in recent American history

"You can't say it, but you know it's true."

「雖然你不能說，但是你知道這是真的」

In the past eight years, he has completely

在過去的八年間，他完全

transformed the American healthcare system. He got tough reforms to Wall Street passed

扭轉了美國健康照顧系統（的處境）。他很辛苦地完成了針對華爾街的改革

after the biggest financial crisis in decades.

在過去十年最大的經濟危機後

He appointed

四名曾在最高法院任職地女性，

two of the 4 women to ever serve on the supreme court, both of whom were part of the historic

歐巴馬任命了其中兩位，而這兩位都是歷史上

decision legalizing same sex marriage. He put in place the toughest climate regulations

同性婚姻合法化決定的參與者。歐巴馬處理了美國歷史上最艱難的氣候變遷條約

in American history. He opened the US to Cuba for the first time in half a century. And

近半世紀以來的第一次，他讓美國對古巴開放了。

he reached a peaceful settlement to the nuclear standoff with Iran that lasted for a decade

並且，他和平解決了跟伊朗已經被放置了近十年的核僵局。

before he took office. You can celebrate or bemoan these accomplishments.

在他就職之前。你可以慶祝或者是惋惜這些成就。

Liberals will think they’re great, conservatives will think they’re awful. But it’s

自由主義者們會覺得他們很好，保守主義者們會覺得他們很可怕。但

hard to deny that they’re big deals.

很難去否認這些都是大事件。

So…. where do we start? Obamacare is a big fucking deal.

所以...我們該從哪邊開始呢？關注歐巴馬健保這件事真的超級重要的。

For at least 100 years, the big goal of American liberals on domestic policy was to get a national

有至少100多年，美國自由主義者們在國內政策上的大目標是讓國家

health insurance program done. A lot of countries implemented universal health

健康保險計畫完成。在20世紀，有很多國家實行了全國健康

care in the 20th century — the UK, Canada, France — but the US always lagged behind.

照護—大英國協、加拿大、法國 — 但美國總是停在後面。

There were attempt after attempt after attempt by American progressives of both parties to

兩個政黨的美國進步份子們，他們不斷的嘗試再嘗試，

try to get the US to where everyone else was going. And each of those attempts failed.

試著讓美國走到每個人要走的地方，然後他們每一個人的嘗試都失敗了。

Teddy Roosevelt failed, FDR failed, Truman failed, Nixon failed, Carter failed, Clinton

大小羅斯福、杜魯門、尼克森、卡特都失敗了

failed… and then Obama succeeded.

柯林頓失敗了，但歐巴馬成功了。

And he established for the first time in American history that healthcare is a right.

且他在美國歷史上首次建立了健康照護是一種權利（的概念）。

The plan still leaves millions uninsured, but it laid

這計畫仍舊遺留了幾百萬的未保險人，但他建立了

a foundation for universal health care.

一個全聯邦健康照護的基礎。

To understand what Obama did for foreign policy, you have to go back to a moment in 2007, this

為了了解Obama在外交政策上做了什麼，你必須回到2007年這個時候，

moment in particular: “Would you be willing to meet separately

這特別的時刻：「你是否會願意沒有預設的分別去看看，

without preconditions, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela,

在華盛頓，或者是其他地方，跟伊朗、敘利亞、委內瑞拉、古巴跟北韓的領導者們，

Cuba, and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?”

為了去搭建分離我們這些國家的鴻溝嗎？」

Obama: “I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to

Obama：「我會。而這理由是，一個觀念，毫無緣由的沒有跟這些國家對話

countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this

是一種對他們的懲罰，而這曾經是政府機關的外交指標守則

administration, is ridiculous.” So, this was considered a gaffe. The safe

是很不可理喻的。」所以，這被視為是一種過失。

thing that you’re supposed to say is “yeah, diplomacy’s great, we’ll talk to some

你可能會說的安全回應是：「沒錯，外交手段很好呀！我們將會跟一些人談話，

people, but there have to be preconditions. No preconditions is silly.” And this is

但這必須有一些前提。沒有什麼前提是愚蠢的。」而這正是

what other Democrats did say at the time . But he didn’t accept that.

其他民主政體在此時要說的。但他並未接受這個想法

And with two of the countries listed in that question — Iran and Cuba — Obama led some

然後跟這兩個在問題中被提及的國家－伊朗跟古巴－

of the biggest changes to those diplomatic relationships in recent history.

Obama讓一些外交關係，在近代史上有了最大的改變

I’d be remiss in not mentioning the importance of the fact that Obama is the first black

我可能疏忽而沒有提到Obama是第一位黑人總統這個很重要的事實。

president. After 8 years it seems obvious to point out

八年後，我們可以很明白的指出（這個事實）

But the history of America is a history of learning to deal with racial diversity, and

但美國的歷史是一部學習怎麼處理種族歧視、以及

with the legacy of white supremacy. In a very real way the history of America is the history

前人留下的白人至上主義的歷史。在一個很真實的情況，美國的歷史是種族關係的歷史。

of race relations. There’s a famous photo that still hangs

有一張非常有名的照片仍舊懸掛

in the White House of a black toddler in the White House who asked to touch president Obama’s

在白宮，那是一位在白宮想要摸Obama頭髮的黑皮膚嬰兒寶寶

hair because he thought it was great that the president had hair that looked like his.

因為他覺得總統有看起來跟他一樣的頭髮很棒

It seems cheesy, but it really is a big deal that a generation of black children are going

看似俗套，其實是件大事，一個世代的黑人小孩將會

to grow up knowing that they could be the president.

長大，並且知道他們也有機會能當總統。

Overall it’s a pretty extensive track record. You can generally divide American presidents

畢竟，這是個蠻廣泛的追蹤記錄。你可以普遍性的把美國總統分為

into two camps. There are the ones who were maybe a little good, a little bad, but are

兩個陣營。有一種是他們可能有點好，有點糟，但都是

sorta forgettable: Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, Zachary Taylor, William Howard Taft,

可以忘記的類型；克里夫蘭、哈里森、泰勒、塔虎托

Bill Clinton. And then there are the ones who were

柯林頓。然後還有一種是有

hugely consequential either for good: FDR (ending the depression, winning WWII), Lincoln

巨大影響力的。即便是好的：小羅斯福（結束經濟大蕭條，贏了二戰）林肯

(winning the civil war), George Washington (establishing what a president is), or for ill.

（贏了內戰），華盛頓（建立了總統的典範）或者並沒有好的影響力的。

Andrew Johnson, destroying reconstruction

詹森摧毀了美國重建

and subjugating black people for a century. Andrew Jackson committing genocide or ethnic

並壓制了黑人一整個世紀。傑克森幹下了種族滅絕或是針對

cleansing against the Southeast Indians. I think it’s hard to argue that Obama is

南印地安人的種族清洗。我覺得很難去評斷歐巴馬是

in the sorta iffy, “eh” camp rather than the big consequential camp. He did a lot, he accomplished

在沒做什麼是的一邊，還是有巨大影響力的一邊。他做了很多，他實現了很多。

a lot. And I think in the next 10 or 20 years when

而且我認為，在10或20幾年後

we have a bunch more presidents many more

當我們有一大堆還好或是有點糟的總統時

of whom are alright or slightly bad but ultimately forgettable.

最後都是容易被遺忘的。

We’re going to look back and realize what a rare thing a presidency that active and that

我們將往回看，了解到總統的活躍和成就

accomplished is.

是多麼罕有的事。