美国中选追踪：人是好人，就是游艇有问题英文原标题：Rich Man，Bad Yacht

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　　“我曾白手起家，现在圆了美国梦，”美国参议院候选人、亿万富翁杰夫·格林（Jeff  Greene) 在迈阿密最贫困、犯罪最为猖獗的一个社区对一群居民这样说道。
　　不知道那些喝彩的听众们对这句话究竟作何感想。
　　但格林还是不停地这样说。和几乎所有那些今年参加竞选的超级富豪们一样，格林把讲述自己的成功故事看做是竞选活动中最重要的一环。他的政策核心（就业、就业、就业）以及为美国经济所开的处方（教育、基础设施维修、房屋耐候改造）差不多就是民主党在华盛顿已经推行了两年的东西。
　　不过奥巴马可不像格林那样拥有一栋价值2400万美元的豪宅和一艘145英尺长的游艇。
　　“我是一个普通中产阶级家庭的孩子，一个圆了美国梦的孩子,”格林这样提醒他的听众们。
　　格林今年年初忽然不知从哪儿冒出来，要争夺佛罗里达州参议员民主党提名并进而挺进华盛顿，为美国创造财富──就如同曾为他自己的银行帐户创造财富一样。
　　选民们又一次面临抉择，一个善于积累财富但不善与倾听的候选人是否能够造福选民呢？就在格林不停地谈论就业、就业、就业后，一位园林设计师站出来问他准备如何解决这一地区严重的犯罪问题。
　　“犯罪和就业有着直接关系，”格林说。
　　一位有呼吸系统疾病的妇女则问到了住房问题。
　　“就业和住房，这些都是最基本的需求。”
　　做一名富有的候选人并不意味这就能免于候选人所要承担的压力。比如，格林那艘游艇“夏风号”就是个问题。格林可能觉得自己是个正直的居家男人，但他的游艇却相当地糟糕、糟糕、糟糕。
　　洪都拉斯首都伯利兹政府指出夏风号的螺旋桨打坏了一片国家级珊瑚礁，但格林表示他对此一无所知。“夏风号”曾去过古巴，很明显违反了美国的禁运令。格林说去古巴只是因为游艇出了紧急状况需要修理，并且，在修理期间他拜访了古巴的犹太教堂。
　　游艇的前雇员不止一次地向媒体说起过游艇上疯狂的派对。据说在一次派对上“到处都是喝醉酒的赤身裸体的人。”格林说这些都是心怀不满的前雇员们捏造的故事，或是有媒体想要批评他游艇上“各色客人”的生活方式。
　　显然，“夏风号”有着自己的生活。当格林在家阅读时，夏风号在世界各地游弋，每小时烧掉50加仑燃油，推出一个又一个亿万富翁疯狂的聚会。夏风号招待过林赛·罗韩（Lindsay Lohan，著名好莱坞演员，最近因吸毒被判短期入狱），一个格林声称从未见过的人。“夏风号”载着拳王泰森在黑海巡游，最后在阿姆斯特丹掀起吸毒和性交的狂欢，而此时格林正在乌克兰寻找他们曾拜访过的一所11世纪的修道院。
　　佛罗里达的党内初选是在周二（2010年8月24日），而格林将与四届国会众议员肯德里克·米克（Kendrick Meek）进行着殊死争夺。格林（一名富有的白人）坚持认为米克（一位没有游艇的黑人）在这场较量中是个“圈内人”，这确实有道理。米克的议员席位基本上是从他母亲，前众议院议员凯莉·米克（Carrie Meek）那里继承而来的。本周在迈阿密的一次群众*会上，凯莉提醒她的听众们，她儿子是个州属公路交警──“就在那些危险的路段上”──但却没提到她儿子穿制服的大多数时间里是在为州长的安保小分队效力。
　　米克似乎一直受益于许多朋友的帮助。比尔·克林顿是米克群众*会中的焦点，这位前总统向听众们保证米克一定不会让他们失望，“因为他每天都在成长。”（克林顿在说恭维话上十分在行。在提及奥巴马时，克林顿说：“这是我的专业意见。我相信他比人们所称赞的干得还要好。”）
　　所以米克的候选人身份完全是关系问题，而格林的候选人身份则完全是钱的问题。他们二人在执政建议上没有太大的出入，因此二人之间的争斗就完全沦为人身攻击。本周，当格林在米克的自由城选区举办街区招待时，他轻蔑地指称那位国会议员是“一个大大的好人”。这显然是格林继最近的电视竞选广告“肯德里克·米克：腐败”后的又一步棋。
　　格林承诺，如果他赢得了选举，他将把他在参议院的报酬捐给佛罗里达慈善机构，许多格林最为忠实的支持者则有希望分一杯羹。还有一些人则被招待会中的烧烤、为孩子画面部肖像的画者以及乐队所吸引。舞会主题是为挨饿的人们收集罐头食品，不过格林把所有的罐头都买下来了。
　　格林在周二得知了他的命运。对于“夏风号”来说，未来将有一次复兴之旅，接着可能就是一次“狂野之艇”的真人秀。

