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.
第十九届北京新春音乐会开幕****** “当国旗升起朝霞的憧憬，勤劳的人们又拥抱光明……”随着《北京晨曲》悠扬的旋律唱响，1月17日晚，由北京市文学艺术界联合会、北京音乐家协会主办，北京综艺博览文化交流有限公司承办的“第十九届北京新春音乐会暨‘乐赏十年’北京音乐家协会原创作品展演”在中山公园音乐堂拉开帷幕。 青年指挥家肖超执棒中国电影乐团，携手北京音协合唱团，与歌唱家丁毅、陈苏威、阮余群、李爽、黄训国、毛一涵等共同为观众带来了近十年北京音乐家协会组织音乐家们深入生活创作的15首优秀作品。 音乐会分为“多彩的生活”和“绚丽的北京”两个部分。在第一部分“多彩的生活”中，既包括贴近老百姓生活的作品，也包括反映国计民生大事的大型交响声乐套曲《南水北调》。音乐会第二部分“绚丽的北京”中，选择的是围绕北京文化中心建设和发生的重大事件创作的歌曲。 自2012年起，北京音协每年有计划地组织创作、推新人新作，十年来共创作了五部原创交响声乐套曲、包含69首歌曲，两部原创交响乐、包含15部器乐作品，多首反映重大主题的原创单曲。本届新春音乐会上演出的15首作品是从这些原创作品中撷取的，体现了北京音乐家协会这十年来组织词曲作家深入生活第一线，扎根人民群众中创作的优秀作品。 北京音乐家协会驻会副主席、秘书长赵金波表示，“这场音乐会浓缩了这十年北京音协的优秀作品，一方面是给首都百姓送去一份文化大餐，同时也是向老百姓们汇报我们北京音协这十年以来的创作成果。” “北京新春音乐会”是首都新春佳节期间的一台品牌音乐会，自2005年，每年定时在春节前，定点在北京人民大会堂上演，已成功举办了16届。2021年和2022年的春节前夕，由于疫情，主办方将第十七、十八两届改为线下录制通过网络线上直播，观看总人数近两百万人次。第十九届北京新春音乐会，用北京音乐家协会这十年来原创新作品汇报展演的形式延续举办。当晚音乐会现场几乎座无虚席，观众们观看演出的热情极高，演出间隙观众都会报以热烈的掌声。 文/本报记者 田婉婷 (《北京青年报》 2023年01月19日 第A11版) 家彩网地图 |
