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.
台湾青年小提琴手:在北京度过人生黄金十年****** 中新社北京12月19日电 题:台湾青年小提琴手:在北京度过人生黄金十年 中新社记者 邢利宇 从2013年初到北京至今近10年,国家大剧院管弦乐团第一小提琴手、台湾青年李佳颖说,这十年是自己人生的黄金时期。 李佳颖,出生于台湾新北市,4岁学钢琴,8岁误打误撞进入学校弦乐团,被分配拉小提琴。 资料图为李佳颖演奏小提琴。 中新社发 受访者 供图“我的梦想就是成为一名音乐家”,李佳颖回忆,自己从小对声音敏感,“都不太需要学习辨析音高什么的,自己能摸索出来。第一个学会的曲子不是乐谱本上的,而是自学了一个咖啡广告的配乐。” 中学毕业,李佳颖考入东吴大学音乐系、主攻小提琴,大学毕业后到德国弗赖堡音乐学院深造,取得小提琴演奏硕士学位。 资料图为李佳颖(左)与维也纳爱乐乐团小提琴首席Rainer Honeck一起演出后合影。 中新社发 受访者 供图“北京是我毕业后最想去的地方”,李佳颖说。当时距北京成功举办(夏季)奥运会过去了5年,他认为,经过如此重大国际运动赛事的举办,北京各方面一定更优秀,“我当时就想一定要来看一看。” 最初半年,李佳颖边在培训机构教学生拉琴,边熟悉京城的生活,也慕名去国家大剧院听音乐会,内心升腾起要到国家大剧院工作的想法。 念念不忘,必有回响。半年后,李佳颖盼到了国家大剧院管弦乐团面向社会招聘的信息。凭借扎实的演奏功底,他顺利考入乐团并进入小提琴第一声部。创建于2010年的国家大剧院管弦乐团,已演绎近70部国家大剧院版歌剧,成就了瓦格纳《罗恩格林》《纽伦堡的名歌手》、普契尼《西部女郎》等多部重磅经典的中国首演,并担纲印青《长征》、郭文景《骆驼祥子》等17部中国歌剧的世界首演。 资料图为在武汉巡演期间,国家大剧院管弦乐团为李佳颖庆祝生日。 中新社发 受访者 供图“我们乐团比较年轻,但在国内也是相当顶尖。乐团与世界其他国家和地区的主流剧院联系非常密切,运营方式先进,未来可期。”说起乐团,李佳颖言语中流露出归属感与自豪。 2014年,加入乐团不到一年的李佳颖随乐团到美国、加拿大巡演,之后还去过意大利、阿联酋等国家和地区,“我们每年都有世界巡演,国内巡演也有。”李佳颖说。回忆起到歌剧之乡意大利演出中国歌剧,他依然感觉“特别震撼,也特别有意义。” 对李佳颖来说,感受更深的是高强度演出对个人成长的促进。“我们一年要演100多场,包括歌剧和音乐会等,需要在很短的时间内掌握很多曲目。这是很大的挑战。” 歌剧是李佳颖在学生时代比较不喜欢的演出方式,接触也较少;因为工作关系,现在须经常演奏歌剧,而且一演就是三个小时起。“接触了很多歌剧后,我发现歌剧确实是古典音乐之精华。”李佳颖说,歌剧颠覆他以前的认知,演奏想法和方式也有很大改变,“是非常好的成长”。 工作之外,李佳颖会和同事朋友聚餐,也喜欢在京城四处探访。“北京进步太快,变化太大了,”李佳颖感慨,各种拔地而起的新建筑,以及共享单车、移动支付等各种便利的生活形态,“在北京就感觉哪哪都特别火热,充满活力。” 李佳颖也投入到两岸文化音乐交流等相关项目中,希望更多台湾年轻人来认识北京,了解大陆。他与几位在京台胞共同参与主办的“两岸文化交流音乐比赛”将于12月24日在台湾地区举行初赛,比赛优胜者预计明年2月可以到北京参观体验。 不久前李佳颖还拿到了国家大剧院的终身合同,“这是对我工作上的肯定和能力的认可”,他说,非常开心在北京和国家大剧院度过人生的黄金十年,未来人生的规划依然是留在乐团,继续精进。(完)
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