这项政策。
Keep in mind we've got a bunch of court cases that are out there as well. And something that would be very disruptive to good order and discipline and unit cohesion is if we've got this issue bouncing around in the courts, as it already has over the last several weeks, where the Pentagon and the chain of command doesn't know at any given time what rules they're working under. 请记住，我们还有一堆案件在法院审理中。如果这个问题在法院里反复出现——过去几周就是这样——五角大楼和指挥系统不知道任何时刻自己在适用什么规则，那将非常不利于良好的秩序、纪律和部队凝聚力。
We need to provide certainty and it's time for us to move this policy forward. And this should not be a partisan issue. This is an issue, as I said, where you've got a sizable portion of the American people squarely behind the notion that folks who are willing to serve on our behalf should be treated fairly and equally. 我们需要提供确定性，是时候推进这项政策了。这不应该是一个党派议题。正如我所说，这是一个有相当一部分美国人坚定支持的问题——那些愿意为我们服役的人应当得到公平和平等的对待。
Now, in terms of how we move forward, I think that the American people understand that we're still digging our way out of a pretty big mess. So I don't think anybody denies they think we're in a ditch. I just don't think they feel like we've gotten all the way out of the ditch yet. And to move the analogy forward that I used in the campaign, I think what they want right now is the Democrats and the Republicans both pushing some more to get the car on level ground. And we haven't done that. 至于我们如何前进，我认为美国人民理解我们仍在努力从一个相当大的烂摊子里爬出来。所以我不认为有人否认我们身处沟里。我只是认为他们觉得我们还没有完全爬出沟。以我在竞中所用的比喻来说，我认为他们现在希望的是民主党和共和党都再多推一把，把车推到平地上。而我们还没有做到。
If you think I was engaging in too much campaign rhetoric, saying the Republicans were just sitting on the side of the road, watching us get that car out of the ditch, at the very least we were pushing in opposite directions. And so -- 如果你认为我在说共和党人只是坐在路边看着我们把车从沟里拉出来时使用了过多的竞选辞令，那么至少我们是在相反的方向上用力。所以——
Question: -- the idea that your policies are taking the country in reverse. You just reject that idea altogether that your policies could be going in reverse? 提问：——您的政策正在让国家倒退这个想法。您完全拒绝接受您的政策可能正在倒退这个说法吗？
President Obama: Yes. And I think, look, here's the bottom line. When I came into office, this economy was in a freefall, and the economy has stabilized. The economy is growing. We've seen nine months of private sector job growth. So I think it would be hard to argue that we're going backwards. 奥巴马总统：是的。而且我认为，听着，底线是这样的。我上任时，经济正在自由落体，而现在经济已经稳定。经济在增长。我们已经看到连续九个月的私营部门就业增长。所以我认为很难说我们在倒退。
I think what you can argue is we're stuck in neutral. We are not moving the way we need to, to make sure that folks have the jobs, have the opportunity, are seeing economic growth in their communities the way they need to. And that's going to require Democrats and Republicans to come together and look for the best ideas to move things forward. 我认为你可以说的是我们陷在空挡里。我们没有以需要的方式前进，以确保民众获得就业、获得机会、在他们所在的社区看到经济增长。这需要民主党和共和党携手合作，寻找最佳主意来推动事情前进。
It will not be easy, not just because Democrats and Republicans may have different priorities, as we were just discussing when it came to how we structure tax cuts, but because these issues are hard. 这不会容易，不仅是因为民主党人和共和党人可能像我们刚才讨论结构性减税时那样有不同的优先事项，而是因为这些问题本身就很艰难。
The Republicans throughout the campaign said they're very concerned about debt and deficits. Well, one of the most important things we can do for debt and deficits is economic growth. So what other proposals do they have to grow the economy? If, in fact, they're rejecting some of the proposals I've made, I want to hear from them what affirmative policies can make a difference in terms of encouraging job growth and promoting the economy -- because I don't think that tax cuts alone are going to be a recipe for the kind of expansion that we need. 共和党人在整个竞选过程中说他们非常关心债务和赤字。嗯，我们能为债务和赤字做的最重要的事情之一就是经济增长。那么他们还有什么其他促进经济的提案吗？如果他们确实拒绝了我提出的一些提案，我想听他们说什么是能够鼓励就业增长、推动经济的积极政策——因为我不认为单靠减税就能成为我们所需要的那种经济扩张的良方。
