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.
数字盘点春节假期消费 多项数据喜人******
央视网消息:今年春节假期,无论是餐饮、旅游,还是文化娱乐,市场需求不断释放。国家税务总局数据显示,这个春节,衣食住行各领域消费都很旺。
根据国家税务总局增值税发票数据,春节假期,粮油食品等基本生活类商品销售收入同比增长31.5%,其中,果品蔬菜、肉禽蛋奶同比分别增长39%、28.6%。酒水饮料等商品需求旺盛,酒、饮料及茶叶销售收入同比增长18.7%。生活必需品销售在恢复,餐饮市场也呈现出热闹的场景。
到店就餐火爆,“上门代厨”也颇受青睐。
网络预订平台数据显示,春节假期前6天,全国多人堂食套餐订单量同比增长53%。其中,上海堂食消费最旺,订单量同比增长超200%。
说完了餐饮市场,我们再来看看旅游市场。今年春节,不少人都选择外出游玩,这让旅游和住宿服务业加快恢复。
在山东济南,春节假期前六天,济南市纳入监测的28家景区共接待游客240万人次,同比增长64%。为了吸引游客,天下第一泉景区、百脉泉景区等12家国有A级景区实行首道门票免费。
在河南洛阳的龙门景区,大年初一游客接待量超过3万人次,大年初二半天时间入园游客就达到了2万人次。
国家税务总局增值税发票数据显示,春节假期,旅行社及相关服务业销售收入同比增长1.3倍。旅游饭店、经济型连锁酒店销售收入同比分别增长16.4%、30.6%,民宿服务提供个性化服务受到游客欢迎,销售收入同比增长74.2%。
网络平台数据则显示,春节期间,大理、丽江、厦门、三亚、北海成民宿预订最热城市。
根据文化和旅游部数据中心测算,今年春节假期,全国国内旅游出游3.08亿人次,同比增长23.1%;实现国内旅游收入3758.43亿元,同比增长30%。全国10739家A级旅游景区正常开放,各地相继出台景区门票减免或打折、发放文化和旅游消费券等惠民利民政策措施。其中,江苏、安徽等地的特色民俗游,新疆、黑龙江等地的冰雪游以及海南的各项水上娱乐项目成为假期游客的主要选择方向。(央视网)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎) [责编:天天中] 阅读剩余全文() |