在经济持续低迷之中，美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)开始了他第二年的白宫生活。《华尔街日报》/NBC News的最新调查结果显示，选民对其获得成功的乐观程度有所降低，而且不再支持由民主党继续控制国会。
　　As Barack Obama enters his second year in office amid an enduring economic downturn, voters are less optimistic about his ability to succeed and no longer favor keeping the Democrats in control of Congress, according to the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.
　　该趋势表明，尽管奥巴马希望在医疗改革法案获得通过的基础之上继续推进国内其他改革进程，并保持民主党在参众两院的多数席位，但他面临的政治氛围越来越艰难。
　　The trends point to an increasingly difficult political climate for President Obama as he hopes to push his domestic agenda beyond health care and to preserve his party's majorities in the House and Senate.
　　调查结果显示，在大量选区中，奥巴马的受欢迎程度仍然很高，但与一年前入主白宫时他所获得的高支持率相比，已经是有所下降。
　　The survey results show that Mr. Obama's personal popularity remains high across a large swath of the electorate, but they also chronicle a decline in the high support for his agenda that Democrats enjoyed when he was sworn into office a year ago today.
　　该调查结果也解释了马萨诸塞州周二举行的参议院特别选举为何如此激烈的原因。马萨诸塞州是民主党支持率最高的州之一，但为了不让已故参议员肯尼迪的席位落入保守的共和党人手中，民主党却还是要花费大量力气。
　　All told, the new poll explains the climate that produced a close special Senate election in Massachusetts on Tuesday in which Democrats struggled to keep the seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy from falling to a conservative Republican in one of the nation's bluest states.
　　在全美范围内，针对在11月的选举之后选民希望由哪个党控制国会这一问题，目前两党的支持者势均力敌。这是自2003年12月以来民主党首次在该问题上不占优势。
　　Nationally, voters now are evenly split over which party they hope will run Capitol Hill after the November elections-the first time Democrats haven't had the edge on that question since December 2003.
　　而且，共和党人远比民主党人更愿意在11月时出门投票：55%的共和党选民称对选举非常感兴趣，民主党仅为38%。
　　Moreover, Republicans are far more excited than Democrats to turn out and vote in November: 55% of Republican voters said they were 'very interested' in the election, compared with 38% of Democrats.
　　马萨诸塞州的情况显示，对医疗改革法案令人精疲力竭的讨论损害了奥巴马和民主党的支持率。共和党人布朗(Scott Brown)在马萨诸塞州以抵制医疗法案所需选票的代表自居，获得了不少选民的支持。最新调查结果显示，首次有多数选民不赞同奥巴马目前在医疗方面的作法。（编者按：截至发稿时，布朗已经赢得了马萨诸塞州选举。）
　　As seen in Massachusetts, where Republican Scott Brown gained traction presenting himself as the vote needed to block the health-care bill, the grueling health-care debate has hurt Mr. Obama and the Democrats. The new poll shows, for the first time, a majority of voters disapprove of the job he is doing on health care.
　　四分之三的人说他们喜欢奥巴马。奥巴马把政治资本押注在了民主党候选人寇克莉(Martha Coakley)身上，期望她能赢得马萨诸塞州的特别选举。但仅22%的人对他的总统任期表示“乐观且有信心”，比一年前低了10个百分点。与之相比，27%的人表示“悲观且忧虑”，而一年前仅为9%。当时许多人希望他能够带领美国经济走向复苏。
　　Three-quarters said they liked Mr. Obama, who put his political capital on the line by campaigning for fellow Democrat Martha Coakley in Massachusetts. But just 22% said they were 'optimistic and confident' about his presidency-a 10-point decline from a year ago. By comparison, 27% were 'pessimistic and worried' about his presidency, compared with just 9% a year ago, when many hoped he would lead the nation into an economic recovery.
　　整体而言，48%的人说对奥巴马的工作表示认可，43%的人不认可，与上个月基本相同，但与奥巴马上任初期的60%相比，有大幅下降。
　　Overall, 48% said they approved of the job Mr. Obama is doing, while 43% disapproved-about the same as last month but down sharply from approval ratings in the 60% range in his early months in office.