From 2001 to 2009, we cut taxes pretty significantly, and we just didn't see the kind of expansion that is going to be necessary in terms of driving the unemployment rate down significantly. 从2001年到2009年，我们大幅减税，但我们并没有看到那种足以大幅降低失业率的经济扩张。
So I think what we're going to need to do and what the American people want is for us to mix and match ideas, figure out those areas where we can agree on, move forward on those, disagree without being disagreeable on those areas that we can't agree on. If we accomplish that, then there will be time for politics later, but over the next year I think we can solidify this recovery and give people a little more confidence out there. 所以我认为我们需要做的是——也是美国人民所希望的——就是混合搭配各种主意，找出我们能达成一致的领域，在这些领域推进，在我们无法达成一致的领域不以不快的方式表达分歧。如果我们做到这一点，那么以后会有时间搞政治，但在未来一年里，我认为我们可以巩固这次复苏，给人民更多的信心。
Hans Nichols. 汉斯·尼科尔斯。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. I want to ask if you're going to have John Boehner over for a Slurpee, but I actually have a serious question. 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。我想问您是否会邀请约翰·博纳来喝一杯思乐冰，但我其实有一个严肃的问题。
President Obama: I might serve -- they're delicious drinks. 奥巴马总统：我可能会奉上——它们是美味的饮料。
Question: The Slurpee Summit. 提问：思乐冰峰会。
President Obama: The Slurpee Summit -- that's good, Chuck. I like that. 奥巴马总统：思乐冰峰会——这词不错，查克。我喜欢。
Question: Since you seem to be in a reflective mood, do you think you need to hit the reset button with business? How do you plan to set that reset button with business? Would that -- would you include anything beyond your Cleveland speech, those proposals, to get them off the sidelines, get them off the cash they're hoarding and start hiring again? Thank you. 提问：既然您似乎在反思的状态，您认为需要和企业界按下重启键吗？您打算如何与企业界按下重启键？您会——您的方案中会包含克利夫兰演讲中的提议之外的内容吗，以让企业走出观望、停止囤积现金并开始重新招聘？谢谢。
President Obama: Yes, I think this is an important question that we've been asking ourselves for several months now. You're right, as I reflect on what's happened over the last two years, one of the things that I think has not been managed by me as well as it needed to be was finding the right balance in making sure that businesses have rules of the road and are treating customers fairly and -- whether it's their credit cards or insurance or their mortgages -- 奥巴马总统：是的，我认为这是一个重要问题，我们几个月来一直在自问。你说得对，当我反思过去两年发生的事情时，我认为有一件事我没有管理好——那就是找到恰当的平衡：既要确保企业有"道路规则"，公平对待客户——无论是信用卡、保险还是抵押贷款——
but also making absolutely clear that the only way America succeeds is if businesses are succeeding. 也要绝对明确地表示：美国成功的唯一途径是企业成功。
The reason we've got a unparalleled standard of living in the history of the world is because we've got a free market that is dynamic and entrepreneurial, and that free market has to be nurtured and cultivated. 我们之所以拥有世界历史上无与伦比的生活水平，是因为我们有一个充满活力和企业家精神的自由市场，而这个自由市场需要被呵护和培育。
And there's no doubt that when you had the financial crisis on Wall Street, the bonus controversies, the battle around health care, the battle around financial reform, and then you had BP -- you just had a successive set of issues in which I think business took the message that, well, gosh, it seems like we may be always painted at the bad guy. 毫无疑问，当华尔街出现金融危机、奖金争议、围绕医改的争论、围绕金融改革的争论，然后又是英国石油公司事件——你遇到了一系列接二连三的问题，我认为企业从中得到的讯息是：嗯，天哪，似乎我们可能总是被描绘成坏人。
And so I've got to take responsibility in terms of making sure that I make clear to the business community as well as to the country that the most important thing we can do is to boost and encourage our business sector and make sure that they're hiring. And so we do have specific plans in terms of how we can structure that outreach. 所以我必须承担责任，确保我向企业界以及全国明确表示，我们能做的最重要的事情就是支持和鼓励我们的企业部门，确保他们在招聘。所以我们确实有具体计划，关于如何构建这种外联活动。
