2012年美国总统大选首场电视辩论由美国公共电视台（PBS）的吉姆·莱勒主持。该辩论主题集中在就业、财赤、医改、政府角色等方面。而不景气的美国经济和美国人最关心的就业问题成为辩论的中心议题。那么我们来听听两位总统候选人唇枪舌剑、针锋相对的激辩吧。
Jim Lehrer (Host): Good evening from the Magnes Arena at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. I’m Jim Lehrer of the PBS News Hour, and I welcome you to the first of the 2012 Presidential Debates between President Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, and former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee.
You have two minutes. Each of you have two minutes to start. A 1)coin toss has determined, Mr. President, you go first.
Barack Obama: Well, thank you very much, Jim, for this opportunity. I want to thank Governor Romney and the University of Denver for your hospitality. There are a lot of points I want to make tonight, but the most important one is that 20 years ago I became the luckiest man on Earth because Michelle Obama agreed to marry me. And so I just want to wish, sweetie, you happy anniversary, and let you know that a year from now we will not be celebrating it in front of 40 million people.
Mitt Romney: And congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your anniversary. I’m sure this was the most romantic place you could imagine here…here with me, so I…congratulations.
Lehrer: What are the major differences between the two of you about how you would go about creating new jobs?
Obama: Ultimately it’s going to be up to the voters, to you, which path we should take. Are we gonna double-down on the top down economic policies that helped to get us into this mess, or do we embrace a new economic 2)patriotism that says, America does best when the middle class does best?
Romney: Now I’m concerned that the path that we’re on has just been unsuccessful. The President has a view very similar to the view he had when he ran four years ago that a bigger government, spending more, taxing more, regulating more—if you will, trickle-down government—would work. That’s not the right answer for America.
Lehrer: The question is this: what are the differences between the two of you as to how you would go about tackling the 3)deficit problem in this country?
Romney: Oh good. I’m glad you raised that, and it’s a...it’s a critical issue. I…I think it’s not just an economic issue. I think it’s a moral issue. I think it’s, frankly, not moral for my generation to keep spending massively more than we take in, knowing those burdens are going to be passed on to the next generation. 吉姆·莱勒（主持人）：晚上好，这里是科罗拉多州丹佛大学的马格努斯竞技场，我是PBS《新闻时间》节目的吉姆·莱勒，欢迎收看2012总统大选的首场辩论，该辩论在民主党总统候选人，贝拉克·奥巴马总统和共和党总统候选人，前马萨诸塞州州长罗姆尼之间进行。
你们有两分钟的时间，各有两分钟的时间开展。掷硬币决定，总统先生，你先。
贝拉克·奥巴马：吉姆，谢谢你给我这个机会。我想谢谢罗姆尼州长，谢谢丹佛大学的热情款待。今晚我要阐明的观点很多，但是最重要的一点就是，20年前我成为了世界上最幸福的人，因为米歇尔·奥巴马答应嫁给我。所以我只想祝愿，亲爱的，结婚周年快乐！并且让你知道未来一年里我们都不可能在四千万人面前庆祝。
米特·罗姆尼：总统先生，恭喜你迎来了结婚周年庆。我肯定这是你能想象得到的最浪漫的地方，并且跟我一起，所以我祝福你。
莱勒：在创造新的就业机会方面，你们两位主要有哪些的不同意见？奥巴马：我们应该选择的道路，最终还是得取决于选民，取决于你们。我们是准备重复采取“涓滴效应”的经济政策而导致目前的混乱，还是拥护一种新的经济爱国主义，那就是中产阶级好美国就好？
罗姆尼：现在我担心的是目前我们所走的道路并不成功。总统的观点跟他四年前刚当选时非常相似：即大政府，更多的投入、更多的税收和更多的管理，继续采取“涓滴效应”的经济政策，那并不是美国的正确选择。
莱勒：这个问题是，在解决国家的财政赤字问题上，你们两个有什么不同之处？
罗姆尼：好的，我很高兴你提出这个问题，那是个关键问题。我想那不仅仅是个经济问题，还是个道德问题。坦白讲，在我的时代，我们会量入而出，消费比收入多得多的行为是不道德的，因为我们深知那些超支负担会传给下一代。
Obama: When I walked in the 4)Oval Office, I had more than a trillion dollar deficit greeting me, and we know where it came from: two wars that were paid for on a credit card, two tax cuts that were not paid for, and a whole bunch of program that were not paid for, and then a massive economic crisis.
Lehrer: Do you believe there’s a fundamental difference between the two of you as to how you view the mission of the Federal Government?
Obama: Look, the genius of America is the free enterprise system and freedom, and the fact that people can go out there and start a business, work on an idea, make their own decisions, but, as Abraham Lincoln understood, there’re also some things we do better together.
Romney: …and what we’re seeing right now is, in my view, a…a trickle-down government approach, which has government thinking it can do a better job than free people pursuing their dreams, and it’s not working.
