什么人是共和党人？

　　The Republicans held their national convention last week. Like the Democrats' convention in August, it was a typical example of what such gatherings have become in recent years: chances to shape the image of each party and advertise its presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Until the 1970s these conventions were often the scene of fascinating struggles between different factions within the parties, and they were televised from beginning to end. Now the national broadcast networks will agree to devote only a few hours to prime-time coverage of today's much less gripping conventions. As a result, the organizers must arrange the schedule of speakers to make sure that the ones who appear on TV are those who will sway the most voters.

　　One speaker the Republicans were careful to get before prime-time viewers was Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California. As a moderate in a party increasingly dominated by hard-line conservatives, bodybuilder and action film star "Arnie" can appeal to centrist and independent voters, especially male ones. In today's cartoon David Horsey makes fun of Schwarzenegger's address, which was light on substance -- but no one expected much of that anyway.

　　Who is a Republican, Schwarzenegger asked. His speech included several repetitions of the conclusion "Then you are a Republican!" Horsey, however, has substituted his own evidence for what makes a voter a Republican, and here is where the mockery comes in: Republicans believe that the WMDs that might justify the US invasion of Iraq are still hidden somewhere, waiting to be found. They think environmentalists are deluding us all: there isn't really any global warming. Republicans blithely shipped jobs for lower-middle-class Americans off to India. Corporate profits up -- great! Fellow citizens out of work -- who cares?

　　In frame 4, "scripture" means the Bible. It is characteristic of American evangelical Protestants (the Protestants most likely to support President Bush) to cite the Bible by starting with the phrase "Scripture says" -- and to cite the Bible in political contexts, where other Americans question its relevance. Many such Protestants strongly believe that the End Times (the last period before the end of the world) are upon us and that Jesus Christ will soon reappear. When he (or He) does, believers like themselves will be lifted to the clouds to meet Jesus; this ascent is called the "Rapture".

　　Horsey's point? That today's GOP is full of religious fanatics who think political debates can be decided with selected quotations from the Bible.

　　Padthai(stir-fried thin rice noodles) in frame 5 is the name of a popular Thai dish -- popular, that is, among people who feel comfortable in the multicultural world of America's coastal cities, teeming with immigrants from all over the globe. Republicans, Horsey implies (remember, perhaps unjustly), would like to keep America as white and familiar as possible. Not too many of those exotic immigrants, please!

　　美国社会热点/名家漫画赏析WD White(美)