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.
中新社70年丨“国家体育馆”五个大字出自他手! ******
“一般人知道钱钟书先生,多是因了他的长篇小说改编的同名电视连续剧《围城》。其实他更是一位大学者,甚至有人称其为‘文化昆仑’。钱钟书先生与夫人杨绛先生光捐给国家的稿费就有上千万之多。有人问他为什么如此做,他幽默地说:‘我姓了一辈子钱,还要钱干什么!’”
这是中国新闻社退休干部、高级编辑冯大彪旧作《邓国治暗访钱钟书》的开篇文字。2022年6月5日,写下这段生动文字的新闻人因病驾鹤西去,享年84岁。
“文武双全”的新闻奇人
冯大彪可谓一位新闻奇人。
“奇”在有二。
其一:跨越廿载的长情
他在担任中新社专稿部海外报纸副刊专栏主编期间,在香港报章精心编辑“京华感旧录”专栏稿件。该专栏也引起台湾报章关注并逐日转载,一直延续至2001年12月他正式离开工作岗位,长达廿余载,为新闻史所罕见。
这些专栏文章1985年最早由香港南粤出版社结集出版为《京华感旧录》一书,由梁漱溟作序,溥杰题签,在香港发行,成为当时香港十大畅销书之一。
后华文出版社结集三次出版,书名为《神州轶闻录》,著名书法家启功题签,冰心、萧乾、季羡林、于若木、侯仁之、胡絜青各作序。后新星出版社、吉林出版集团等分别改版发行。台湾远足文化事业股份有限公司亦以《老滋味》为书名,在台湾出版发行。
因为这种只问耕耘、甘当无名英雄的编辑工匠精神,冯大彪在1993年获得了首届韬奋新闻奖提名奖。
其二:文武双全
冯大彪爱好武术、书法,是陈式太极拳传人,也是著名书法家,可谓文武双全。
他幼承家学,青年时又拜在老书家康伯藩先生门下耳提面命深造,期间又结识了启功、欧阳中石、董寿平等大家,对孙过庭《书谱》用力最深,临习几十年。
冯大彪在与这些前辈的交往中,像海绵吸水一样,多方面吸取营养,充实自己。世评其“将颜体之雄劲、赵体之潇酒、《书谱》之飘逸融为一炉,每令观者目眩心倾,旌荡神摇”。此言不虚。
尤其他的行草,结构谨严,间架俊美,形神兼具,风采飘扬,注重章法,充满书卷气。
当年“国家体育馆”公开征集书法题名,冯大彪在众多投稿中胜出,力透纸背的书法被镌刻在国家体育馆外墙上。
▲冯大彪与国家体育馆合影据悉,在少林寺中的中华贤母园中,建有孝观碑林,冯大彪应邀为其书写36块碑,每块高4尺,宽1尺,内容都是中国古代孝子成材的贤母小传,如孔母、孟母、岳母等。
台湾同胞参观碑刻后,亲笔致函冯大彪:“一展先生之德高艺美,给人以享受与熏陶。”
文章播四海 翰墨誉京城
冯大彪逝世消息公布后,不少好友、同事表达了哀悼之情。
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎) [责编:天天中] 阅读剩余全文() |