美国失业率下降或对奥巴马竞选有利

Friday’s announcement of a drop in the U.S. unemployment rate from nine percent to 8.6 percent is seen by experts as a boost to President Barack Obama’s re-election prospects next year, especially if it becomes a trend.

根据12月2日(星期五)的一项宣布，美国的失业率从9%下降到8.6%。专家认为，这一消息会改善奥巴马总统明年竞选连任的前景，特别是如果失业率下降成为一种趋势的话。

The drop in the jobless rate is the best economic and political news for the White House in months, and President Obama was quick to note the progress during a speech in Washington.

失业率下降是白宫数月来听到的最好的经济和政治消息。在华盛顿发表讲话的奥巴马总统很快就谈到这一进展。

“As president, my most pressing challenge is doing everything I can every single day to get this economy growing faster and create more jobs,” he said.

奥巴马说：“作为总统，我最紧迫的任务就是每天都要竭尽全力使我们的经济增长的更快，创造更多的就业机会。”

Economists say the new figures are a good sign but they also note that the jobless rate is down in part because a lot of Americans have stopped looking for work.

经济学家说，虽然新的数据是好的迹象，但是他们也指出，失业率下降的部分原因是因为许多美国人停止找工作了。

Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner, were cautious.

包括众议院议长贝纳在内的共和党人对此持谨慎的态度。

“Any job creation is welcome news," Boehner said. "But the jobless rate in our country is still unacceptably high.”

贝纳说：“任何创造就业的事情都是值得欢迎的消息，但是我国这么高的失业率仍然是不可接受的。”

Political experts say the economy and jobless rate will be key issues in next year’s presidential election. Voters will hold President Obama accountable if the economy remains weak, said analyst Stuart Rothenberg.

政治专家说，在明年的总统选举中，经济和失业率将是关键的问题。分析人士罗森博格说，如果经济仍然疲软的话，选民将认为奥巴马总统应该对此负责。

“He either needs to change the economy and the jobs situation and the overall mood of the country, which is very difficult to do, or he is going to need to change the election so that it is not about jobs but is about 'Do you trust the Republicans? Are the Republicans too scary?' Then he has a chance for re-election,” Rothenberg said.

他说：“奥巴马要么需要改变经济和就业局势以及全国的总体情绪，这是很难做到的，要么他就需要改变选举的观念，以便让选民认为，这次选举不是针对就业问题的，而是关于‘你是否信任共和党人？共和党人是否让你感到太担心？’这样他就有重新当选的机会。”

The Republicans hoping to win their party’s nomination and run against Mr. Obama next year have largely focused their campaigns on the president’s economic record, including former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich.

希望赢得党内提名进而在明年与奥巴马争夺总统职位的共和党人在他们的竞选活动中把注意力集中在奥巴马总统的经济记录方面，这些共和党人中也包括前众议院议长金里奇。