Want to know how to craft a great zinger? Study the presidential debates.

　　想知道怎样说话能切中要害，给对方一万点暴击?研究研究总统政要们的做法。

　　We've all had this experience: You're in a debate or a discussion. You're at a loss for words. And of course, after it's all over, you think of exactly the right thing to have said.

　　我们都曾置身于讨论或是辩论，突然脑抽无话可讲，直到结束后，想想自己其实知道那时候该说什么合适。

　　I hate that feeling, but do you want to know who really hates it? Politicians.

　　你肯定懊恼坏了。没关系，遇上这事儿最上火的是我们可爱的政要。

　　Rhetoric and words are almost all that they have. Now that we're in the middle of the presidential campaign season, with caucuses and primaries about to happen, and one debate after another after another, that gives them an opportunity.

　　他们所能凭借的几乎只有生动的修辞和激动人心的话语。现在，又到一年竞选时，机密会议、党内初选、一个接一个的辩论......各派党人摩拳擦掌，企图大展拳脚。

　　Almost no political zinger is spontaneous. Consultants have spent millions trying to craft the right lines. And if you study the debates and the candidates' verbal tactics, you can find some great lessons--even blueprints--for using rhetoric to upend your adversary's position.

　　政治宣讲都不会只是一次次个人的即兴发挥。在这背后，有咨询顾问投以巨资来组织恰当火候的语言组成文稿。如果你曾研究辩论语言和竞选者们的言语攻势，那么你将学到宝贵一课——即使是只研究蓝图——通过修辞来颠倒错乱对手的处境。

　　Here are five examples--from both Democrats and Republicans.

　　下面是五个相关的例子，有出自民主党的，也有来自共和党的。

　　1.The dismissive counterpunch.

　　1.蔑视对手，报以迎击。

　　Let's start with the kind of one-punch knockout that can really end an opponent's chances. The trick here to know the kind of opportunity you're looking for and be ready. Two great examples:

　　我们来看两个不给对手留任何招架余地的一击制敌的例子，教会我们要善于发现和运用时机：

　　First, an example from this cycle--the way Donald Trump very effectively sidelined Jeb Bush by repeatedly describing him as "low energy." When Bush came out with guns blazing in one debate, Trump was able to put him off effectively simply by saying, "More energy tonight--I love that!"

　　第一个，是这个时代的例子——特朗普先生有效打击了杰布·布什的势头，靠的是反复称其“蔫头耷脑”。当布什在一次辩论中大放异彩时，特朗普致以暴击称：“啊哈，终于活过来了，我喜欢!”

　　Second, a more classic example. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter was running against Ronald Reagan, and Carter had used the same effective line of attack against Reagan--perhaps one too many times.

　　第二个例子更加经典。在1980年的竞选里，吉米·卡特总统对阵里根时，也用这样的话打击对手——十分有效，但是可能用的有点儿太多了。

　　Reagan was able to use a little verbal jiujitsu to turn the whole thing around on him in a debate. Instead of engaging, he simply dismissed Carter's line by chuckling: "Well, there you go again."

　　里根本可以使用适度的“言语柔道术”来扭转乾坤。但是相比针尖儿对麦芒，里根选择了简单一句话来打趣卡特：“呦呦，继续你的老生常谈吧。”

　　2.The cool cultural reference.

　　2.借鉴文化背景。

　　This one is really hard to pull off. It's about working a cultural reference into your reply to an opponent's rhetorical dig. It can easily backfire--but if you do it effectively, you're in great shape.

　　这可不是容易事儿，需要从当时当代的文化背景中取材融入准备的宣讲内容里。后果可能适得其反——但是如果能行之有效，出来的效果是很可观的。

　　Cultural references evolve so quickly, it's hard to recall some of these accurately, but here are two good examples.

　　鉴于文化背景演变速度之快，找到恰当的例子也是不易的。不过有两个例子放在这儿说很棒。

　　The first comes from 2012, when President Obama and Mitt Romney were squaring off. Obama wanted to take Romney to task for having suggested that Russia was the biggest foreign challenge facing the United States--not ISIS or another Middle Eastern foe.

　　第一个例子发生在2012年的大选，时任总统的奥巴马对阵罗姆尼。奥巴马意图通过指出美国当前的首要劲敌不是伊斯兰国等中东分子，而是俄罗斯。

　　His line? "The 1980s are calling to ask for their foreign policy back."It worked--but not perfectly--in part, perhaps, because Obama didn't get the cultural put-down exactly right (and maybe because by 2012, that was already kind of a cliché.)

　　原话怎么讲?“像仍活在上世纪八十年代一样，想用回20多年前的对外政策老套路。”这句话奏效了——但是说得并不完美——因为从某种程度上来说他的话曲解了罗姆尼的本意(也许是已经2012年了，这样说真的是陈词滥调)

　　A better example might come from 1984, in the Democratic primaries, when eventual nominee Walter Mondale suggested his rival Gary Hart didn't have any substance by quoting a Wendy's fast food commercial that was popular at the time: "Where's the beef?"

　　1984这一年民主党核心会议中，有个更好的例子。最终人选沃尔特指责对手哈特没有实力时，引用了一句美国快餐公司万迪的著名广告语：“那么牛肉在哪儿呢?”(指对手的真正实力根本不像看起来那么大)