世界瞩目的美国大选中，每个候选人为了当选总是想方设法地抬高自己，贬低别人。今天我们就来讲候选人之间互相攻击的三个习惯用语。

1 blame game

Blame是责怪或指责的意思，game在这里是指策略或手法。Blame game是候选人把造成某些社会问题的责任推到竞选对手身上去的手法，哪怕他明明知道这是他自己的责任。

例如：I'm not going to play the blame game and say who's at fault that so many people are out of work. But I have to tell you my opponent did vote against three bills to create new jobs.

我不会把造成那么多人失业的责任推给别人，我不会使用那种推卸责任的把戏。但是，我得告诉你们，在国会就三项有关创造新就业机会的提案投票时，我的对手投的是反对票。”

又如：Harry Truman, who was President from 1945 to 1952, was one man who did not play the blame game. He had a sign on his desk: The Buck Stops Here.

杜鲁门从1945到1952年担任美国总统。他是一个不推卸责任的人，他的桌子上有一块牌子，上面写着“我负责”这几个字。

2 negative campaigning

Negative是反面的意思，campaigning就是竞选。那么什么是negative campaigning呢？Negative campaigning就是候选人集中力量讲对手的缺点，以此来抬高自己。

例如：A listener just called in to ask what I mean by negative campaigning. Well, it means a candidate's main strategy is to tell voters how bad the other guy is instead of talking about how good he is himself.

一位听众刚才打电话来问什么是negative campaigning。Negative campaigning的意思是一个候选人采用的主要策略是告诉选民他的对手是如何的坏，而不是说自己是如何如何的好。

又如：Some political observers say that negative campaigning isn't working this year--that voters want to hear positive ideas about how to create new jobs and give people better health care.

有些政治观察家说，尽力贬低对方的反面竞选方式今年行不通。选民们要听有积极意义的主意，像如何增加就业机会、为公众提供更好的保健措施等。

3 to come out swinging

To come out swinging实际上是来自拳击运动的一个俗语。当两个重量级拳击手比赛的时候，只要铃一响，他们就冲到场地的中央，尽力地挥舞双臂，各自企图在对方还没有时间袭击他的时候就给对方致命一击。用在竞选的时候，to come out swinging就成了候选人互相攻击的意思。

例如：After a day off, President Bush and Governor Clinton this morning again launched another hard week of campaigning, and they both came out swinging.

休息了一天后，布什总统和克林顿州长今天早上又开始了一个星期的艰苦竞选旅程，他们两人一开始就互相攻击。

又如：They say the big mistake the Democratic candidate made in 1988 was that he failed to come out swinging the day after the convention.

他们说民主党1988年总统候选人的错误是他没有在全国代表大会后马上展开攻击。