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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.
让旧物焕新生 中国都市青年乐享“循环生活”****** 中新社武汉1月10日电 题：让旧物焕新生 中国都市青年乐享“循环生活” 作者 武一力 “我带这只小熊去过很多城市，愿今后它能陪你去见更多的山川湖海”……近日，武汉市积玉桥一家咖啡馆小院里格外热闹。在一场名为stooping的旧物交换市集上，大家分享着旧物故事。
活动发起人王珊珊告诉记者，stooping直译为“弯腰”，引申为“把废弃物品捡回来循环使用”，最初流行于美国纽约。目前，这一行为逐渐在北京、上海、武汉等大城市年轻群体中流行。 来自上海的陈思“淘”到了一套心仪已久的旧杂志。她也带来了几本读完的旧书，打算赠送给下一位喜欢的读者。陈思表示，近年来，循环书店在中国多地出现，例如武汉的瓜牛循环书店、上海的多抓鱼书店，都是通过回收旧书，让书籍被循环阅读。 王珊珊说，在武汉常听街坊说，“你屋里穿不下的衣服，留给我屋里”，这是“中国式”的stooping。在她看来，旧物循环交换，是互助，也是温暖，更是人们对待生活的态度。 在这场持续两天的市集中，超过3000件旧物被成功交换。王珊珊从中认识了许多来自不同城市的朋友，她还专门组建了微信群，作为大家闲置物品的“循环中转站”。
在武汉开手工店的余川自称是“城市拾荒者”，只要一有空，他就穿梭于家附近的小巷里“拾荒”，那些被遗弃的桌椅、花瓶、沙发，都是他眼中的“宝贝”。余川店里有个极具年代感的茶几，就是用街边捡来的木箱改造而成的。他将其清洗、打磨、刷漆，再铺上新桌布，旧木箱变成了新茶几。余川说，店里80%家具都是他亲手改造的，既省钱、又复古。 服装设计师汪艺开了一家旧衣改造店。前不久，有个女孩带着妈妈留给她的旧大衣找到汪艺，大衣款式有些过时，尺寸偏大，但一直舍不得扔。通过重新设计剪裁，这件大衣变得合身且新潮。2022年，汪艺让1400件旧衣服有了“第二次生命”。她说：“我的顾客大多是‘90后’‘00后’，中国有句老话，‘敬天惜物，物尽其用’，将旧衣翻新二次利用，正是年轻人对这种精神的传承。” 武汉大学社会问题专家尚重生认为，中国当代年轻人乐享“循环生活”，是社会进步的体现。一是环保，让旧物获得了使用价值的延续；二是体现了年轻人物尽其用、艰苦朴素的生活态度，通过对旧物的循环利用、加工改造，赋予其新的情感价值、艺术价值。(完)
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