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.
习近平与中外记者见面为何再提“全人类共同价值”?****** (中共二十大·观察)习近平与中外记者见面为何再提“全人类共同价值”? 中新社北京10月23日电 题:习近平与中外记者见面为何再提“全人类共同价值”? 中新社记者 张蔚然 10月23日,人民大会堂金色大厅,新一届中共中央政治局常委集体亮相。在这个全球瞩目的场合,面向中外记者,中共中央总书记习近平再提弘扬“全人类共同价值”。 10月23日,刚刚在中国共产党第二十届中央委员会第一次全体会议上当选的中共中央总书记习近平和中共中央政治局常委李强、赵乐际、王沪宁、蔡奇、丁薛祥、李希在北京人民大会堂同中外记者亲切见面。图为习近平发表重要讲话。 中新社记者 盛佳鹏 摄“只要共行天下大道,各国就能够和睦相处、合作共赢,携手创造世界的美好未来。”习近平说。 “全人类共同价值”在中共二十大期间成为高频词。二十大报告呼吁,世界各国弘扬和平、发展、公平、正义、民主、自由的全人类共同价值,促进各国人民相知相亲,共同应对各种全球性挑战。 22日,全人类共同价值被正式写入中国共产党党章,以载入“党内母法”的形式固定下来,成为全党行动的共同遵循。有评论认为其展现了中国共产党的“全球观”和“世界意识”。 习近平在同中外记者见面时再次突出宣示“全人类共同价值”,表明中国共产党未来施政将继续致力于拉紧与世界“命运与共”的纽带,以胸怀天下的情怀致力于人类和平与发展崇高事业。 当今世界多极化和经济全球化面临的动荡因素增多,虽然各国相互联系和影响更密切,但疫情、冲突、通胀等造成的外溢效应持续,饥荒疾病仍在流行,隔阂和对立在一些地方持续加深。 着眼全人类历史发展进程,中国共产党提出和倡导的全人类共同价值,旨在超越地域、民族、肤色等差别,以人类共同利益为交汇点,凝聚不同文明的价值共识。 面对各国间存在的具体利益分歧,全人类共同价值理念呼吁各国以“得其大者可以兼其小”的智慧化解矛盾冲突,做大共同发展的“蛋糕”,增加和平合作的“砝码”在国际关系“天平”上的分量;面对不同人群、地域存在的价值理念分歧,全人类共同价值理念呼吁通过对话和交流,让文明的多样性而非单一性得到更大发展,集“小同”为“大同”,化“不同”为“共同”,增进不同文明的交流互鉴。 尤为值得注意的是,各国由于自身环境、历史、发展历程不同,对制度和道路愿景存在不同看法,这本应是世界多样性图景的一部分,但近年来随着个别国家选择通过诉诸小圈子、提出遏制战略、开展“排他行动”来扩大共同声音的“音量”、共同选择的所谓“辐射范围”,给世界发展增添更多不确定性,一些中小经济规模和体量的国家甚至担忧本国有一天或许不得不“选边站队”。 对于这些“乱象”,中国给出了自己的方案——无论是发起全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议,还是继续推进“一带一路”合作,中国都致力于从各国人民最深刻、最普遍、最现实的共同诉求出发,希望在对话、理解与合作中推进世界的共建共治和共赢共享,而非诉诸小圈子和零和博弈。 今天,通过再次郑重宣示“全人类共同价值”,习近平对“如何看世界、中国怎么办”的问题作出了回答,进一步阐明了中共的“世界观”。 正如他在见面会上所说,“我们将同各国人民一道,弘扬和平、发展、公平、正义、民主、自由的全人类共同价值,维护世界和平、促进世界发展,持续推动构建人类命运共同体。”(完) (文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎) [责编:天天中] 阅读剩余全文() |