Sunday thought: Big Money vs. The People
It’s not really a choice between two parties.
这实际上并不是两方之间的选择。
After all, a record 45 percent of American voters now call themselves “independent” and don’t align with either party.
毕竟，现在有创纪录的 45% 的美国选民称自己为“独立”人士，不与任何一方结盟。
And most of us who still describe ourselves as Republicans or Democrats don’t have much love for whichever party we’re registered with.
我们大多数仍然自称为共和党人或民主党人的人对我们注册的政党并没有太多的喜爱。
Nor will it be a choice between the “left” and the “right,” as those terms have been used for the last half-century — representing preferences by the left for more and bigger social safety nets and by the right for lower taxes.
它也不会是“左派”和“右派”之间的选择，因为这些术语在过去的半个世纪中一直被使用——代表着左派对更多更大的社会安全网的偏好，以及右派对更低税收的偏好。
These days, big business wants more government in the form of subsidies, bailouts, no-bid government contracts, and a giant military-technology state.
如今，大企业希望更多的政府以补贴、救助、无投标政府合同和庞大的军事技术国家的形式出现。
The real choice is between ever more concentrated wealth and power at the top — in the billionaire class, tech bros, Wall Street, and the C-suites of giant corporations — versus more wealth and power in what used to be the American working middle class.
真正的选择是，财富和权力日益集中在亿万富翁阶层、科技兄弟、华尔街和大公司的高管层，与更多的财富和权力集中在曾经的美国工薪中产阶级之间。
That’s what the “affordability crisis” is all about.
这就是“负担能力危机”的全部内容。
It also underlies America’s growing concern about corruption.
这也是美国对腐败日益担忧的基础。
For the last few weeks it’s looked as if America was about to choose the second path, for The People and against Big Money.
在过去的几周里，美国似乎即将选择第二条道路，支持人民，反对大资金。
But Big Money is now striking back.
但大资金现在正在反击。
Elon Musk is pouring hundreds of millions into supporting Republican candidates, as are Big Crypto, AIPAC, AI, and Trump’s MAGA Inc. (and its related super PACs).
埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）正投入数亿美元支持共和党候选人，Big Crypto、AIPAC、AI 和特朗普的 MAGA Inc.（及其相关的超级 PAC）也是如此。
“Dark money” — anonymous campaign donations flowing through so-called “nonprofits,” mostly from wealthy individuals and CEOs — is also dropping into the system.
“黑钱”——通过所谓的“非营利组织”流动的匿名竞选捐款，主要来自富有的个人和首席执行官——也正在流入该系统。
Democratic candidates are being outspent 2-to-1 by super PACs and megadonors.
超级政治行动委员会和巨额捐助者的支出以 2 比 1 的比例超过民主党候选人。
More than in any midterm since the Supreme Court’s shameful Citizens United decision, Big Money is going almost exclusively to the GOP.
自最高法院做出可耻的公民联合裁决以来的任何中期选举，大笔资金几乎全部流向共和党。
The Supreme Court has given Republicans an additional spending advantage by allowing super PACs to work in close cooperation with candidates.
最高法院允许超级政治行动委员会与候选人密切合作，为共和党提供了额外的支出优势。
Texas’s James Talarico hasn’t taken any corporate PAC money, for example, and has an army of volunteers going door to door for him and has accumulated one of the largest small-donor war chests of any candidate in this election cycle.
例如，德克萨斯州的詹姆斯·塔拉里科（James Talarico）没有接受任何企业政治行动委员会（PAC）的资金，他有一支志愿者大军为他挨家挨户服务，并积累了本次选举周期中所有候选人中最大的小额捐助者战款之一。
But his opponent, Ken Paxton, is relying almost entirely on $158 million he’s got from Musk via a Republican super PAC.
但他的对手肯·帕克斯顿几乎完全依赖他通过共和党超级政治行动委员会从马斯克那里获得的 1.58 亿美元。
This enormous gusher of Big Money for Republicans has no regulatory oversight because the Federal Election Commission has no quorum and therefore can’t function.
