美国裹足不前
（1960年总统辩论：肯尼迪—尼克松）
肯尼迪：我说过，我已经为这个国家服务了14年，我在战时去保卫美国，我把我的一切奉献给我的祖国。如果我在这次竞选中失败了，我要继续在参议院为建设一个强大的美国而奋斗。我之所以要参加竞选，是因为我看到了美国在今年有很大的发展机会，有在国内和全世界大展宏图的机会，有重新把美国建设成一个朝气蓬勃、蒸蒸日上的社会的机会。
我认为，共和党在美国仍然裹足不前，在世界也裹足不前。我们今天仅使用了美国50%的钢铁生产能力。我在1958年出现了经济衰退，我在1954年出现了经济衰退。如果我们仍然裹足不前，如果我们任命的大使和华盛顿的其他官员不能意识到现在处于革命性的阶段，那么美国就不会保持它的实力。如果我们失败了，自由的事业也就失败了。
我认为下一任美国总统有责任让这个国家重新运转起来，发展我们的经济，向美国人民明确美国的目标和未完成的事业。然后，在全世界尽可能任命最优秀的人才，大使要会讲驻在国的语言，不是看他的政治捐献，而看他会不会讲驻在国的语言。
我认为这个党——共和党——的25年的领导一直裹足不前，它反对罗斯福和其他总统提出的所有计划，如最低工资、住房、经济增长、开发美国自然资源和田纳西大峡谷等计划。我认为，如果我们能有一个坚信运转、坚信发展的党，那么我们就能重新树立起我们在世界的地位——强大的国防、高速的经济增长、对我们人民的公正、确保宪法权利，让人民相信我们说到做到，然后，在全世界重新建立像富兰克林·罗斯福总统所创建的拉丁美洲那样的环境（译者注：当时的拉丁美洲是美国的势力范围，是美国的“后院”）。罗斯福总统在拉丁美洲人的眼里是个好邻居，因为他在美国就是个好邻居，因为他们看到的我们是一个充满同情心、互相关爱、推动国家前进的社会。
我相信，作为民主党领袖的我有责任提醒美国人民，1960年是决定性的一年，我们不能再裹足不前了，我们不能再屈居第二了。我要让美国重新引起全世界人民的关注，让他们意识到我们运转起来了，我们的全盛时期就要来临。我要让赫鲁晓夫知道，曾在第二次世界大战期间在欧洲、意大利和太平洋为自由而战的新一代美国人现在已经执掌了美国的权力，他们要让这个国家重新运转起来。
我认为，这个国家没有不能做的事情；我认为，所有美国人民都会承担保卫祖国、保卫我们安全和促进自由事业发展的责任。我们现在有义务那样做。富兰克林·罗斯福在1936
年说过：那一代美国人和美国的命运联系在一起。我认为，在1960、1961和1963年我们就要和命运有约。我相信，我们有义务成为美国和自由的守护神，为了做到这些，我们给这个国家正确的领导，我们必须让美国重新运转起来。
尼克松：肯尼迪参议员在总统辩论和整个竞选过程中一再说美国人民裹足不前，今天晚上他还是这么说。那不是裹足不前。就像艾尔·史密斯（译者注：1928年美国民主党提名的总统候选人。他出身贫穷，小学没毕业的他自学成才，四度当选为纽约州州长）常说的那样：让我们直接通过核对记录来留下记录。他说到住房，我们在过去7年里建造的住房比任何一届政府建造的房子都多，比上届政府所建的住房超过了30%；我们谈到学校，艾森豪威尔政府过去建造的教室数量比杜鲁门政府多三倍；再看看民权，我们在过去8年里在民权方面取得的进步比过去80年取得的进步都大；他还说到清除贫民窟之类的事情，他们这届政府承担和完成的项目是上界政府的四倍。那些说美国在过去七年半里裹足不前的人没有在美国好好看看，他也许是在其他国家说的。
再有，我们必须清楚这一点，那就是美国并没有裹足不前。美国不能原地踏步。我们之所以不能原地踏步，是因为我们在进行竞赛；我们之所以不能原地踏步，是因为我们在世界范围面临冲突时，重要的是我们不能只保全自己，我们不能只让我们自己自由，重要的是我们要传播自由，让自由传遍全世界。这就意味这我们现在所做的一切还远远不够；这就意味着要让美国有更强大的军事力量；这就意味着我们要有更快的经济发展速度；这就意味着在人权上要取得更大的进步，以让我们成为全世界的光辉榜样，让世界看到最好的民主在前进。
现在，看看世界其他地区——南美洲——我要谈谈我们这届政府和上一届政府的记录。我们有一个睦邻友好的政策，是的，它很有效。但是让我们看看那里的情况，1953年我们执政时拉丁美洲有11个独裁者，现在还剩下3个。让我们再看看非洲，在我们这届政府执政期间，那里新产生了20个国家，其中没有一个是共产党政权，那里的政府都是通过自由选举产生的。这不就证明了是共产主义更有吸引力还是自由更有吸引力了么？我是在试图表明我们在非洲、拉丁美洲和亚洲就没有问题了么？当然不是。我所要设法表明的是，历史的潮流有利于我们，我们可以保持这种优势，因为我们站在了正确的一边，我们和自由站在了一边，我们和反抗奴役和非正义势力的正义力量站在了一边。
如果我们对美国的各项成就保持自卑的心态，我们就不能让美国运转起来，我们就不能领导世界取得为自由而奋斗的胜利。我已经指出，我们在世界上是第一号大国，我们在科技上第一，我们在教育上第一，在未来几年里，我们要进一步发挥在世界的领导作用。
我要说的另一方面是：你们能做些什么？我和肯尼迪参议员在竞争美国的总统职位，将来人们会写道我们中的一个当选为美国总统，他是不是一个伟大的总统。如果肯尼迪参议员或我当选为总统，用什么衡量他或我是不是一位伟大的总统呢？不能用我们的雄心壮志去衡量，因为伟大的品质不是写在竞选广告上的漂亮话语，在很大程度上应该由美国人民表现出来的崇高理想、高尚的意识和坚定的信念去衡量决定的。也就是说，作为领导美国和自由世界的下一任美国总统，只能和美国人民一样伟大。总而言之，我们要保持美国人民坚定的信念，尤其要确保让美国年轻一代对自由有坚定的信念，要信奉上帝，这是我们和反对我们的无神论的唯物主义者的根本区别。
Getting America moving again (closing statements)
KENNEDY: I said that I’ve served this country for fourteen years.I served it in the war.I’m devoted to it.If I lose this election, I will continue in the Senate to try to build a stronger country.But I run because I believe this year the United States has a great opportunity to make a move forward, to make a determination here at home and around the world, that it’s going to reestablish itself as a vigorous society.
My judgment is that the Republican party has stood still here in the United States, and it’s also stood still around the world.We’re using about fifty percent of our steel capacity today.We had a receion in fifty-eight.We had a receion in fifty-four.If we stand still here, if we appoint people to ambaadorships and positions in Washington who don’t recognize that this is a revolutionary time, then the United States does not maintain its influence.And if we fail, the cause of freedom fails.
I believe it incumbent upon the next president of the United States to get this country moving again, to get our economy moving ahead, to set before the American people its goals, its unfinished busine.And then throughout the world appoint the best people we can get, ambaadors who can speak the language not merely people who made a political contribution but who can speak the language.
