特朗普可以當總統(tǒng)，迪士尼老總為什么不能？
已經成為大公司掌門人并攢下大筆財富的首席執(zhí)行官們常常琢磨：下一步該干點兒什么?
After Donald Trump, the answer may well be a run for the White House.
有了唐納德·特朗普(Donald Trump)的榜樣，這個問題的答案完全可以是競選總統(tǒng)。
Trump had no political or military experience, the traditional routes to high political office. Virtually his only qualification was his business career, and a checkered one at that, considering his own brush with personal bankruptcy.
特朗普絲毫不具有出任高級政治職務通常所需的政治或軍事經驗。事實上，他唯一的資本便是他的商業(yè)生涯，而且考慮到他本人曾多次破產，那還是一個充滿波折的商業(yè)生涯。
“There is this sense that if Trump got it, why shouldn’t they?” said David Gergen, co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School and an adviser to four presidents. “They’ve been more successful, they have more experience, and they’ve run a public company, which is more equivalent to what a president does than a private company” like the Trump Organization.
“人們有種感覺，如果特朗普可以，那他們?yōu)槭裁床豢梢?”哈佛大學肯尼迪學院(Harvard Kennedy School)公共領導力中心(Center for Public Leadership)聯(lián)席主任、為四位總統(tǒng)當過顧問的戴維·格根 (David Gergen)說。“他們更成功，他們有更多經驗，他們還經營著上市公司”，比起經營一家私人公司”——譬如特朗普集團(Trump Organization)——“這和總統(tǒng)做的事情更為接近”。
Stu Loeser, once press secretary for Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who considered a presidential run last year, concurred. “If you run a company that has employed tens of thousands of people, and generated lots of profit and been undeniably successful, and you look at a sitting president who, to be honest, a lot of business people don’t have much respect for, you think, why not me?” he said.
為去年曾考慮競選總統(tǒng)的紐約市前市長邁克爾·R·布隆伯格(Michael R. Bloomberg)當過新聞秘書的斯圖·勒澤(Stu Loeser)，對此頗有同感。“如果你掌管著一家雇用數(shù)萬名員工、賺取豐厚利潤、獲得無可否認的成功的公司，看到現(xiàn)任總統(tǒng)是一位——坦白說——很多商界人士都不太尊重的人物，你會琢磨，為什么不是我呢?”他說。
Loeser runs his own strategic consulting firm, and told me he has clients who are business executives considering a run for high public office. “I can’t tell you their names, obviously,” he said.
勒澤經營著自己的戰(zhàn)略咨詢公司，他告訴我，他的一些客戶是有意競逐高級公職的商界高管。“顯然，我不能告訴你他們的名字，”他說。
Boldface corporate names widely discussed as contenders for the next Democratic presidential nomination include chief executives like Howard Schultz of Starbucks, Robert A. Iger of Disney and Marc Benioff of Salesforce.com, along with Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook chief operating officer, and Oprah Winfrey, chairwoman and chief executive of Harpo Inc., which owns half of the Oprah Winfrey Network.
一些商界名人被普遍當成下一次民主黨總統(tǒng)候選人的競爭者來討論，其中包括星巴克(Starbucks)首席執(zhí)行官霍華德·舒爾茨(Howard Schultz)、迪士尼(Disney)首席執(zhí)行官羅伯特·A·艾格(Robert A. Iger)和Salesforce首席執(zhí)行官馬克·貝尼奧夫(Marc Benioff)等，還有Facebook首席運營官謝莉爾·桑德伯格(Sheryl Sandberg)以及哈潑公司(Harpo Inc)董事長兼首席執(zhí)行官奧普拉·溫弗瑞(Oprah Winfrey)——哈潑公司持有奧普拉·溫弗瑞電視網絡(Oprah Winfrey Network)的半數(shù)股權。
All deny they’re running, or even seriously considering it. But everyone demurs so far ahead of the first primaries, as did Hillary Clinton four years ago, and it hasn’t stopped anyone from speculating. That’s especially the case for people who, appalled by the Trump administration, can hardly wait for the next campaign.
所有這些人都否認他們會參選，甚至否認自己在認真考慮此事。但每個人都像四年前的希拉里·克林頓(Hillary Clinton)一樣，是在第一場初選還很遙遠的時候予以否認，而這沒能阻止人們猜來猜去。尤其是那些被特朗普政府嚇到、對下一場大選迫不及待的人。
“I feel many of these chief executives are responding to a public longing for a strongman, or woman, a strong leader,” Gergen said. “There’s a sense that’s why Trump got elected. You’re seeing the same thing in Europe, in Asia, in a long list of countries. People are dissatisfied with standard politicians. Military types and business people with a strong track record offer an attractive alternative.”
