作为缅因州艰难连任竞选的一部分，现任共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯多次强调，她愿意违抗总统唐纳德·特朗普和其他共和党领导人。但虽然这有一定道理，柯林斯的批评者长期以来一直强调这一记录所带来的“星号”。
As part of a tough re-election campaign in Maine, incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins has emphasized on countless occasions that she’s willing to defy President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders. But while there’s some truth to that, the senator’s critics have long emphasized the asterisk that comes with that record.
《纽约时报》仔细审视了她的投票记录，该记录显示，柯林斯违背本党的次数比任何其他共和党参议员都多。话虽如此，同一份记录“显示，她的叛党……在特朗普第二任期内很少挫败总统。”
The New York Times took a closer look at her voting record, which shows that Collins has broken with her party more than any other Republican senator. That said, the same record “reveals that her defections … have rarely thwarted the president during his second term.”
换句话说，这位资深共和党参议员表现出愿意背离党派的意愿，除非她的投票可能真正影响结果。或者说，正如《纽约时报》报道所言，针对她“最为主导且长期存在的攻击线索”之一是，柯林斯“只有在不重要的时候才违抗总统”。周四晚，在她与民主党提名人特洛伊·杰克逊的第四场也是最后一场辩论中，这位缅因州共和党人获得了一个证明批评者错误的明确机会。结果并不理想。
In other words, the longtime GOP senator has demonstrated a willingness to break ranks, except when her vote might actually affect the outcome. Or, as the Times’ report put it, “one of the most dominant and long-running lines of attack against her” is that Collins “only defies the president when it doesn’t matter.”On Thursday night, in her fourth and final debate against Democratic nominee Troy Jackson, the Maine Republican was presented with a clear opportunity to prove her critics wrong. It did not go well.
一位主持人问柯林斯：“你能说出一次，你违背本党和特朗普总统投票，并且该投票真正显著改变了结果的情况吗？”参议员开头说有“几个例子”，但她特别指出了其中一个：去年年初，柯林斯说，她帮助组织了一场击败皮特·赫格塞斯国防部长提名的努力，尽管她的努力最终未能成功，这位不合格的前福克斯新闻主播还是获得了确认。“所以那改变了结果，”主持人回答道。
A moderator asked Collins, “Can you name a time when you voted against your party and President Trump where it actually changed the outcome significantly?”The senator began by saying there were “several examples,” though she specifically pointed to one: Early last year, Collins said, she helped organize an effort to defeat Pete Hegseth’s defense secretary nomination, though her effort ultimately didn’t work and the unqualified former Fox News host was confirmed. “So that change the outcome,” the moderator replied.
请记住，在连任竞选期间，柯林斯一直面临着一项具体的批评，而《纽约时报》本周在一篇头版文章中对此进行了突出报道。参议员及其团队有充足的时间想出例子（任何例子！）来证明批评者是错误的。
Remember, Collins has faced one specific criticism throughout her re-election bid, and it was highlighted by The New York Times in a front-page article published this week. The senator and her team had plenty of time to come up with examples (any example!) to prove her critics wrong.
但她做不到。随后，面对这个机会和平台，柯林斯搞砸了，实际上证明了潜在的观点。
But she couldn’t. Then, presented with the opportunity and platform, Collins flubbed it, effectively proving the underlying point.
杰克逊及其政党是否会把这场辩论交锋变成新的竞选广告，还有待观察。
Whether Jackson and his party turn the debate exchange into a new campaign ad remains to be seen.