如何温柔地启动一场竞选
在《火线》的第三季中,议员 Carcetti 面临着一个有趣的局面。
他想竞选巴尔的摩下一任市长,也组建好了竞选团队。此时他发现自己必须背叛最好的朋友 Tony, 因为Tony也将参加竞选,他的黑人身份意味着可以帮Carcetti分流现任市长Royce的选票。
于是问题来了,如果他直接告诉 Tony 自己的竞选计划,那么他将与 Tony 割席,正式成为竞争对手。他会失去朋友。
如果劝Tony放弃竞选,那么他会失去帮他分流Royce的助攻。
所以横竖都得让Tony上,问题是怎么把自己要竞选的事情透露给对方。
该如何委婉地告诉最好的朋友,我将成为你的对手?
如何温柔地启动一场竞选 campaign ?
以下是 Carcetti 的答案。教科书级的政客作秀是长这样的:
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NO
It's about more than that.
This is more important than who knew what when or who falls on his sword or whether someone can use this disaster to make a political point or two.
We can forgive major Colvin who, out of his frustration and despair, found himself condoning something which can't possibly be condoned.
We can do that much.
But gentlemen, what we can't forgive, what I can't forgive ever is how we , you, me, this administration, all of us, how we turned away from those streets in West Baltimore.
The poor, the sick the swollen underclass of our city trapped in the wreckage of neighborhoods which were once so prized. Communities which we've failed to defend, which we have surrendered to the horrors of the drug trade. And if this disaster demands anyting of us as a city, it demands that we say enough. Enough to the despair which makes policemen even think about surrender. Enough to the fact that these neighbourhoods are not saved or are beyond the saving. Enough to this administration's indecisiveness and lethargy to the garbage which goes uncollected, the lots and row houses which stay vacant, the addicts who go untreated, the working men and women who every day are denied a chance at economic freedom. Enougth to the crimes which everyday chokes more and more of the life from our city.
And, the thing of it is, if we don't take responsibility and step up not just for the mistakes and the miscues, but for whether or not we're gonna win this battle for our streets. If that doesn't happen, we are gonna lose these neighborhoods and ultimately this city forever. If we don't have the courage and the conviction to fight the way it should be fought the way it needs to be fought, using every weapon that we can possibly muster, if that doesn't happen ,well then we are staring at defeat. And that defeat should not and cannot and will not be forgiven.
最后的最后,成功当上市长的Carcetti并未履行竞选时许下的任何一条承诺。
由于拒绝州长给予的教育补助金,他从警署拨款中挪用部分给了学校和老师。重案组停摆,警员失掉加班补助,甚至数月开不出工资。重案组被迫中止22具尸体案的调查和对Marlo团伙的窃听。
另一头,对学校降本增效。Colvin的放牛班实验项目永久叫停。他最终只救了一个孩子,那就是Wee-Bey 的儿子 Namond,靠的是自己领养。
McNulty等人的挪用设备计划顺利实施,22 尸案成功破获,Marlo团伙落网。巴尔的摩太阳报靠编流浪汉假新闻赢得普利策奖,这使得Carcetti竞选州长的道路更加通畅。
在火线的最后一集,Carcetti成功竞选马里兰州州长。
至于他是否曾在某一刻真心想拯救这座城市,我们并不知道。以上这段演讲,是他为巴尔的摩街头做过的唯一贡献。