英文原文：
Rich Man, Bad Yacht
By GAIL COLLINS
Published: August 18, 2010
"I started with absolutely nothing and I have lived the American dream," Jeff Greene, a Senate candidate and billionaire, told a small crowd in one of Miami's poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods this week.
It was not entirely clear how the cheering audience found this information.
But Greene kept repeating it. Like almost all the really, really rich people running for office this year, he regards his story as the core of his campaign. His policy message (jobs, jobs, jobs) and his prescriptions for the American economy (education, infrastructure repair, home weatherization) are pretty much what the Democrats have been pushing in Washington for the last two years.
But Barack Obama doesn't have a $24 million house and a 145-foot yacht.
"I'm a regular middle-class kid who achieved the American dream," Greene reminded his listeners.
Greene popped up out of nowhere earlier this year, prepared to "spend what it takes" to grab the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race in Florida to go to Washington and do for America what he has done for his bank account.
Once again, voters are being asked to decide whether the cure for their problems lies in a person who is long on money and short on listening skills. After Greene talked about jobs, jobs, jobs, an unemployed landscaper came up and asked what he would do about the horrific crime rate in the neighborhood.
"Crime is directly related to jobs," said Greene.
A woman with respiratory problems wanted to know about housing.
"Jobs, housing - these are basic needs."
Being the rich candidate is not without its burdens. For one, there's the matter of that yacht, the Summerwind. Greene might see himself as an upstanding family man, but his yacht is bad, bad, bad. It's an embarrassing, headline-making connection - the Levi Johnston of boats.
The government of Belize says Summerwind tore up a part of a national coral reef with its anchor, but Greene denies knowing anything about it. The yacht went to Cuba, apparently breaking the American embargo. Greene says that was just for emergency repairs, and, anyway, he spent the downtime visiting Cuban synagogues.

Former employees keep telling reporters about wild parties. There are claims that one involved "naked drunken people everywhere." Greene says these are fantasies cooked up by disgruntled former workers, or reporters trying to blame him for the lifestyle of some of the yacht's "colorful guests."
Clearly, the Summerwind has a life of its own, cruising around the globe, burning 50 gallons of fuel an hour, throwing orgies for B-list celebrities while Greene is home reading. It played host to Lindsay Lohan, who Greene claims he's barely met. It took Mike Tyson on a Black Sea cruise that culminated in a drug-and-sex romp in Amsterdam, but Greene was only around for the part where they visited an 11th-century monastery in Ukraine.
Florida's primary is Tuesday, and Greene is engaged in mortal combat with Kendrick Meek, a four-term congressman. Greene (white, wealthy) insists Meek (black, yachtless) is the insider in the race, and he does have a point. Meek's House seat was basically deeded to him by his mother, former Representative Carrie Meek. At a rally in Miami this week, Carrie reminded the audience that her son had been a highway patrolman - "out there on the dangerous streets" - without mentioning that he had spent the bulk of his time in uniform working for the governor's security detail.
Meek seems to be getting by with a lot of help from his friends. Bill Clinton was the star attraction at his rally, and the former president assured the crowd that they would never be disappointed in Kendrick "because he'll grow every day." (Clinton specializes in this kind of mini-compliment. On the subject of Barack Obama, Clinton said: "This is my professional opinion. I believe he has done a much better job than he gets credit for.")
So Meek's candidacy is all about connections, while Greene's is all about money. Their policies are pretty similar, so the whole fight has devolved into character assassination. This week when Greene held a "block party" in Meek's Liberty City district, he referred to the congressman dismissively as "a perfectly nice fellow." This was quite a step up from his most recent TV ads. ("Kendrick Meek: Corrupt.")
Greene has promised that if he wins, he'll give his Senate salary to Florida charities, and many of the most ardent supporters at the event seemed to be hoping to get on that list. Others were lured in with a barbecue, a face painter for the kids and some bands. The theme was to collect canned goods for the hungry, but Greene bought all the cans.
He learns his fate on Tuesday. For Summerwind, I'm thinking the future involves a trip to rehab. Then maybe a reality show for Yachts Gone Wild.

Nicholas D. Kristof is off today.
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