Now, keep in mind over the last two years, we've been talking to CEOs constantly. And as I plan for my trip later this week to Asia, the whole focus is on how are we going to open up markets so that American businesses can prosper, and we can sell more goods and create more jobs here in the United States. And a whole bunch of corporate executives are going to be joining us so that I can help them open up those markets and allow them to sell their products. 现在，请记住，在过去两年里，我们一直在与首席执行官们进行对话。在我本周晚些时候出访亚洲的行程中，整个重点是我们将如何打开市场，让美国企业繁荣，让我们在美国卖出更多商品、创造更多就业。一大批企业高管将随行，以便我帮助他们打开那些市场，让他们销售产品。
So there's been a lot of strong interaction behind the scenes. But I think setting the right tone publicly is going to be important and could end up making a difference at the margins in terms of how businesses make investment decisions. 所以幕后已经有很多强有力的互动。但我认为，公开定下正确的基调将很重要，并可能在边际上对企业做出投资决策产生影响。
Question: But do you have new specific proposals to get them off the sidelines and start hiring? 提问：但您有新的具体提案让他们走出观望并开始招聘吗？
President Obama: Well, I already discussed a couple with Chip that haven't been acted on yet. You're right that I made these proposals two months ago, but -- or three months ago -- but it was in the midst of a campaign season where it was doubtful that they were going to get a full hearing, just because there was so much political noise going on. 奥巴马总统：嗯，我已经和奇普讨论过几个尚未付诸实施的提案。你说得对，我两个月前提出了这些提案——或者三个月前——但当时正处于竞选季，他们不太可能得到充分听证，因为当时政治噪音太多了。
I think as we move forward, sitting down and talking to businesses, figuring out what exactly would help you make more investments that could create more jobs here in the United States, and listening hard to them -- in a context where maybe Democrats and Republicans are together so we're receiving the same message at the same time -- and then acting on that agenda could make a big difference. 我认为，随着我们向前推进，与企业坐下来谈，弄清楚到底什么能帮助你们做出更多投资、在国内创造更多就业，并认真倾听他们——在一种或许民主党人和共和党人共同出席的场合中，这样我们同时收到相同的讯息——然后基于这一议程采取行动，这可能带来很大不同。
Matt Spetalnick of Reuters. 路透社的马特·斯佩塔尔尼克。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. How do you respond to those who say the election outcome, at least in part, was voters saying that they see you as out of touch with their personal economic pain? And are you willing to make any changes in your leadership style? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。对于一些人说选举结果至少部分是选民在说他们觉得您与他们个人的经济痛苦脱节，您如何回应？您愿意在领导风格上做出任何改变吗？
President Obama: There is a inherent danger in being in the White House and being in the bubble. I mean, folks didn't have any complaints about my leadership style when I was running around Iowa for a year. 奥巴马总统：在白宫、在保护罩之中存在固有的危险。我是说，当我在艾奥瓦州奔波一年时，大家对我的领导风格可没有什么抱怨。
And they got a pretty good look at me up close and personal, and they were able to lift the hood and kick the tires, and I think they understood that my story was theirs. I might have a funny name, I might have lived in some different places, but the values of hard work and responsibility and honesty and looking out for one another that had been instilled in them by their parents, those were the same values that I took from my mom and my grandparents. 他们近距离地审视了我，他们能够掀起引擎盖、踢踢轮胎，我认为他们明白我的故事就是他们的故事。我可能有一个有趣的姓名，我可能在一些不同的地方生活过，但他们的父母所灌输给他们的努力工作、责任感、诚实和相互关心的价值观，正是我从妈妈和外祖父母那里得到的那些价值观。
And so the track record has been that when I'm out of this place, that's not an issue. When you're in this place, it is hard not to seem removed. And one of the challenges that we've got to think about is how do I meet my responsibilities here in the White House, which require a lot of hours and a lot of work, but still have that opportunity to engage with the American people on a day-to-day basis, and know -- give them confidence that I'm listening to them. 所以，过往记录表明，当我离开这个地方时，这不是问题。当你在这种地方时，很难不显得疏离。我们必须思考的挑战之一是：我如何履行我在白宫的责任——这些责任需要大量时间和大量工作——同时仍然有机会与美国人民进行日常互动，让他们相信我在倾听他们。
