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.
如何激发非遗文化活力?代表委员建言:数字化转型、多元化传承******
中新网太原1月15日电(记者 杨杰英)如何让厚重的历史变得更活泼有趣、时尚多元?让非遗文化更好地传承发展,绽放出时代光彩?正在进行的山西两会上,代表委员们纷纷建言献策,数字化转型、多元化传承、可持续发展成为激发山西非遗文化活力的“关键词”。
绛州鼓乐、晋南唢呐、皮影戏、面塑、剪纸……山西非遗家底丰厚,数量位居全国前列。近年来,山西在挖掘非遗项目内涵、讲好非遗背后故事、传承非遗项目基因等方面进行积极探索。但随着时代变革和现代科技的推陈出新,非遗文化的传承和保护面临的压力也日益剧增。
为此,山西省人大代表、民革山西省委会专职副主委李润建议,以山西优秀非遗项目为基础,建立数字化信息平台,让数字化技术为沉浸式展览和传承体验提供发展空间,更好地服务非物质文化和经济社会高质量发展汇聚力量。
“要使人能够随时随地了解非遗文化,推动非遗‘智能+’的传承。”李润建议,依托大数据技术,打造非遗数字馆;以人工智能技术为基础,实现民间传统文化资源的全实景高清展示,提升非遗文化项目的吸引力;出台措施鼓励非遗和数字化融合,推动山西非遗产业数字化转型,促进非遗文化和产业繁荣发展。
山西省政协委员、长治市襄垣县政协主席侯慧萍建议,非遗文化要扩展现有的传承方式,实现多种传承形式共同发展;要借鉴优秀非遗传承的成功案例,推进可持续发展;要创新非遗文创产品,让非遗更好地适应现代化的市场发展。
“传播是更好的传承。”侯慧萍认为,要创新传播方式,建设非遗文化传播链,扩大非遗的影响力。与此同时,可建立非遗新媒体传播数据模型,为分析传播形式提供数据支撑。
山西省人大代表、临县政协副主席、临县一中副校长冯立新与山西省人大代表、临县林业和草原发展中心正高级工程师张绳顺联名建议,在义务教育阶段学校开设非遗文化传承课程,能开阔学生视野,培养学生动手操作能力和爱好兴趣,同时还能让本土非遗文化更好地传承创新。
他们认为,从另一层面落实“双减”政策,实现“双减”和“非遗文化传承”双赢的培养目标,真正让非遗文化传承后继有人,代代相传。
“传承非遗文化,关键在于教育。”与上述两会代表一样,山西省人大代表、平遥古城景区管理有限公司讲解员张霄云也提出“在中小学校增设‘非遗课堂’”的建议。
她表示,教育部门可根据各级各类学校实际选择合适的非遗项目,增设“非遗课堂”,加大优秀传统文化的学习内容比重,同时支持代表性传承人参与学校授课。(完)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)