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.
“靠山吃山”变为“养山护山”****** 彩霞映照下的江西省萍乡市湘东区腊市镇益塘水库，水清岸绿、鱼翔浅底，库边曲桥亭榭、鹭鸟翩飞，令人心旷神怡。很难想象，曾经的这里是矿渣沉积、水体发黑发臭的另一番景象。益塘水库的“新生”，正是湘东区大力开展废弃矿山生态修复治理的一个缩影。 近年来，湘东区通过对废弃矿山实施生态修复综合治理，不仅改善了废弃矿区的生态环境，还走出了一条经济社会发展和生态文明建设相辅相成、相得益彰的新路。 湘东区是远近闻名的“煤城”，由于过去生产工艺落后和盗采乱挖，留下了近9万亩的废弃矿山，一座座满目疮痍的废弃矿山如同一块块难看的疤痕散布在青山之间。水土流失、环境恶化等生态问题严重影响群众生产生活、城乡环境面貌。 “湘东区冬瓜槽区域，高峰期有小窑煤井100多家，造成采掘区域基岩裸露，煤矸石堆积成山，植被严重破坏，地表破坏总面积约为4095亩。”湘东区相关负责人介绍说。湘东冬瓜槽废旧矿山生态修复项目是全市最大的废旧矿山生态修复项目，治理区域范围包括湘东镇巨源村、腊市镇明塘村、乌岗村、下埠镇虎山村。 “深挖废旧矿山资源自身价值转化潜力，推出‘1+N’模式，实现项目投资回报，以减轻政府投资压力。”湘东区相关负责人说。 位于腊市镇乌岗村的益塘水库2022年4月开始治理，建设者从边坡治理、清挖矿渣淤泥着手，新建了挡土墙、铺设草皮、栽植护岸树木，对库底污染沉积物及泥沙进行彻底清理，清理出3万立方米沉积物，还原了集灌溉、防洪、观光等于一体的民生水利工程原貌。 “相比往年，水库的蓄水量得到了扩容，水库的水体也由劣五类变成三类水。”乌岗村村干部说，时隔多年，这个小二型水库重新发挥作用，保障了下游数百亩农田灌溉。 经过综合整治，如今的乌岗村，植被葱郁、蜂飞蝶舞、水塘清澈，一条条新修的沥青公路蜿蜒山间，一派生机盎然，一个个特色产业基地彰显出活力和魅力。 如果把冬瓜槽废弃矿山生态修复综合治理项目看成是湘东区生态绿城的“集大成者”，那么，该项目中的“H39号地”则可称为当地生态修复建设“小试牛刀”的一块试验田。 从山顶俯视，面积不到1亩的“H39号地”仿佛是茫茫戈壁中的一抹绿点缀其间，红薯、萝卜、豇豆等作物郁郁葱葱。“绿色无公害农产品，简直身处花果山。”微信朋友圈里，项目经理兼施工员王志伟经常晒晒自己的成果。 在花冲坡片区，工人们正在边坡打锚杆挂网，他们架着长长的管子，对护坡进行喷播，伴有草籽肥料和灌木苗种的泥浆源源不断喷射到边坡上。 “边坡增厚10厘米，泥浆里草籽和灌木长大后抓地强，稳定性很好。”项目总工程师胡取枋介绍，高峰时，冬瓜槽项目有60台挖机、100多辆后八轮、8台推土机、8台铲车和6辆洒水车同时作业。 “矿山修复，不能一‘绿’了之，关键在激活沉睡资源，让村民口袋鼓起来。”胡取枋介绍，通过降坡、削坡、修建挡土墙、覆土复绿等措施，消除地质灾害隐患，将为当地百姓提供旱地和水田100多块，通过土壤配方改良，农民可种上经济作物和农作物，也可以发展休闲农业。整个项目预计可新增耕地面积1720亩，其中水田494亩，旱地1226亩。 对废弃矿山进行生态修复，就是实现对土地资源的再次利用。湘东冬瓜槽废旧矿山生态修复项目，建设总规模3845亩，预算总投资3.1827亿元。此举不仅为政府决策提供依据，保障国有资产不会流失，还解决了政府投资回报难题，有效推进废旧矿山生态修复治理进程;以政府平台公司为融资主体，对生态修复项目进行包装，向政策性银行进行融资，不增加政府的隐性债务。 修复矿区、植草种瓜、种花生芝麻、养山鸡;开发旅游、培育产业……从靠山吃山到养山护山，从地下开采到地面开花，百年煤矿抖落灰尘，正在乡村振兴绿色发展的康庄大道上接续奋斗，一幅幅彰显产业兴旺之美、文明淳朴之美、共建共享之美、自然生态之美、和谐有序之美的锦绣画卷，正在湘东大地徐徐展开。(张宜婷) 一分钟彩票地图 |
