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.
台湾爱国组织联署反对麦卡锡赴台制造台海危机******
中国日报1月31日电(记者 张怡) 由台湾劳动党、统一联盟党等20多个岛内爱国党派、团体组成的"两岸和平发展论坛"30日发表声明，反对美国众议院新任议长麦卡锡赴台制造台海危机，呼吁争取台海和平的一线可能。
据媒体报道，麦卡锡将于4月窜台，对此，"两岸和平发展论坛"发表题为"反对麦卡锡来台，化解危机人民自救"的声明，称倘若麦卡锡真的来台湾，大陆势必将被迫采行更加强烈和直接的反制措施，届时恐怕将引爆第五次台海危机。
声明表示，去年佩洛西窜访台湾，完全没有给台湾人民带来任何好处，反而给台湾带来了动荡和不安。当时中国大陆军演从六个方向将台湾全面围岛，解放军首次进入台湾24海浬的海岸线内，常规飞弹首次穿越台湾，首次在台湾以东设置靶场，两岸军舰在高雄外海对峙最近距离甚至只有不到200公尺。受军演反制的冲击，共有18条民航航路受影响，数百架次航班需要绕道。在演习结束后，两岸兵凶战危、军事紧张常态化迄今仍未降温。
然而，因佩洛西来台湾而导致两岸关系紧张所造成的负面后果，却完全由台湾民众承担，佩洛西则只是一昧向台湾推崇美国国会通过的《芯片法案》，声称将推动美台之间的半导体芯片合作，导致台积电于当年12月赴美设立5纳米先进制程晶圆厂，大量台湾顶尖工程师和家眷举家搬迁至美国，严重造成台湾产业健康发展的隐患。佩洛西来台湾除了造成台海军事动荡，甚至还进一步掏空台湾。
"两岸和平发展论坛"在声明中指出，麦卡锡自诩为美国国会抗中议员的领袖，为了领导美国国内所谓的"抗中派"，到台湾来表演一场，可以凸显其所谓强硬"挺台"与"抗中"的姿态，骗取在美国的选票和政治资本。届时麦卡锡为美国军火商游说台湾，要求台湾购买更多美国的昂贵军火也不无可能。麦卡锡为了个人政治利益，不惜牺牲台湾、再次制造台海危机。有媒体引述军事专家观点，认为此次大陆的反制措施将会"更加全面震撼"，届时台海两岸和各方相对应的剧烈军事行动，一不小心便很有可能出现擦枪走火。
声明指出，不论是佩洛西还是麦卡锡，来台做秀一场对台湾人民只有百害而无一益，只会给已高度紧张的台海局势火上浇油。去年有近三分之二台湾民众不欢迎佩洛西来台做秀，然而不论是执政的民进党还是在野的国民党，都不敢正面拒绝美国政客来台。"两岸和平发展论坛"郑重呼吁，台湾不应当美国棋子，不应做美国政客的造势工具。
声明称，两岸分隔的局面是上世纪内战遗留下的历史问题，结束两岸敌对关系、完成国家统一是中国的内政，要求两岸和平交流与共同发展也是两岸同胞的共同愿望。面对兵凶战危的非常时刻，抢救和平、化解迫在眉梢的危机，是两岸同胞共同的利益和责任。为此，"两岸和平发展论坛"在全台湾发动联署，唤醒台湾人民的危机意识，汇聚强烈不满的民意压力，强力反对麦卡锡来台制造台海危机，以争取台海和平的一线可能。
(中国日报网)
