Ever since Senator Tom Harkin retired after five terms in 2015, his fellow Democrats in Iowa have fared poorly(表现不佳). Republicans took control of(掌控、夺取控制权) what had been a divided state government and a divided congressional delegation, and Donald Trump won Iowa three times, most recently by more than 13 points. Now a bit hard of hearing and frail at 86, Mr Harkin is back on the stump, to support Democratic candidates who are mounting surprisingly strong challenges up and down the ticket.(如今86岁的哈金有点耳背、身体虚弱，却重新走上竞选讲台，为那些在各级选举中发起出人意料强劲挑战的民主党候选人助选。)
自参议员汤姆·哈金2015年连任五届后退休以来，他在艾奥瓦州的民主党同僚日子一直不好过。共和党人掌控了原本由两党分治的州政府和国会代表团，唐纳德·特朗普三次赢下艾奥瓦州，最近一次领先超过13个百分点。如今86岁的哈金有点耳背、身体虚弱，却重新走上竞选讲台，为那些在各级选举中发起出人意料强劲挑战的民主党候选人助选。
As elsewhere, a lot of the campaigning in Iowa has been stupid and awful. Record sums are being spent to jam(塞满、堵塞) the airways with advertisements making nasty, misleading claims. Mr Harkin’s presence is something of a(可以说是、某种程度上) tonic(提神剂、令人振奋之物), and not only because he is as genial(和蔼可亲的) and plain-spoken(说话直白的) as ever. When he introduces Josh Turek, who is campaigning for Mr Harkin’s old Senate seat, and Mr Turek pushes himself forward in his wheelchair to take the microphone, the exchange supplies a poignant reminder of the sort of thing all this politicking is supposed to be about.(当他介绍乔什·图雷克——此人正竞选哈金原来的参议院席位——而图雷克坐着轮椅向前挪动去拿麦克风时，这一幕令人心酸地提醒人们：所有这些政治活动本该是为了什么。)
和别处一样，艾奥瓦州的许多竞选活动既愚蠢又糟糕。创纪录的资金被用来让电视广播充斥着广告，这些广告提出恶意且误导性的主张。哈金的出现多少是一剂提神药，不仅因为他一如既往地和蔼可亲、说话直白。当他介绍乔什·图雷克——此人正竞选哈金原来的参议院席位——而图雷克坐着轮椅向前挪动去拿麦克风时，这一幕令人心酸地提醒人们：所有这些政治活动本该是为了什么。
Mr Harkin was the champion of the landmark(里程碑式的、具有转折意义的) civil-rights law banning discrimination against people with disabilities. Mr Turek, who was born with spina bifida(脊柱裂（一种先天缺陷）), was 11 when that law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)(美国残疾人法，1990年通过的里程碑式反歧视法), passed in 1990. He calls Mr Harkin his political hero and says without the law, “every economic, every occupational, educational opportunity that I’ve been given would not have been there.” Like Mr Harkin himself, Mr Turek is quick to note something more. Mr Harkin counted on Republican allies to pass the bill. “It’s an amazing example of what we can do when we’re willing to work together,” Mr Turek says.
哈金是那部具有里程碑意义的民权法的捍卫者，该法禁止歧视残障人士。图雷克天生患有脊柱裂，1990年该法——《美国残疾人法》（ADA）——通过时他11岁。他称哈金为自己的政治英雄，并说如果没有这部法律，“我所获得的每一个经济、职业、教育机会都不会存在。”和哈金本人一样，图雷克也急于指出更多的东西。哈金当年依靠共和党盟友才使法案通过。“这是一个了不起的例子，说明当我们愿意合作时能做成什么，”图雷克说。