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.
美共和党议员履历造假麻烦不断 民主党人趁机出手******
中新网1月11日电 综合报道,深陷履历造假丑闻的美国国会共和党众议员乔治•桑托斯麻烦不断。两名民主党议员10日向众院道德委员会递交了一份针对他的道德投诉,称其未能及时、准确、完整地提交财务披露报告,敦促委员会对此展开调查。
当地时间10日,民主党议员里奇•托雷斯和丹尼尔•高曼向众院道德委员会提交了针对桑托斯的道德投诉,并向共和党国会办公室提交了一份六页的文件副本。
议员们声称,桑托斯没有提交准确和完整的财务披露报告的时间,违反了政府的道德规定。
两人将注意力集中在一些关于桑托斯财务记录的指控上,包括他未能在共和党初选前提交财务披露表格,他是否正确地报告收入,以及他是否通过他的公司从事欺诈活动。
投诉指出,桑托斯披露他每年从其公司Devolder获得超过100万美元的红利。但是,财务数据公司Dun&Bradstreet估计,截至2022年7月20日,该公司收入仅为43688美元。
议员们还指出,桑托斯在巴西里约热内卢的财产所有权存在分歧。财务报表显示他在巴西有一套公寓,但他说他并不拥有这处财产。
众院道德委员会首先必须决定是否针对这一投诉展开调查。目前还不清楚该委员会是否会这样做。托雷斯说,如果该委员会认为这些指控是有道理的,桑托斯应该面临纪律处分。
桑托斯针对投诉回应称,“他们想做什么就做什么”。
当被问到他是否担心时,这位议员回答说:“我没有,我没有做任何不道德的事。”当被问到他是否认为自己做错了什么,他补充说,“我没有。”
自从上个月桑托斯履历造假的细节浮出水面以来,众院议长麦卡锡基本上一直保持沉默。众院多数党领袖斯卡利斯10日在众院共和党新闻发布会上表示,党内领导层将在内部处理有关桑托斯的问题。
“显然,人们对我们所听到的感到担忧。我们将不得不坐下来和他谈谈。”斯卡利斯说。
此外,竞选法律中心9日向联邦选举委员会提交了一份投诉,指责桑托斯违反竞选财务法的行为。纽约东区和纳苏县地方检察官也在调查桑托斯。
巴西执法部门也将恢复对桑托斯的欺诈指控,重新审理2008年他参与的一起刑事欺诈案。
桑托斯现年34岁,作为共和党人,在2022年美国中期选举中当选代表纽约州国会第3选区的众议员。他近期被美媒揭露履历造假,包括教育背景和工作经历等,他本人也在媒体追问下承认造假行为,但诡辩称“这不妨碍我当好国会议员”。