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.
开年炸裂 《狂飙》魅力何在?****** 中新网北京1月30日电 (记者 高凯)几乎每个剧情节点都登上热搜引发热议,众多人物都为观众所耳熟能详,《狂飙》无疑是2023年开年最火的出圈剧集。 自1月14日开播以来,该剧播出热度一路攀升,不仅在爱奇艺热度值破11000,打破站内热度值历史总榜最高纪录,同时,豆瓣评分高达9.1,各项成绩遥遥领先。 《狂飙》近日即将迎来收官,作为一部长达39集的扫黑除恶题材作品,该剧高开高走,以沉实紧张的剧情吸引着各年龄层观众的追剧热情,其魅力之源值得关注。 剧本故事是第一位的。在《狂飙》中,创作者选取2000年、2006年、2021年三个时间节点,切入三条时空脉络,借刑警安欣(张译饰)、黑恶势力高启强(张颂文饰)两个角色的人生轨迹,展现了一场跨越20年扫黑除恶的斗争故事。 《狂飙》是反套路的,在正叙、倒叙交叉的庞大叙事中,以角色命运带动剧情发展。剧中两个主人公最初的命运交织充满生活质感与人性的温暖,而随着剧情的展开,二人在交叉碰撞中渐行渐远,戏剧张力拉满。剧集在这样的主线下,突破了一些相关类型作品中的简单想象,对黑势力形成背后的社会生态、人性异化进行了入木三分的揭示,描绘出扫黑除恶的真实图景。 《狂飙》 片方供图在这部以扫黑除恶为题材的作品中,创作者并没有将重心放在以暴力场景渲染“黑恶”上,而是着力发掘人性在社会缝隙中异化的节点。如此设定下,在一部扫黑除恶题材剧集中,观众不仅看到了警察对正义的坚守与追求,还看到了黑恶势力的成长史,并因此而更能理解前者。 “这次讲扫黑,我希望通过两个人物勾勒出黑恶势力为什么会产生,能崛起、放大的原因,再解释为什么要扫黑除恶,以及为什么必须把这件事常态化。”该片导演徐纪周曾表示。 大胆不失细腻是《狂飙》的另一特色,从“旧厂街”“菜市场”到“肠粉”“猪脚面”,尽管有意模糊掉了真实地域,但剧中细节描摹还是顺利将观众带入真实的生活审美,这些日常细节,很容易唤起观众的某种认同感,随即融入角色剧情。 故事之上,人物的成功塑造令《狂飙》的魅力进一步凸显。 首先是两位牵动全剧前进的主角。安欣和高启强这两个人物之鲜活动人,于同类题材剧集中可称出类拔萃。 徐纪周曾表示,“人物的特征自然和所在地域时代紧密相关,我希望我不仅能塑造出这个反派人物,还能把他与时代背景、社会土壤的关系拍出来。这是有社会意义的。”在观众眼中,高启强在剧中的开端就是一个小人物的现实人生,很容易有代入感,在与安欣的命运碰撞中,他感受到人性的温暖,也在阴差阳错中感受到权力的力量,也在其后终于为欲望裹挟,最终走上不归之路。 相较而言,作为一个纯粹的理想主义者,安欣这个人物或许不像高启强那样有着浓墨重彩的戏剧性,但正是其内在思想力量成功的呈现才给剧情真正前进的动力。跨越20年,从怀揣梦想略显“愣头青”的青年干警,到满头白发“油滑”谨慎的警局“边缘”人,在张译的演绎下,这一核心人物行为逻辑清晰,情感始终充沛,与此同时,角色细节处理上无处不在的生活质感更是让人物的“灵魂”得以落地,极易令观众共情。 除了两位主演的出色表现,作为一部群像戏,《狂飙》里几乎每个主要人物都具备能打动观众的独特魅力。创作者抛弃扁平化的黑白刻画,着力于每一个角色自身的剧中生态,令观众在不同的时空切入点都能感受到其真实可信的存在。 从故事设定及叙事手法的创新,到每一个人物的鲜活刻画,再到对题材深刻的挖掘和思考,对于《狂飙》而言,整部剧集最终呈现出的“好看”的吸引力,或许正是源于创作者对作品全方位的诚意。该剧不仅再现了“扫黑除恶”专项斗争的严酷性和复杂性,亦以现实主义手法描摹了各具特色的人物与人生际遇,以不同方式折射真实生活,最终以正义向善的精神追求与观众达成共鸣。为理想坚守到底,为正义永远狂飙,《狂飙》此番向观众传达的精神内核直白而有力。(完)
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