中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文•麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀 摄由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
成都开出首趟务工专列 600余名务工人员“拼车”赴粤返岗****** 中新网成都2月1日电 (记者 王鹏)2月1日上午，成都开出新年首趟务工专列，600余名川籍务工人员分别从铁路成都东站、乐山站和宜宾西站出发，“拼车”前往广东省务工。  2月1日中午，列车员免费为务工人员发放午餐。 刘忠俊 摄当日一大早，来自成都金堂县的李世友和妻子踏上旅途。他们先乘坐免费大巴车来到成都东站，戴上大红围巾，收到特产礼盒，随后在铁路部门安排下坐上高铁。 “出去打工必须要有拼劲，不拼是不行的！”李世友告诉记者，夫妻二人在东莞一家鞋厂已工作十多年。虽接到通知3月1日才开工，但两人决定乘坐免费务工专列先到广东。“这一个月可以做点别的，勤劳就能赚到钱。”李世友说。  2月1日上午，务工人员在铁路成都东站排队进站。 刘忠俊 摄据铁路成都东站客运值班主任周艳介绍，这趟务工专列采取的是沿线接站、务工人员就近上车模式，遂宁和成都的旅客在成都东站上车；乐山、眉山的旅客在乐山站上车；宜宾、泸州旅客在宜宾西站上车，减少中转距离，方便旅客出行。 来自遂宁的刘桂华已在东莞虎门镇一家制衣厂工作八年。她说，以前每年返乡过年很开心，但复工工期临近，就担心抢不到火车票。如今她已连续几年乘坐务工专列，感受到了“家乡的温暖”。 据四川省农民工服务中心公共事务部部长刘帅介绍，为了做好务工人员的“集散成团”，成都、遂宁、乐山、眉山、宜宾、泸州人社部门按照区、县为单位，做好乘车返岗务工人员信息收集。针对零星出行人员不够申请专列的情况，积极与中国铁路成都局集团有限公司对接组建“拼团”专列，方便务工人员顺利返岗。 “我们四川是人口大省，也是劳务输出大省，外出务工的农村劳动力大概常年保持在2600万左右，占全国2.9亿农民工的近1/10。”四川省人力资源和社会保障厅相关负责人介绍，在此背景下，四川省委、省政府要求各相关部门把服务保障农民工作为重大的战略工程来推动。 四川省人力资源和社会保障厅提供的数据显示，2022年，四川省外出务工农民工近2630万人，实现劳务收入近6640亿元；农民工返乡创业累计近115万人，创业总产值累计近8197亿元。 记者了解到，2023年春运，为保障外出务工人员出行，中国铁路成都局集团有限公司根据各级地方政府和企业的务工复产安排，摸清务工人员返岗出行需求，制定运输方案，开行成都、重庆、宜宾、遵义等方向开往上海虹桥、温州、广州方向的“点对点、一站式”直达务工返岗专列24列，切实解决川渝黔地区外出务工人员的返程出行需求。(完)
|
