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.
民进党当局下架螺蛳粉，岛内民众：吃！囤！****** 中新网1月18日电 综合台湾媒体报道，源自广西的螺蛳粉味道独特，受到许多台湾民众的喜爱。但近日某款螺蛳粉因包装上印有“你是中国人、我也是中国人，四舍五入一下，你就是我的人”相关文字，在岛内引起争议。  在岛内引起争议的螺蛳粉包装。图片来源：台湾中时新闻网台当局要下架螺蛳粉 台网友：真的蛮无聊的 台当局经济主管机构声称，目前并未开放大陆制“螺蛳粉”食品进口，坊间出现“螺蛳粉”贩售，已涉及违反进出口等有关法令，并要求电商及实体店全面下架。 此消息一出，迅速引爆网友热议。不少岛内网友批，政府官员该做的不做，只会拿这些小事大作文章、搞意识形态。   台湾网友评论还有网友表示：“真的蛮无聊的，食物也要算统战，馄饨面，炒饭要不要禁一下，脑残”“有被害妄想症吗？”“便利商店架上有的东西 原来是禁止进口？”“所以禁的标准是什么？要判死刑也要给理由啊”“大陆的包装也是这样啊，前几年的土味情话”“土味情话的梗好几年了，对象也不是台湾”“我在北美买包装也是印这样”“事实可见谁才是玻璃心”。 国民党“立委”赖士葆也痛批，因为你们杯弓蛇影，一声令下，大家看到没有政绩，就开始意识形态严查，旅客进来翻箱倒柜，看里面有没有螺蛳粉，禁这个、禁那个，结果意识形态影响生计，政府再来纾困，这是什么逻辑？因为意识形态要付出多少代价？ 岛内民众：好吃当然要囤 而针对网络卖家出售的“魔芋爽”、“黄飞红麻辣花生”等大陆零食，台当局经济主管机构官员说，“魔芋爽”因在岛内没有竞争，曾经有准许厂商项目进口，但要了解卖家是否有申请准许；至于“黄飞红”花生，则因台湾本地也产花生，因此花生未开放项目进口，也会提醒厂商下架。  资料图：图为人们品尝螺蛳美食。图片来源：视觉中国不过，在经济主管机构宣布螺蛳粉全面下架后，岛内知名电商上第一名的热门商品为螺蛳粉，第二名为“魔芋爽”，显示网络上已出现“囤货潮”。 此外，有台媒报道，台北市广州街一间知名螺蛳粉店家17日生意爆棚，店家忙到分身乏术没空受访，堂食与外送人员人潮不断。 现场排队民众则直言，只要东西好吃，哪里进口他们才不管，更痛批下架进口螺蛳粉的当局是“弱智政府”。
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