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.
云南依靠科技——把天拉长 把地拉宽******
【在这片辽阔的土地上㉙】
光明日报记者 张勇 光明日报通讯员 云先锋
千百年来,水稻都是种在水田里,可云南澜沧的高山旱地,不仅能种水稻,还能大丰收。这真是个新鲜事!
云南多山,灌溉条件有限,水稻产能长期缺口较大。山区农民的口粮,以玉米等杂粮为主,想吃大米就要外购。
这样的状况发生改变,是从2021年5月开始的——中国工程院院士朱有勇率领云南农业大学团队来到澜沧县,在竹塘乡蒿枝坝村的山地上,试验旱地杂交水稻高产优质栽培技术。种子是云南农大稻作研究所培育的新品种。
“我们祖祖辈辈都在旱地上种苞谷。旱地种水稻?怎么可能!”不仅蒿枝坝的拉祜族群众议论纷纷,县乡两级农技推广人员心里也没底。
但让村民们感到惊奇的是,这些旱地上种的水稻真的自始至终不用浇水灌溉——谷种播种到干燥的土壤里,等雨水落地,稻谷秧苗便破土而出。只靠喝雨水,这些水稻就能茁壮成长,结穗弯腰!
“澜沧地区降雨量在1400毫米以上,所以我们在澜沧旱地种的水稻都不用人工浇水。”云南农大稻作所所长文建成解释,“事实上,云南多数山区旱地种水稻都不用浇水,只有降雨量在1200毫米以下的地区才需要人工补点水。”
其实,新稻种的种植,并非一帆风顺。稻谷秧苗长出来时,杂草也疯长,“地老虎”等害虫也猖獗起来。为防治植物病虫害,朱有勇经常蹲在稻地里,指导村民科学除草杀虫,闯过了一道道难关。
“我们的旱地水稻从耕地、播种、除草、收割都是机械化,打农药用无人机。依靠科技种田给村民们做示范,省劳动力,每亩比水田水稻节省成本五六百元。”朱有勇告诉记者。
蒿枝坝的村民们看着试验田旱地里金灿灿的水稻,纷纷要求把玉米地改种水稻。2022年,仅竹塘乡就种植水稻旱种7861亩。他们的付出,很快得到了回报。
2022年9月,蒿枝坝的稻谷丰收之际,中国工程院有13名院士齐聚这里,见证示范种植的405亩杂交稻旱种的丰收:一穗穗金黄的稻谷压弯了腰,连片的杂交稻旱种犹如金色的海浪阵阵翻滚。收割机很快收获了满满一车的新鲜稻谷,专家组经过现场称重得出了结果——平均亩产690.9公斤,比传统旱稻产量提高了近400公斤。
“水稻上山有效解决了澜沧水田少、旱地多、水稻产量不足的问题,适宜在广大山区推广,对云南‘稳口粮’工程具有重大现实意义!”文建成向记者介绍,“2022年,澜沧县20个乡镇推广水稻旱种的2.7万亩,全部获得丰收!”
澜沧县水稻旱种的成功,是整个云南粮食生产的一个缩影。近年来,云南省针对粮食安全结构性问题,把水稻旱种作为“稳口粮”的一项重要举措,在中低海拔雨热资源丰富的地区,探索水稻旱种绿色高效栽培技术,创建省、州、县三级示范样板77片,示范面积2.1万亩。
在示范样板的带动下,2021年和2022年,两年间,云南分别示范推广水稻旱种24万亩、53万亩,覆盖59个县(市、区),并由海拔1700米以下扩展到1900米左右的区域。
云南省级财政还安排1亿元资金,按每亩200元的补助标准支持水稻旱种。农技推广部门为水稻旱种提供科技支撑,对农技人员、合作社、种粮大户进行培训,举办技术培训班1896期次、培训130万人次。
“我们研究的是什么?就是依靠科技,把天拉长,把地拉宽,在一亩地里面,尽量提高土地的生产率,端牢中国饭碗。”朱有勇说。
《光明日报》( 2023年01月03日 01版)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)