Those letters that I read every night, some of them just break my heart. Some of them provide me encouragement and inspiration. But nobody is filming me reading those letters. And so it's hard, I think, for people to get a sense of, well, how is he taking in all this information? 我每晚读到的那些信件，有些让我心碎。有些给我鼓励和启发。但没有人拍下我读这些信的画面。所以我认为人们很难感受到：嗯，他到底是如何吸收所有这些信息的？
So I think there are more things that we can do to make sure that I'm getting out of here. But, I mean, I think it's important to point out as well that a couple of great communicators, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, were standing at this podium two years into their presidency getting very similar questions because the economy wasn't working the way it needed to be and there were a whole range of factors that made people concerned that maybe the party in power wasn't listening to them. 所以我认为我们可以做更多事情来确保我走出这里。但我想也必须指出，两位伟大的沟通者——罗纳德·里根和比尔·克林顿——在他们总统任期的第二年也站在这个讲台上回答非常类似的问题，因为经济运行得不如人意，有一系列因素让人们担心执政党可能没有在倾听他们。
This is something that I think every President needs to go through because the responsibilities of this office are so enormous and so many people are depending on what we do, and in the rush of activity, sometimes we lose track of the ways that we connected with folks that got us here in the first place. 我认为每一位总统都需要经历这种过程，因为这个职位责任如此重大，如此多的人依赖我们的所作所为，在繁忙的事务中，有时我们会忘记当初我们与人民建立联系的方式。
And that's something that -- now, I'm not recommending for every future President that they take a shellacking like they -- like I did last night. I'm sure there are easier ways to learn these lessons. 关于这一点——现在，我并不是建议每一位未来的总统都像我昨晚那样遭受一次痛击。我相信有更轻松的方式来吸取这些教训。
But I do think that this is a growth process and an evolution. And the relationship that I've had with the American people is one that built slowly, peaked at this incredible high, and then during the course of the last two years, as we've, together, gone through some very difficult times, has gotten rockier and tougher. And it's going to, I'm sure, have some more ups and downs during the course of me being in this office. 但我确实认为这是一个成长和演进的过程。我与美国人民的关系是一个缓慢建立起来的关系，在极高的高点达到顶峰，然后在过去的两年里，随着我们共同经历一些非常艰难的时刻，关系变得更加崎岖和艰难。我相信在我担任总统期间，这种关系还会有更多的起伏。
But the one thing that I just want to end on is getting out of here is good for me, too, because when I travel around the country, even in the toughest of these debates -- in the midst of health care last year during the summer when there were protesters about, and when I'm meeting families who've lost loved ones in Afghanistan or Iraq -- I always come away from those interactions just feeling so much more optimistic about this country. 但我想最后说的一点是：走出这里对我自己也是有益的，因为当我走遍全国时——即使在最艰难的辩论中——在去年夏天医改辩论正酣、有抗议者围聚时，在我会见那些在阿富汗或伊拉克失去亲人的家庭时——我总是从这些互动中走出来，对这个国家感到更加乐观。
We have such good and decent people who, on a day-to-day basis, are finding all kinds of ways to live together and educate kids and grow their communities and improve their communities and create businesses and work together to create great new products and services. The American people always make me optimistic. 我们有如此善良和体面的人民，他们在日常生活中找到各种方式共同生活、教育孩子、发展社区、改善社区、创办企业、携手创造伟大的新产品和服务。美国人民总是让我感到乐观。
And that's why, during the course of the last two years, as tough as it's been, as many sometimes scary moments as we've gone through, I've never doubted that we're going to emerge stronger than we were before. And I think that remains true, and I'm just going to be looking forward to playing my part in helping that journey along. 正因如此，在过去两年的过程中，无论多么艰难，无论我们经历多少有时令人恐惧的时刻，我从未怀疑过我们将比以前更强大地走出来。我认为这一点仍然成立，我也将期待着在帮助这一旅程继续推进中发挥自己的作用。
All right? Thank you very much, everybody. 好了？非常感谢大家。
