“Altri quattro anni!”
“Four More Years!”
“L’America ha scelto Obama,” the Italian press reported. The first words of the triumphant President came via twitter, un cinguettio che i democratici non dimenticheranno (a tweet that the Democrats will not forget): “Four more years.” (Altri quattro anni.) His message to his supporters was simple: “You made this possible. Thank you.” (Voi lo avete reso possibile, grazie.)
After a long, costly and bitter campaign (una campagna lunga, costosa e aspra), America had prepared for il grande martedì delle elezioni (the great Tuesday of the elections). The polls (i sondaggi) continued to predict a dramatic head-to-head (testa a testa) contest between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate (il candidato repubblicano).
In the last 48 hours of the political marathon (maratona politica), the campaigns hanno bruciato (“burned”) some three million dollars (tre miliardi di dollari) as the two candidates participated in fourteen events in eight states.
Dal Colorado alla Virginia, dal Wisconsin all'Ohio (from Colorado to Virginia, from Wisconsin to Ohio), the President took the advantage (vantaggio). Ultimately he ended up with a decisive majority of votes in tasca (in pocket), with strong support from minorities (le minoranze), women (le donne), and the young (i giovani).
Not all aspects of the American election translated into Italian. “Early vote,” for instance, remained “early vote” in Italian articles. One reporter described New Jersey’s hefty Governor Chris Christie as “il governatore extra large.” And in any language Bruce Springsteen remained “il Boss.”
The President ended the longest of days (la lunghissima giornata) in Chicago, his home town, with his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha. “Finirò quello che ho iniziato” ("I will finish what I started"), he promised in an emotional speech.
"Lo abbiamo realizzato insieme, ecco come abbiamo fatto campagna elettorale ed ecco chi siamo" ("We have achieved this together; this is how we campaigned and how we are”), he told the cheering crowd. "Sarò più forte ed ispirato di prima" ("I will be stronger and more inspired than before").
For the United States, he predicted, “Il meglio deve ancora venire” (The best is yet to come).
Words and Expressions
i risultati –- the results
il vincitore –- the winner
stati-chiave -– key states
la rielezione –- the re-election
i sostenitori –- the supporters
Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.
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