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.
家门口的“中心”多了******
【新春走基层】
光明日报记者 赵秋丽 冯帆 光明日报通讯员 王跃伟
开栏的话
新年新气象,新春再出发。
时盛岁新,放眼神州大地,一个个充满生机活力、日新月异的发展变化,就在你我身边;一个个奋斗创造奇迹、皆得所愿的美好故事,就在眼前。
本报今起开设《新春走基层》专栏,我们的记者跟随新春的脚步,走向田间地头、走进厂矿社区、走到沿海边疆,撷取最鲜活的素材,发掘最真诚的故事,捕捉最美好的情感,记录这个春天里的坚守、团聚、祝福和期盼。
让我们一起,聆听春天的旋律,感受昂扬奋进的时代脉动!
新春将至,山东省寿光市洛城街道屯西村的老年活动中心,呈现别样的冬日“暖”意。活动室里年味儿满满,张贴了各种“兔年”年画、剪纸等作品,村里不少老人在这里的健身室、阅读室、书法教室享受多样文娱活动,传出阵阵笑声。
“只要有空,我就会来这里与老伙计们下下棋、练练太极,累了还可以在按摩椅上放松一下。”活动中心的常客村民傅文山感慨,“没想到老了还能享受到这样丰富的文化服务,很满足。”
傅文山的一席话说出了屯西村村民的心声。这几年,屯西村村民的钱袋子越来越鼓,他们的精神文化需求也随之增加。屯西村村“两委”问需于民,进一步扩容村民活动场所,实现了文化有阵地、娱乐有设施、健身有场所、活动有保障,在精神文化生活方面不断为村民的幸福“加餐”。
屯西村党支部书记葛茂学介绍,2016年开始,屯西村正式开放老年活动中心,配套建设了健身按摩、图书阅览、音乐厅、舞蹈瑜伽、书法影视、棋牌娱乐等12个功能区,为老年人提供休闲、娱乐、健身、学习等全方位服务。除了为社区居民提供文化娱乐活动场所外,村“两委”还定期开展健康知识讲座、文艺演出等公益活动,让活动室真正成为老年人交流、娱乐、健身、活动的好去处。
群众的需求在哪里,村“两委”的服务就跟到哪里。针对群众个性化的文化需求,屯西村重点建设了党群服务中心、青少年服务中心、文体活动中心、老年活动中心、物业管理中心、警务助理协调中心“六大中心”,让群众“进一个门、办所有事、享所有服务”。特别是2000平方米的地下活动中心,让村民连连称赞,他们不仅可以在这里跳广场舞,还可以办婚宴、办会议,环境设施好,一个活动中心,发挥多种用途,最大限度实现了资源共享。
“活动广场建在地下,我们晚上跳广场舞的时候,也不会打扰周围村民休息,各不耽误。”屯西村村民孔令洋说起村里的变化更是滔滔不绝,“现在,我们村民确实得到了实惠,生活有保障,精神面貌也大有改观!”
2021年,屯西村还建起了以汉字演变为主题的艺术馆——仓颉汉字艺术馆,参观者可以通过文物、字典、诗歌等多种形式了解博大精深的汉字演变史。艺术馆还设计了雕版印刷、活字印刷、古法造纸、纸艺作品等体验环节。
“我们用文化丰富心灵、陶冶情操,让大家在充满文化味儿的村里过得更舒心、更开心。未来,我们将进一步探索文化服务群众新模式、新路径,创新管理与服务模式,盘活用好现有资源,让广大村民在家门口得到更多实惠。”葛茂学说。
《光明日报》( 2023年01月06日 01版)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)