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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）20米高空的“点灯人”****** 中新网广州1月18日电 题：20米高空的“点灯人” 作者 欧阳文强 刘欣彤 郭军 “灯亮啦！灯具亮度正常！”1月17日20时30分，中国铁路广州局集团有限公司广州供电段电力线路工工长胡永机喊道。这是该段电力线路工们利用白天灯桥停电时段，对广州南动车所站场4座灯桥、250盏灯具，以及开关箱、线缆和支撑装置等部位进行专项维护，夜间到现场对灯具照明情况进行确认。  广州供电段电力线路工工长胡永机与同事吴伟志正在对灯具进行专项维护作业 欧阳文强 摄在20米的高空上，行走在长100余米、宽不足1.5米的镂空钢筋灯桥，并在上面进行巡视和维护灯具，是常人难以完成的工作。在这座空中连廊上，起风时，桥面会轻微地晃动，每一步都比在地面上走得要艰难，加之近期春运期间天气较为湿冷，灯桥上的风吹到脸上仿佛刀刮一般刺痛。每当走动时，灯桥晃动就更为明显，但是身经百战的电力工长李志贤和技术能手吴伟志在上面却如履平地。 “第一次站在灯桥时，我其实挺害怕的，脚迟迟不敢迈出第一步。李工长鼓励我别往下看。当时我看他在前面如同走在平地上，才鼓起勇气，敢慢慢迈出一小步。现在次数多了，也就不怕了。”吴伟志腼腆地说道。  吴伟志正爬上20米高的灯桥 欧阳文强 摄在走到指定位置后，工长胡永机便熟练地打好安全带，从袋子中掏出工具开始检查，“广州南动车所站场这里4个灯桥，上面的每一盏灯我们都要认真检查，确保安全。”检查完一处，他就拉开工具包的拉链，小心翼翼地将扳手装进去。因为灯桥的走廊由一根根钢筋组成，完全是镂空的，因此绝不能掉落任何物品。工作时必须全神贯注，丝毫马虎不得。 灯桥是站场作业人员夜间的“眼睛”，如果灯不亮，作业人员就无法看清站场，检修、调车等作业将难以进行，列车就难以准时安全出行。 “拆除或安装一盏灯要不停地旋拧螺丝上百次。这座灯桥除了维修坏了的灯之外，我们还要对其他能正常照明的灯进行检查，这样下来，其实工作量也不小，对体力也是一种考验。”陈桂平边拧螺丝边说道。在彻骨寒风下检查了3个多小时，胡永机和陈桂平才完成了整座灯桥的检修，脱下手套擦了擦额头上的汗，才发现手都冻红了。稍微暖了一下手后，两人又赶紧戴上手套，爬下20米高的灯桥，往下一座灯桥走去。  广州南动车所站场灯桥 欧阳文强 摄陈桂平说：“今年是我参加工作的第7个春运，这些灯桥的检修，虽然再平常不过，但绝不能放松警惕。” 春运期间，他们要定期登上20米高、100多米长的灯桥开展全面排查，确保灯具保持常亮。这些“两柱一跨”的钢结构式灯桥，主要为广州南动车所、江村站场等高、普铁枢纽地区列车存放的大型站场提供有效照明。 “这些地方通常比较偏远，少了城市的繁华喧嚣，却多了列车安全驶过的轰鸣声，守护好电力设备安全，就是为列车平安出行提供最好的服务和支撑。”李志贤在巡视灯桥时说道。(完)
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