“公眾一直渴望出現(xiàn)一個強悍的男人或女人，一位強人領袖，我認為這些首席執(zhí)行官中的很多人響應了這種呼聲，”格根說。“這種情緒便是特朗普當選的理由。你在歐洲、在亞洲，在一長串國家里都能看到這種情況。人們對標準的政客感到不滿。具備軍事作風的人物以及有著良好業(yè)績的商人提供了另一個頗具吸引力的選項。”
Apart from proven business experience, they have widespread name recognition or identification with major consumer brands. And they have enough money to finance their own campaigns.
除了過硬的經驗，他們還擁有與知名消費品牌相捆綁的知名度或識別度。另外，他們有足夠多的錢，可以為自己的競選活動提供資金支持。
I’ve spoken this week to multiple people who have at least discussed the possibility of running for office with Schultz and Iger. (All declined to be named discussing what were private conversations.)
本周，我與多位至少是跟舒爾茨和艾格探討過競選公職可能性的人士有過交流。(因為談論的是私人間的談話，他們均要求匿名。)
Schultz, 63, with a fortune estimated by Forbes at $3 billion, came close to making a bid last year, but backed out after concluding it would be very difficult to defeat Clinton, who seemed to have the Democratic nomination all but locked up and at the time seemed likely to win the presidency.
現(xiàn)年64歲、據(jù)《福布斯》(Forbes)估計擁有30億美元身家的舒爾茨，去年差一點兒參選，但在認定擊敗克林頓會是一項非常艱巨的任務之后退縮了。當時，克林頓看似幾乎鎖定了黨內提名，而且有可能當選總統(tǒng)。
Those circumstances have obviously changed drastically. With Trump in office, the next Democratic race appears wide open, and many friends and potential donors are urging Schultz to run.
現(xiàn)在，情況顯然已經出現(xiàn)了戲劇性的變化。隨著特朗普入主白宮，民主黨的下一次黨內角逐看上去變得非常開放，舒爾茨的很多朋友和潛在捐款人正敦促他參選。
Schultz seemed to pave the way in December, when he announced he’d step down as Starbucks’ chief executive in April. But he continues to be actively involved in the expansion of the company’s high-end “roasteries” as well as its social-impact initiatives.
舒爾茨去年12月似乎在為此鋪路，他當時宣布將于今年4月辭去星巴克首席執(zhí)行官一職。不過他會繼續(xù)積極參與該公司的高端“咖啡館”的擴張，以及它的社會影響計劃。
“Howard Schultz is definitely being pursued,” Gergen said. “He has a powerful social conscience. He comes from a very different place than the kind of chief executive with a big ego who wants the trappings of presidential power.”
“霍華德·舒爾茨顯然是熱門，”格根說。“他有著很強的社會良知。他跟那種自負的想要擁有總統(tǒng)權力光環(huán)的首席執(zhí)行官完全不是一路人。”
Schultz declined to comment.
舒爾茨拒絕置評。
Last year Iger, 66, told The Hollywood Reporter that “a lot of people — a lot — have urged me to seek political office,” and last week the entertainment publication fueled renewed speculation when it reported that Iger had discussed the possibility with Bloomberg.
66歲的艾格去年曾告訴《好萊塢報道》(The Hollywood Reporter)，“很多人——很多——都催我謀求政治職位”;這本娛樂刊物上周又報道說，艾格和布隆伯格探討過這種可能性，從而讓新一輪揣測愈演愈烈。
People who have discussed a possible presidential run with Iger told me that his discussion with Bloomberg, some years ago, focused more on a possible run for mayor of New York City, where Iger has an apartment. New York has long welcomed nonresident candidates like Clinton, so Iger’s California residency isn’t seen as an obstacle.
與艾格探討過競選總統(tǒng)可能性的人告訴我，多年前，艾格和布隆伯格的討論以競選紐約市市長的可能性為重點，艾格在那里有一套公寓。紐約市一直都很歡迎不是當?shù)鼐用竦暮蜻x人，比如克林頓，因此艾格住在加州并不被視作障礙。
Both Iger and Bloomberg declined to comment.
艾格和布隆伯格均拒絕置評。
Whether any of those jobs, including the presidency, would actually be better than being chief executive of Disney remains an open question. After earlier announcing his retirement, Iger recently said he was willing to extend his contract, which would eliminate the need for any high-profile exit strategy, at least for the next few years.
