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.
（新春走基层）火车“游”过渤海湾：直击亚洲最长铁路轮渡上的春运******
中新网烟台1月19日电 题：火车“游”过渤海湾：直击亚洲最长铁路轮渡上的春运
作者 王娇妮 戴少毅
兔年春节临近，满载着粮食、煤炭、生活用品、节日物资的火车每天“游”行于渤海湾南北两岸，成为中国春运一道独特的海上风景。
大连至烟台铁路轮渡项目纵贯渤海海峡，是亚洲最长的铁路轮渡，开辟了东北至山东及东部沿海地区的最短路径，比绕行山海关缩短1600多公里。
满载货物的火车通过轮渡跨越渤海湾。 戴少毅 摄19日12时，中铁1号轮停靠烟台北站，50节满载粮食的火车和35辆装满各种货物的汽车从轮渡开下。当日14时20分，装满煤炭、年货的火车和汽车，又将搭乘同一条轮渡继续跨越渤海湾，向大连旅顺港驶去。
工作人员告诉记者，春运期间通过轮渡过海的火车有“啤酒车”“鲜花车”“树苗车”“水果车”等等，轮渡俨然成了个巨型“超市”，每天约有1.5万吨货物从这里跨过渤海湾，五花八门的货物反映出民众生活的多样化。
在发往东北的年货中，山东的啤酒颇受欢迎。一列列“啤酒火车”从青岛发出，通过蓝烟线抵达烟台北站码头，并在这里等候上船。新鲜的山东啤酒通过海铁联运，走上东北民众的节日餐桌，最快48小时可到达黑龙江齐齐哈尔。
巨大的轮渡下层可装火车，中间可装汽车，上面则用来乘载旅客。客舱设有不同等级舱位，并配备电影院、超市、快餐厅、观景厅、卫星电视等设施。
机舱工作人员在工作。 戴少毅 摄常年从事海鲜运输生意的王海波将满载海货的汽车开上轮渡，准备在大连旅顺港下船后，直接开到沈阳销售。“轮渡线路用时短、费用低，一年光运输费就能节省六七万元。”王海波称。
铁路轮渡不仅实现了物畅其流，近年来通过不断完善船内设施等方式，同时实现“人享其行”，让旅客舒适地往返于故乡与他乡之间。
65岁的乘客李仁义告诉记者，如今回东北过年是轻松的旅行，坐轮渡便捷又舒适。而过去，他曾经历过排队二十多个小时买船票、男女老少一同挤在船舱里的春运场景。
在旅客中，还有不少人选择自驾小汽车乘船跨越渤海湾，他们有的回乡过年，有的携家人旅行。通过网络系统，旅客输入汽车车牌号等信息后，即可实现人与车便捷购票。
如此庞大的渡船是如何运行的？工作人员称，船上共有四台发动机组，承担着万吨巨轮的航行动力。机舱工作人员是渡船的“心脏”医生，一旦发现渡船“心血管有小毛病”必须随时诊断、治疗。
徐学强就是一名“诊治医师”，他负责对渡船故障做出判断，对症下药。“最好的诊治，是将隐患消灭在萌芽状态。”徐学强称，航运安全差一分就是灾难，必须第一时间解决问题，保障安全。
距离兔年春节还有两天，渡船上的年味越来越浓。工作人员告诉记者，他们的渡船是渤海湾上唯一春节不停歇的渡船，“大年三十不停航”已成为惯例。船员家属可以上船团聚，一同挂彩灯、包饺子，与旅客们一起过节。
据悉，渤海湾烟台至大连航线年均运送旅客250余万人次，车辆100余万台次，货物3000余万吨。今年春运期间，有20艘客滚船上线营运，最高峰日发送旅客超3万人次。(完)
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