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。
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.
扩大国内需求 推动消费动能持续恢复****** 【财经论语】 作者:依绍华(中国社会科学院财经战略研究院市场流通与消费研究室主任) 近日召开的中央经济工作会议为新一年经济工作提出明确部署,也为扎实推进中国式现代化规划实施路径。 扩大内需战略与我国经济发展实际紧密相关。事实上,内需也是保证中国经济持续稳定增长的关键要素。2021年内需对经济增长的贡献率达79.1%,较上年提高4.4个百分点。随着我国经济进入工业化中后期,经济总量达到世界第二,在稳定出口的同时,将扩大内需作为中国经济增长的重要动力成为必然选择。历史经验证明,内需和外需在一国不同经济发展阶段发挥的作用不同。一般情况下,外需拉动在一国经济起飞阶段发挥巨大作用。经济繁荣程度达到一定水平后,内需将在经济发展中发挥更大作用。我国经济已由高速增长阶段转向高质量发展阶段,服从并服务于高质量发展,理应成为新时代扩大内需的基本遵循。 消费作为内需的重要组成部分,对经济增长的拉动作用不断凸显。自2013年开始,消费对经济增长贡献率超过投资贡献率,2019年最终消费支出对GDP增长贡献率为57.8%,高于资本形成总额26.6个百分点;2021年最终消费支出对经济增长贡献率为65.4%,拉动GDP增长5.3个百分点,已成为我国增强经济增长内生动力的主引擎,在扩大内需战略中具有重要地位。 为有效促进消费增长、推动消费持续恢复,需要进一步缩小收入差距增强消费信心。一是逐步提高城镇低收入户最低生活保障,加大对农村特定地区低收入者的帮扶力度,健全社会“托底”机制,在初次分配与再分配中向低收入人群倾斜,推动低收入群体收入稳定增长;建立健全工资性收入随企业利润增长动态调整机制,扩大中等收入群体。依法保护居民合法经营收入,有序以个人所得税等税制体系调节过高收入,发挥再分配调节机制的作用,缩小居民收入差距。二是促进农民收入稳定增长。引导农村地区以资源禀赋为依托经营特色产业,推动规模化、集约化、差异化发展与产业链条延伸,稳步提升农村居民经营性收入。支持建立商务领域农民工就业服务平台,在农村地区建设养老、托幼、家政等生活服务业技能培训基地,增加中低收入农民的可支配收入。 发挥流通环节吸纳就业功能。支持微商、电商、网络直播、知识分享等平台发展,以微经济实现兼职就业和副业创业,形成灵活多样的个体经济就业池,引导用工外包服务等平台规范发展,多渠道增加就业。支持小店发展,鼓励小店市场主体实施专业化、差异化、特色化发展,打造“小而美”精品品牌。引导线上线下创业平台优化服务质量并减免服务费用,优化证照办理等政务服务,降低小店的线上线下创业成本,激发各类主体创新动力和创造活力。 优化新型消费供给,培育新型消费领域,优化免税政策体系,支持发展免税零售,引导免税零售企业实施差异化、多元化经营,构建良性竞争格局,有序增设免税城市和门店,拓宽免税消费空间。推动制造业与流通领域跨界融合,支持零售与批发领域的龙头企业开展供应链逆向整合,建设柔性化供应链,实现个性化、多元化、定制化供给。优化发展与享受型服务消费供给,大力发展文娱、旅游、体育等服务消费产业,鼓励服务内容、业态与模式创新,推动服务消费场所的数字化、智慧化改造升级,丰富购物中心等消费场所运动、康养、餐饮等业态配置,构建满足多元消费需求的一站式体验消费场景。 双向推进多层次城市消费体系和县域商业体系建设。首先要高质量培育国际消费中心城市,优化城市核心消费商圈布局。推动集聚国内外优质消费资源,促进商圈内不同经营模式和业态优势互补、信息互联互通,增强场景化、立体化、智能化展示功能,形成一批具有国际影响力的步行街、商业街、购物中心等地标式场所。其次要完善社区便民商业网点。推动补建和提升基本便民商业网点覆盖率,鼓励品牌连锁便利店业态发展,支持搭载多元生活服务功能,提升社区便民服务质量。再次要培育县域领先商贸流通主体,完善商业网点业态配置。加快县城综合商贸服务中心改造升级,鼓励供销社、邮政等创新发展,依托点多面广的网络优势完善农村商贸流通综合服务水平,支持电商平台、供应链综合服务企业等赋能农村传统商业网点,以数字化技术、供应链管理等助推提质增效,发展新型品牌连锁业态。 1至11月份,全国规模以上工业增加值同比增长3.8%,高技术制造业增加值同比增长8.0%。 今年全国粮食总产量达到13731亿斤,比上年增加73.6亿斤,增长0.5%,连续8年稳定在1.3万亿斤以上。 1至11月份,全国固定资产投资(不含农户)520043亿元,同比增长5.3%。高技术产业投资增长19.9%。 (刘坤整理) 《光明日报》( 2022年12月22日 15版) (文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎) [责编:天天中] 阅读剩余全文() ![]() 凤凰微彩地图 |