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.
四川:春运总量将达9239万人次 目前总体有序平稳安全******
中新网成都1月18日电 (记者 王鹏)四川省政府新闻办18日在成都举行“欢乐川味年—畅快出行通途四川”新闻发布会。记者从现场获悉,今年四川春运总量将达到9239万人次,较去年上升36%。目前,四川春运总体有序平稳安全。
四川省交通运输厅副厅长宁坚介绍,今年春运形势复杂、任务艰巨,客流复苏反弹,运输保障压力大。主要集中在春节期间和节后,特别是大年初六和元宵节前后将分别迎来“返岗流”和“务工流”“学生流”等客流高峰。据预测,公路、铁路、民航、水路分别约占客流总量的70.35%、20.56%、7.35%、1.74%。
记者了解到,自春运开启以来,在便捷春运方面,四川民航、铁路优化了购票候乘等便民举措,交通、人社部门推出农民工返乡“春风行动+金通工程”一票制服务,高速公路服务区新增充电车位约700个,保障新能源车的出行。
此外,为确保重点物资运输通畅,四川省道路运输部门继续坚持省市县三级物流保通保畅机制,严格执行“一事一协调”、督办转办、7×24小时值班值守制度,及时解决重点物资运输受阻问题;邮政部门春节期间“不打烊”,保障春运期间医疗民生物资寄递不中断。
宁坚介绍,目前四川省春运总体有序平稳安全,未发生重大及以上安全事故、未发生大面积长时间道路拥堵、未发生重大服务质量投诉及重大负面舆情。
截至1月17日,四川全省完成旅客发送1926.1万人次,占全国总量的4.5%,同比2022年增长7.2%,达到2019年同期的57.6%。其中,公路客运量占了总量的一半左右,发送旅客1172.7万人次,达到2019年同期的47.2%,较2022年同期增长了1.3%;铁路发送旅客506.9万人次,比2019年同期仅低2.7%;民航发送旅客207.9万人次,比2019年同期高8个百分点;高速公路小客车流量一直在增长,已达日均244.8万辆次,分别比2019年、2022年同期增长27%、4.2%。
道路运输方面,四川省交通运输厅道路运输管理局一级调研员魏平表示,四川春运期间全力保障运力,通过检测,符合条件的客车全部投入春运,共计有常规运力30.8万辆、应急运力7000辆,基本能够保障群众出行需求。
四川省交通运输厅副厅长宁坚发布四川春运情况。 四川省政府新闻办供图此外,四川道路运输重点服务5大客流:民工返乡返岗、农村地区走亲访友、景区景点出游、枢纽场站中转换乘、个性化高端出行。其中投入406辆超长客运车辆,开行专车,让民工可以“出厂门、上车门、进家门”;投入2.7万辆农村客运车辆,因地制宜采取班线运行、片区运行、包车服务、预约出行等方式,让走亲访友更便捷、更舒心。
民航方面,民航四川监管局运输处处长崔堂民介绍,今年春运首日成都两场执行客运航班1163班,已超过2019年疫情前双流机场春运首日航班量。民航运输高峰预计出现在这三周,全省机场日均旅客吞吐量将突破20万人次。
“为了应对激增的客流,各航空公司积极采取调配运力、调整大机型、安排加飞等措施,在成都双流国际机场、成都天府国际机场、泸州、宜宾、绵阳等热门机场加密航线。”崔堂民说,同时四川民航各单位积极推进国际/地区客运航线的复航,根据旅客需求加密航线班次,最大限度地满足人民群众出行需求。截至目前,成都国际(地区)客运航线已恢复至24条,居全国第四,中西部第一。双流机场已陆续恢复进港航班70余架次。香港、澳门每周计划航班已基本接近疫情前水平。(完)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎) [责编:天天中] 阅读剩余全文() |