在本周CNN举办的一次市政厅活动上，民主党参议员候选人詹姆斯·塔拉里科表达了一种观点，该观点受到与会者的欢迎：“我们之所以面临负担能力危机，是因为我们面临腐败危机。”
During a town hall event on CNN this week, Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico voiced a sentiment that was well received by attendees: “We have an affordability crisis because we have a corruption crisis.”
随着中期选举周期的展开，这一信息变得越来越普遍。事实上，来自佐治亚州的民主党参议员乔恩·奥索夫尤其如此，他将2026年竞选的很大一部分建立在这样一个命题上：腐败不仅是一个重大的国家问题，也是困扰普通美国人日常生活的问题的根源。“你们不是问题所在。你们的 fellow Americans 也不是问题所在，”奥索夫经常对佐治亚州居民说，“腐败是导致普通人生活不便的原因。”有新证据表明，这一论点正在引起公众的共鸣。
The message has become increasingly common the midterm election cycle has unfolded Indeed, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, in particular, has built much of his 2026 candidacy on the proposition that corruption isn’t only a major national issue, it’s also the cause for the problems plaguing regular Americans in their everyday lives. “You aren’t the problem. Neither are your fellow Americans,”Ossoff routinely tells Georgians“Corruption is why things don’t work for ordinary people.”There’s fresh evidence that the argument is resonating with the public.
上个月发布的盖洛普民意调查显示，89%的美国成年人认为美国政府腐败现象普遍存在——比一年前上升了10个百分点，比2006年盖洛普调查时上升了30个百分点。本周早些时候，美联社发布了其最新全国民意调查的结果，同样发现大多数美国人认为特朗普“不道德或非法地从总统职位中获利，且更关注自己的财富而非帮助像他们一样的人。”
Gallup poll released last month found that 89% of American adults believe that government corruption in the United States is widespread — up 10 points from a year ago, and 30 points from a Gallup survey conducted in 2006. Earlier this week, The Associated Press released the results of its latest national poll which similarly found that most Americans believe that Donald Trump “is profiting off the presidency in unethical or illegal ways and is focused more on his wealth than helping people like them.”
但可以说是让人最惊讶的是最新的福克斯新闻民意调查。《华盛顿邮报》编辑委员会指出，本周特朗普总统解除金伯利·吉尔福耶担任驻希腊大使职务的决定，反映出白宫政治团队迟到的认识：腐败是中期选举中的一个动员议题。
But it was the latest Fox News poll that arguably surprised people most. The editorial board of The Washington Post noted President Donald Trump’s ouster of Kimberly Guilfoyle as ambassador to Greece this week reflected a belated recognition by the White House political team that corruption is a galvanizing issue in the midterms.
福克斯新闻周三发布的一项民意调查显示，腐败已成为选民最关心的问题，甚至超过了通货膨胀和油价。十分之六的受访者表示，他们对腐败“极为担忧”。……福克斯新闻的这一发现并非个例。上个月《经济学人》与YouGov联合开展的一项调查显示，大多数注册选民认为特朗普存在腐败行为。路透社8月的一项民意调查则显示，近十分之七的美国人——包括大约一半的共和党人——认为特朗普的私人商业利益影响着他的总统决策。
A Fox News poll released Wednesday indicates that corruption has become voters’ top concern, edging out inflation and gas prices. Six in 10 respondents said they’re “extremely concerned” about corruption. … The Fox News finding isn’t an outlier. An Economist-YouGov poll last month showed that most registered voters think Trump is corrupt. A Reuters poll in August revealed that almost 7 in 10 Americans — including about half of Republicans — believe Trump’s private business interests influence his presidential decisions.
这些公众态度并非仅仅源于冷嘲热讽的猜测。几乎每天，美国民众都会面临围绕总统及其团队的新指控。“唐纳德·特朗普总统任期所构成的腐败泥潭，终于得到了应有的关注，”经济学家保罗·克鲁格曼最近评论道，“早就该这样了。……特朗普本人所涉及的腐败行为，以及他纵容他人实施的腐败，都完全前所未有——这种自我交易，用特朗普的话说，是‘任何人前所未见’的。”
These public attitudes are based on a lot more than just cynical assumptions. On a nearly daily basis, Americans are confronted with a fresh round of allegations surrounding the president and his team. “The cesspit of corruption that is Donald Trump’s presidency is finally getting the attention it deserves,” economist Paul Krugman recently observed“It’s about time. … The level of corruption that Trump has engaged in and enabled in others is completely unprecedented — self-dealing that, as Trump would say, is like nothing anybody has ever seen before.”
本周，MS NOW节目主持人凯瑟琳·兰佩尔为《堡垒》杂志撰写了一篇文章，她在文中补充道：“唐纳德·特朗普正在明目张胆地掠夺美国民众。”她的文章标题写道：“腐败。实在。太过。严重了。”选民在这一问题上的态度，应向政策制定者传递一个关于选举后优先事项的信号。几周后我们就会知道，民主党能否在国会任一（或两）个议院赢得多数席位；但如果他们成功，毫无疑问，一些人会主张该党应几乎完全聚焦于与民众日常生活息息相关的问题。
This week, MS NOW host Catherine Rampell wrote a column for The Bulwark in which she added, “Donald Trump is robbing Americans blind.”The headline on her piece read, “Just. So. Much. Corruption.”Voters’ attitudes on this should send a signal to policymakers about their post-election priorities. We’ll learn in a few weeks whether Democrats can win a majority in either (or both) of Congress’ chambers; but if they do, some will no doubt make the case that the party should focus almost entirely on kitchen-table issues.
尽管这样的策略看似合理，但中期选举清楚地表明，腐败与民众负担能力之间存在直接关联——而公众也确实强烈要求问责与改革。
And while such a strategy would make sense, the midterms are making clear that there’s a direct link between corruption and affordability — and there’s a real public appetite for accountability and reform. The post Democrats have made corruption a key midterm issue. Polls show voters agree.