從事這其中的任何一份工作，包括出任總統(tǒng)，是否真的會比擔任迪士尼首席執(zhí)行官更好，還是個有待商榷的問題。繼早前宣布引退的消息之后，艾格最近又表示，他愿意續(xù)約——這會讓一條引人注目的退路變得沒有必要，至少在未來幾年里是如此。
Campaign buttons emblazoned with “Vote for Benioff” and “Marc Benioff for President” circulated two years ago at Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, which draws hundreds of thousands of participants and has been viewed by some as a likely launching pad for any Benioff campaign.
兩年前，印有“投貝尼奧夫一票”和“選馬克·貝尼奧夫作總統(tǒng)”字樣的競選紀念徽章，曾在Salesforce于舊金山舉辦的“夢想的力量(Dreamforce)年會上發(fā)放。該年會有數(shù)以十萬計的參與者，被一些人視為貝尼奧夫開展競選活動的合適跳板。
Sandberg’s coming nationwide tour to promote the new book she co-authored, “Option B,” which describes coming to terms with her husband’s sudden death in 2015 and other stories of coping with adversity, has fueled speculation (and possible wishful thinking) that the book could be a springboard for a presidential campaign.
桑德伯格即將在全國巡回推廣她參與撰寫的新書《次選》(Option B)，該書講述了她如何接受丈夫在2015年的猝死以及其他應對逆境的故事。這更讓人猜測(甚至可能是希望)該書會成為她競選總統(tǒng)的跳板。
As a billionaire ($1.47 billion, Forbes estimates) and a key executive of the hugely successful Facebook, Sandberg has enormous name recognition. Her previous book, “Lean In,” was a best-seller and inspired a rallying cry for women. She has worked in politics before, as an assistant to former Treasury secretary Lawrence H. Summers, and was a donor to Clinton’s campaign. She was considered a candidate for a top post in any Clinton administration.
作為億萬富翁(據(jù)《福布斯》估計，她的財富為14.7億美元)以及非常成功的Facebook重要高管，桑德伯格擁有很高的知名度。她的上一本書《向前一步》(Lean In)十分暢銷，激發(fā)了女性的斗志。她之前在政界工作過，擔任前財政部長勞倫斯·H·薩默斯(Lawrence H. Summers)的助理，也曾是克林頓競選的捐款人。她被認為有望在克林頓的政府任要職。
Sandberg has denied any immediate presidential ambitions, insisting that she loves her job at Facebook. At 47, she’s under no pressure to run this election cycle.
桑德伯格否認近期有競選總統(tǒng)的打算，堅稱熱愛自己在Facebook的工作。47歲的她不必急于參加本屆競選。
(Widespread reports that Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg would run for president seem even more far-fetched. The speculation appears to have been set off by a Bloomberg News report that Zuckerberg would retain voting control of Facebook even if he sold his shares and served in a government position for up to two years. Zuckerberg has denied any interest in running.)
(廣泛流傳的Facebook創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官馬克·扎克伯格[Mark Zuckerberg]會競選總統(tǒng)的報道就更是不可信了。這種猜測似乎源自彭博新聞社[Bloomberg News]的一項報道，該報道稱，即使扎克伯格出售自己的股票，在政府任職兩年，也將保留Facebook的投票控制權。扎克伯格否認對競選總統(tǒng)有任何興趣。)
Then there’s Winfrey, 63, who for many Democrats might amount to the dream candidate: She has unrivaled star power, is an African-American woman, has run a successful business, and has a fortune estimated by Forbes at $3 billion.
然后是63歲的溫弗瑞，對很多民主黨人來說，她可能是最理想的候選人：她擁有無與倫比的明星力量，她是一名非裔美國女性，經營一個成功的公司，據(jù)福布斯估計，她擁有30億美元的財富。
In an interview broadcast last week on Bloomberg Television but taped in December, the host, David Rubenstein, brought up the idea: “It’s clear that you don’t need government experience to be elected president of the United States, right?”
上周，在彭博電視臺(Bloomberg Television)播放的去年12月錄制的采訪中，主持人戴維·魯本斯坦(David Rubenstein)提到了這個想法：“很顯然，你不需要政治經驗就能當選美國總統(tǒng)，是吧?”
“That’s what I thought,” Winfrey replied. “I thought, ‘Oh gee, I don’t have the experience, I don’t know enough.’ And now I’m thinking, ‘Oh! Oh.'”
“我就是這么想的，”溫弗瑞回答道，“過去我想的是，‘哦，天哪，我沒有那方面的經驗，我知道得不夠。’現(xiàn)在我想的是，‘哦!哦。’”
But when Rubenstein began to ask, “As you consider whether you are going to run for president of the United States or not ...,” she interjected, “No, that won’t be happening.”
但是當魯本斯坦問道，“在你考慮是否參與美國總統(tǒng)競選時……”她打斷說，“不，我不會參選。”