Lehrer: You want the Affordable Care Act repealed. Why?
Romney: I sure do. I just don’t know how the President could have come into office facing 23 million people out of work, rising unemployment, an economic crisis at the…at the kitchen table, and spend his energy and passion for two years fighting for ‘Obama-care’instead of fighting for jobs for the American people. It has killed jobs.
Obama: It was families, who were worried about going bankrupt if they got sick, millions of families all across the country. They had a pre-existing condition. They might not be able to get coverage at all. If they did have coverage, insurance companies might 5)impose an 6)arbitrary limit, and so, as a consequence, they’re paying their 7)premiums, somebody gets really sick, 8)lo and behold they don’t have enough money to pay the bills because the insurance companies say that they’ve 9)hit the limit. 奥巴马：当我入主白宫时，已经有逾一万亿的财政赤字等着我，我们都知道财赤的来源：两次战争的信用卡贷款、两次减税导致的欠款、一堆项目的欠款、加上一场严重的经济危机。
莱勒：关于对联邦政府的使命的看法，你们两位会有根本的分歧吗？
奥巴马：我们知道，美国的真谛是自由企业制度和自由，事实上人们能够走出去开创一份事业、实现一个创意、作出自己的决定，然而，正如亚伯拉罕·林肯所理解的，也有些事情我们一起做会更好。
罗姆尼：……据我所知，我们现在看到的是政府的涓滴效应的方针，该方针表明：比起民众自由追求他们的理想，政府的干预更胜一筹，然而证明并不奏效。
莱勒：你想废除《平价医疗法案》，为什么？
罗姆尼：我肯定会。我真不知道总统回到办公室是如何面对着两千三百万的失业大军、失业率攀升、餐桌上的经济危机，仍然花两年的精力和热情去进行“奥巴马医改”，而不去为美国民众创造就业机会。该法案是在谋杀工作机会。
奥巴马：那是家庭的需要，全国百万家庭担心一旦生病就造成破产。他们投保前已经生病，这种情况根本不可能被涵盖在保险里。如果他们一定要把该病包含在保险里，保险公司就会强加任意限制条款，所以结果就是，他们要交额外的费用。有人真的生病了，你瞧，他们就没有足够的钱支付医疗费，因为保险公司通知他们理赔费用已经到了极限。
Lehrer: That brings us to closing statements.
Obama: You know, four years ago I said that I’m not a perfect man and I wouldn’t be a perfect president, and that’s probably a promise that Governor Romney thinks I’ve kept. But I also promised that I’d fight every single day on behalf of the American people, and the middle class and all those who are striving to get in the middle class. I’ve kept that promise, and, if you’ll vote for me, then I promise I’ll fight just as hard in the second term.
Romney: If the President were to be re-elected, you’re gonna see a $716 billion cut to Medicare. You’ll have four million people who’ll lose Medicare advantage, you’ll have hospitals and providers that’ll no longer accept Medicare patients. I’ll restore that $716 billion to Medicare. And finally; military. If the President’s re-elected, you’ll see dramatic cuts to our military. The Secretary of Defense has said these would be even devastating. I will not cut our commitment to our military. I will keep America strong and get America’s middle class working again.
莱勒：我们来到总结陈辞的阶段。
奥巴马：你们知道，四年前我曾说过，我不是个完美的人，也不会成为十全十美的总统，这可能是罗姆尼州长认为我一直要履行的诺言。但是我也承诺过，每一天，我都会为了美国人，为了中产阶级，为了所有正在努力成为中产阶级的人们而尽心竭力。我一直遵守诺言，如果你们为我投票，我承诺在第二届任期内一如既往地努力奋斗。
罗姆尼：如果总统连任，你会看到7160亿美元的医疗费用被削减，有四百万人就会失去医疗照顾优惠，医院和医疗提供者不再接收医疗保险病人。我会把这笔资金用回医疗保险中。最后，军事方面。如果总统连任，你会看到我们军队费用的大幅削减。国防部已经表明这一举措是毁灭性的。我承诺不会削减军队经费，我会保持美国的强盛，让中产阶级重新走上工作岗位。
小链接
Trickle-down Effect涓滴效应（又译作渗漏效应、滴漏效应）也称作“涓滴理论”（Trickle-down Theory，又译作利益均沾论、渗漏理论、滴漏理论），涓滴，很少的意思。指在经济发展过程中并不给予贫困阶层、弱势群体或贫困地区特别的优待，而是由优先发展起来的群体或地区通过消费、就业等方面惠及贫困阶层或地区，带动其发展和富裕。
由此还有“涓滴经济学”（Trickle-down Economics），常用来形容里根经济学，因为里根政府执行的经济政策认为，政府救济不是救助穷人最好的方法，应该通过经济增长使总财富增加，最终使穷人受益。