共和党的巨额资金喷涌而出，却不受监管，因为联邦选举委员会没有法定人数，因此无法运作。
At the state level, Big Money is attacking ballot measures to increase taxes on the super-rich — such as California’s Proposition 40, a one-time 5 percent tax on billionaires.
在州一级，大资金正在攻击对超级富豪增税的投票措施，例如加州的 40 号提案，即对亿万富翁一次性征收 5% 的税。
Google multibillionaire Sergey Brin is sinking hundreds of millions into defeating it.
谷歌亿万富翁谢尔盖·布林正在投入数亿美元来击败它。
Gavin Newsom also opposes it.
加文·纽瑟姆也反对。
But another California presidential hopeful, Ro Khanna, is pushing for it, to his great credit.
但另一位加州总统候选人罗·卡纳 (Ro Khanna) 正在推动这一目标，这值得他称赞。
(Note to California voters: Vote YES on 40 and NO on the poison pills, Props 41 and 42.)
（加州选民请注意：对第 40 号提案投赞成票，对毒丸计划、第 41 号和第 42 号提案投反对票。）
This election is the clearest contest yet between Big Money and The People.
这次选举是大资金与人民之间迄今为止最明显的竞争。
Spending by super PACs and other megadonors in the current midterms is over 50 percent higher than in the 2022 midterms, in inflation-adjusted dollars.
按通货膨胀调整后的美元计算，超级政治行动委员会和其他超级捐助者在当前中期选举中的支出比 2022 年中期选举高出 50% 以上。
I wish I were more confident that The People will prevail.
我希望我对人民将获胜更有信心。
Democrats are doing well in the polls, but polling is flawed when it comes to the influence of Big Money.
民主党在民调中表现不错，但在大资金的影响力方面，民调存在缺陷。
Many so-called “low-information” voters are more likely to be swayed by media advertising and less likely to respond to polls or tell pollsters truthfully how they intend to vote.
许多所谓的“低信息”选民更有可能受到媒体广告的影响，不太可能对民意调查做出回应或如实告诉民意调查人员他们打算如何投票。
When this is over, if the Democrats take back the House and at least come close to retaking control of the Senate, high on their agenda must be seeking to get Big Money out of our politics — via constitutional amendment or public financing of elections (matching small-dollar donations).
当这一切结束后，如果民主党夺回众议院，至少接近重新控制参议院，他们的首要议程必须是寻求让大资金退出我们的政治——通过宪法修正案或公共资助选举（匹配小额捐款）。
And also going after the source of much of the Big Money by enacting a national wealth tax.
同时还通过征收国家财富税来追寻大部分巨额资金的来源。
In the meantime: stay calm, support good candidates, do whatever you can to get out the vote, and vote as soon as you can.
与此同时：保持冷静，支持优秀的候选人，尽一切努力争取选票，并尽快投票。
Early voting starts tomorrow in my town.
我所在的城镇明天开始提前投票。
I will be voting Tuesday morning to make sure my right to vote is not taken away by these rabid republicans!
我将于周二早上投票，以确保我的投票权不会被这些狂热的共和党人剥夺！
Trump tried to nullify 16,000 voters in Nevada and failed, and now he’s trying to suppress voters in California!
特朗普试图抹杀内华达州16000名选民，但失败了，现在又想镇压加州选民！
Trump is ignoring the Constitution of the United States regarding elections!
特朗普在选举方面无视美国宪法！
Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the Constitution leaves most decisions regarding elections up to the states.
《宪法》第一条第 4 款第 1 款将有关选举的大多数决定留给各州。
As you posted Professor, “This enormous gusher of Big Money for Republicans has no regulatory oversight because the Federal Election Commission has no quorum and therefore can’t function.”
正如教授所说，“共和党的巨额资金喷涌而出，却没有监管监督，因为联邦选举委员会没有法定人数，因此无法发挥作用。”