I believe that this party — Republican party — its leadership has stood still really for twenty-five years.It opposed all of the programs of President Roosevelt and others — the minimum wage and for housing and economic growth and development of our natural resources, the Tenneee Valley and all the rest.And I believe that if we can get a party which believes in movement, which believes in going ahead, then we can reestablish our position in the worldthree times as many clarooms built in the past Administration — and Eisenhower — than under the Truman Administration.Let’s talk about civil rights.More progre in the past eight years than in the whole eighty years before.He talks about the progre in the field of slum clearance and the like.We find four times as many projects undertaken and completed in this Administration than in the previous one.Anybody that says America has been standing still for the last seven and a half years hasn’t been traveling in America.He’s been in some other country.
Now the second point we have to understand is this, however, America has not been standing still.But America cannot stand pat.We can’t stand pat for the reason that we’re in a race.We
can’t stand pat because it is eential with the conflict that we have around the world that we not just hold our own, that we not keep just freedom for ourselves.It is eential that we extend freedom, extend it to all the world.And this means more than what we’ve been doing.It means keeping America even stronger militarily than she is.It means seeing that our economy moves forward even faster than it has.It means making more progre in civil rights than we have so that we can be a splendid example for all the world to see democracy in action at its best.
Now, looking at the other parts of the world — South America — talking about our record and the previous one.We had a good neighbor policy, yes.It sounded fine.But let’s look at it.There were eleven dictators when we came into power in 1953 in Latin America.There are only three left.Let’s look at Africa.Twenty new countries in Africa during the course of this Administration.Not one of them selected a Communist government.All of them voted for a free type of government.Does this show that Communism has the bigger pull, or freedom has the bigger pull? Am I trying to indicate that we have no problems in Africa or Latin America or Asia? Of course not.What I am trying to indicate is that the tide of history’s on our side, and that we can keep it on our side, because we’re on the right side.We’re on the side of freedom.We’re on the side of justice against the forces of slavery, against the forces of injustice.
But we aren’t going to move America forward and we aren’t going to be able to lead the world to win this struggle for freedom if we have a permanent inferiority complex about American achievements.Because we are first in the world in space, as I’ve indicated; we are first in science; we are first in education, and we’re going to move even further ahead with the kind of leadership that we can provide in these years ahead.
One other point I would make: what could you do? Senator Kennedy and I are candidates for the presidency of the United States.And in the years to come it will be written that one or the other of us was elected and that he was or was not a great president.What will determine whether Senator Kennedy or I, if I am elected, was a great president? It will not be our ambition that will determine it, because greatne is not something that is written on a campaign poster.It will be determined to the extent that we represent the deepest ideals, the highest feelings and faith of the American people.In other words, the next president, as he leads America and the free world, can be only as great as the American people are great.And so I say in conclusion, keep America’s faith strong.See that the young people of America, particularly, have faith in the ideals of freedom and faith in God, which distinguishes us from the atheistic materialists who oppose us.
