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.
CPI回落至“1”区间 为宏观政策“稳增长”创造有利条件****** 中国网财经12月10日讯(记者 李春晖)昨日(9日)国家统计局公布了11月份全国CPI(居民消费价格指数)数据,CPI同比上涨1.6%,涨幅比上月回落0.5个百分点,重回“1”区间。这已经是CPI同比涨幅连续两个月较快回落。 (图片来源:国家统计局网站) “除上年同期基数抬高外,11月CPI同比涨幅回落主要源于当前猪肉已进入价格见顶回落阶段,蔬菜价格下跌也是一个重要原因。”东方金诚首席宏观分析师王青表示。 国家统计局数据显示,11月份食品价格同比上涨3.7%,涨幅比上月回落3.3个百分点。食品中,猪肉价格上涨34.4%,涨幅比上月回落17.4个百分点。鲜菜价格下降21.2%,降幅比上月扩大13.1个百分点。 “猪肉价格在前期涨幅较大的情况下,受疫情及天气影响需求转弱,加上中央储备猪肉投放工作继续开展,导致预期有所扭转,前期压栏惜售行为转为集中出栏。今冬天气晴好且偏暖,供给充沛导致蔬菜价格下降。”中国民生银行首席经济学家温彬表示。 与此同时,11月扣除食品和能源价格、更能反映整体物价水平的核心CPI继续处于低位:同比上涨0.6%,涨幅与上月相同。 “(核心CPI走低)显示当前整体物价形势稳定。这与欧美高通胀形成鲜明对比,将继续为国内宏观政策‘以我为主’提供重要支撑。”王青表示。 今年以来,面对外部环境的高通胀压力,我国通过一系列政策合力,始终保持着相对温和的通胀水平。 “进入到下半年,通胀整体呈现‘两高两低’特征。”温彬表示,“两高”是指外部输入通胀高,食品能源通胀高,“两低”是指核心通胀低,工业品通胀持续走低,表明经济与通胀面临一定的结构性矛盾。 中共中央政治局12月6日召开会议,分析研究2023年经济工作。会议提出“突出做好稳增长、稳就业、稳物价工作”、“推动经济运行整体好转”。12月7日,国务院联防联控机制发布了疫情防控“新十条”,对风险区划定和管理、核酸检测、隔离方式等提出了进一步的优化要求,最大限度减少疫情对经济社会发展的影响。 政治局会议传递出稳增长的重要信号,疫情防控政策也进一步优化,分析人士认为,明年财政政策和货币政策将朝着稳增长方向加码发力、协调配合。而CPI涨幅的回落,为这些政策的实施创造了有利条件。 “综合考虑整体经济运行态势及商品和服务市场供需平衡状况,2023年在全球通胀降温趋势下,国内消费反弹带来的潜在通胀风险也不大。这意味着年底前后货币、财政政策都具备在稳增长方向适度发力的空间。”王青表示。 温彬表示,展望2023年,我国通胀仍将保持温和水平,随着疫情防控放松促进需求回升,通胀中枢大概率小幅升高。主要特点为:一是外部输入型通胀压力缓和;二是疫情防控优化,社会整体需求回暖,核心通胀将由目前的超低区间逐步均值回归;三是食品与能源安全边际高,非核心通胀保持温和;四是工业品价格仍存在一定通缩压力。
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