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.
归来，民谣依旧少年——评散文集《心谣》****** 作者：范红升（江苏凤凰文艺出版社总编辑） “青山隐隐水迢迢，秋尽江南草未凋。”岁令已进入冬季，但古城阳羡依旧青山逶迤、绿水如带，就如同我眼前戴军的这部散文集《心谣》（江苏凤凰文艺出版社2022年11月出版），里面的文字绿意盎然、清新明快、生机勃发。 《心谣》是一部关于宜兴民谣的江南之书，它循着作者搜集、整理民谣的线索，挥洒文化大散文的笔触，探问真实与虚构的边际，以明净之心、审美之眼、温润之言，呈现原乡生活的细腻肌理，观照江南民谣的前世今生，在峰峦重叠的众生百态里，折射江南文化意蕴丰赡的人性温度与历久弥新的人文华彩。 读《心谣》，我不禁想起中国最古老的民歌民谣——三千多年前的《诗经》。《诗经》是怎么诞生的呢？根据《汉书》记载：“孟春之月，群居者将散，行人振木铎徇于路以采诗，献之大师，比其音律，以闻于天子”。就是说，每到春天，采诗官就会深入田间地头，摇着木铃铛收集那些能够反映老百姓悲欢疾苦的歌谣，整理之后交给负责音乐的官员谱曲，随后广为传唱。由此可知，早在三千多年前，自中国人心头流淌而出的民谣，便如唐古拉山的万千清泉，涓涓发端，浩浩汤汤，奔流向东，它们穿巴蜀、越云贵、历湖湘、入江南，汇入中华文明的五湖四海、恣肆汪洋。从这个意义上讲，《心谣》也是一部文学和文化的传承之书。作者由采诗故事讲起，溯流而上，娓娓道来，摩挲“民谣”这块文化瑰宝的每一个细节，它们或沉郁，或嘹亮；或乡音醇厚，或牧歌空灵；或为饱经沧桑的渔翁樵子，或作飞扬跳脱的月下少年……无数人情味浓的文化细节与激荡人心的历史瞬间唱和对话，传统的文学题材被打捞、被重估、被赋值为当代经验。记忆与现实，故乡与远方，个体与时代，皆因“有心人”的吟唱被认领、被联结、被融汇。我们欣喜地看到，在无以计数的中国人心间流淌过千年的古老“民谣”因作者之笔，重又鲜亮活泼起来，它不再是文学史卷中的古董、藏品，不再是无处安放的文学零余，而是重返现实主义创作现场的生动元素和有机力量。归来，民谣依旧少年。 以心为念，以情歌谣，是为《心谣》。心之谣歌，既是切近的烟火日常，也是悠远的氤氲诗意。《心谣》是中国人的寻根之诗。你若读《心谣》，就不能只读它的故事，你要去听那天地间婉转低回的呼喊和细语，去品那无处落笔的家书和豁然开朗的一醉，去读柳色江南和深秋鸿雁。从这个角度来说，《心谣》还是一部关于中国人心灵世界和生活选择的启示之书。 《心谣》是一部江南之书，是一部文化和文明的传承之书，是一部关于中国人心灵世界和生活选择的启示之书，因为这三重重要意义，《心谣》具有不可忽视、更不容错失的出版价值与阅读价值，我们非常感谢作者戴军将她的作品托付给我们江苏凤凰文艺出版社出版。 本书是江苏凤凰文艺出版社与作者的首度合作。在稿件策划之初，我们就对这个选题高度重视，编辑多次赴宜兴沟通出版事宜；我们以清新的风格诠释作品，来展现阳羡的江南风韵，力求以生动优美的形态契合雅致的文字，以期吸引更多年轻读者，并通过对图书的宣传和推广，使这本书的文化意义和社会效益得到更大程度的彰显，让更多读者感受到民谣的魅力、文学的魅力、《心谣》的魅力。 《光明日报》（ 2023年01月04日 14版） 乐天彩票地图 |
