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.

“拖了两个月的歹戏终于落幕”！蔡英文“改组内阁”被批“换挡箭牌”******

　　【环球时报报道 记者陈立非】台湾地区领导人蔡英文27日宣布，由前副手陈建仁接棒苏贞昌担任“行政院长”，组成新“内阁”。岛内舆论嘲讽说，“拖了两个月的歹戏终于落幕了！”

　　27日，台当局已确定由陈建仁、“副行政院长”郑文灿以及秘书长李孟谚组成所谓的“行政院铁三角”。陈建仁是流行病学家，2015年11月请辞“中研院副院长”，宣布与蔡英文搭档参选。2021年底在蔡英文邀请下申请加入民进党。

　　根据规划，苏贞昌30日将举行临时会率“内阁”总辞，隔天举行新旧“内阁”交接。至于其他人事调整，《联合报》27日称，竞选新北市长失败的林佳龙将担任“总统府”秘书长；“国安局长”陈明通请辞，由台“外交部次长”蔡明彦接任。另外，民进党“立委”管碧玲将接任“海洋委员会主委”。台湾《中国时报》27日称，“外交部长”吴钊燮、“国防部长”邱国正、“国安会秘书长”顾立雄以及陆委会主委邱太三等均规划留任，但必须等蔡英文最后拍板。

　　针对新“内阁”，“中广”董事长赵少康讽刺说，“蔡英文推出的是一个难看的不伦内阁”。陈建仁顶着学术光环大力鼓吹高端疫苗，让高端股价一飞冲天，大搞内线交易是“商业不伦”；郑文灿抄袭论文涉学术不伦，还偷抄大陆的论文，是“政治不伦”。台北市议员游淑慧说，民进党每次“组阁”都是辅导“失业者”就职计划。她认为陈建仁根本没有“组阁”的能力和权力，最后仍是派系分赃和“小英意志”。国民党台北市议员徐巧芯直言，疫苗争议是民进党去年选举大败的原因，但现在蔡当局重新“组阁”却把当初护航高端疫苗的人放到高位上，说明完全没有检讨、反省。此外，“抄袭”也是民进党去年选举失败很重要的原因，而陈建仁与郑文灿都曾涉嫌抄袭，显然民进党根本不把抄袭当作2022年败选的原因之一。

　　“台湾民意基金会”董事长游盈隆认为，蔡遭遇2022年羞辱性地方选举挫败，辞去党主席两个月后，现在已经要高唱“重出江湖”，为此派出真正可信任的心腹出任“行政院正副院长”，“哪怕这两个人的罩门已经洞开”。前“外交官”介文汲称，未来一年多，民进党主席赖清德会让蔡英文“痛不欲生”，所以她现在要让赖“痛不欲生”，这次就是把自己的心腹完全派出来。国民党前“立委”江启臣说，未来将看到更多蔡干预“内阁”人事的身影。

　　岛内舆论对新“内阁”也不抱期待。《联合报》27日称，蔡英文在最后一年多的任期找过去的副手“组阁”，向党内各派系传递“我仍是大当家”的信号，新“行政院长”只剩“人形立牌”的功能。该报的社论认为，蔡英文很清楚“九合一”选举已证明了“抗中保台”牌失效，要避免政权被轮替，必须要换人当她的挡箭牌，除了随时待命配合其政治需要进退的陈建仁外，她已无牌可打。