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.
（新春走基层）非遗“兔纸”迎新春 剪出浓浓“年味”****** 中新网银川1月18日电 题：非遗“兔纸”迎新春剪出浓浓“年味” 中新网记者 于晶 奔跑的兔子，搭配上牡丹和梅花，寓意喜上眉梢、“兔”飞猛进。这幅圆形剪纸作品，在兔年新春来临之际，祝福家家户户团团圆圆。 新年临近，国家级非物质文化遗产代表性传承人伏兆娥创作了一系列兔年窗花作品，让浓浓年味跃然纸上。1月18日，记者走进伏兆娥的工作室，感受传统剪纸技艺的独特魅力。 剪纸是我国的一项传统民间艺术，人们在春节期间剪纸、贴窗花，以此寄托辞旧迎新、接福纳祥的愿望。  伏兆娥创作的《钱兔似锦》剪纸文创表情包。 受访者供图每年春节，伏兆娥都要创作一批新年剪纸作品。一手拿红纸，一手握剪刀，红纸翻飞中，剪刀开合间，栩栩如生的生肖兔便从红纸上“跳”了出来。她的作品有活灵活现的玉兔送福、活泼可爱的兔年如意、吉祥如意的平安双兔，配以礼花、祥云、铜钱等吉祥符号，表达了对美好生活的无限向往。 伏兆娥告诉记者，剪纸元素要来源于生活，剪纸作品要回归于生活。在春节前夕设计几幅生肖主题的剪纸，对她来说不仅仅是一种过年的仪式，更是她几十年来对春节传统习俗的情感寄托和文化坚守。“过年剪纸，不仅仅是形式，更是一种文化，是中国人红红火火过年的象征，有了这个，才算是有年味。” 剪纸透出的“年味”是艺术的，更是情感的。在伏兆娥的记忆里，小时候过年的时候，一家人聚在一起贴窗花、福字、对联、门神等等，其乐融融，年味儿十足。过去贴的窗花好多都是剪纸做的，再加上剪纸用的纸，也是红色的，代表着我们大家的生活红红火火，我们的文化习俗也这样一直传承下去。 伏兆娥感慨道，随着时代的进步，市面上销售的剪纸窗花，都变成了机器印制，也更加精致，传统民间艺术似乎正逐渐淡出人们的视线。但每逢过年，她仍旧会拿起剪刀和红纸进行创作，在她看来，无论时代如何变迁，民间传统手艺中蕴藏的浓浓年味是无法被替代的。 谈起自己的作品，伏兆娥激情澎湃，每一幅作品，她都能讲出一段故事。以往的剪纸作品多是窗花为主，今年她持续创新，将剪纸元素与表情包结合在一起，创作出《钱兔似锦》剪纸文创表情包，打造国风回归新概念，同时还创作了专属运势生肖牌、冰箱贴等文创作品，把传统和时尚元素融合到一起，就是希望有更多的年轻人喜欢剪纸、热爱剪纸，让剪纸艺术在年轻人眼中活起来。  伏兆娥创作兔年剪纸。 受访者供图“剪纸对于我来说是一种快乐，它给我的生活带来了许多改变。”伏兆娥表示，每当自己的作品被别人喜欢时，她的内心便会感到无比的满足和快乐。正是这份来自大家对于剪纸艺术的喜爱，给了伏兆娥将剪纸艺术发展并传承下去的巨大动力。 根植于生活的剪纸技艺，凭着一把剪刀、一张纸片，让十二生肖栩栩如生，花鸟虫草造型别致，散发出传统手工技艺的特有魅力，成为人们心中不可或缺的“味道”。(完)
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