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.
中新时评:外资进入中国的故事没有结束****** 中新社北京12月28日电 题:外资进入中国的故事没有结束 中新社记者 夏宾 近年来,每隔一段时间外媒就会炒作“外资撤离中国”的言论,但在事实面前,这样的声音总显得那么“柔弱”。 看两组最新数据。一方面是外资加速布局中国市场。中国商务部称,今年1至11月,全国实际使用外资金额11560.9亿元(人民币,下同),规模已超去年全年,按可比口径同比增长9.9%。韩德英日四国对华投资增长最高,其中韩国实际对华投资增长达122.1%。 总投资50亿元的现代汽车氢燃料电池动力系统项目基地落户广东、总投资20多亿元的西门子数控南京有限公司新工厂投运、欧莱雅“牵手”上海在华成立首家投资公司……今年以来,多家知名外企拿出真金白银,在华投项目、建新厂、扩产能。 另一方面是外资出手买进A股。进入11月,北向资金重新恢复净流入态势,截至12月22日,北向资金合计净流入922亿元,过去一年更是达到1017.87亿元。 事实上,对于任何一个开放的资本市场,外资出现阶段性有进有出是正常现象,A股同样如此,而站在更长的时间维度观察,短暂的净流出从未改变外资对A股的“长情”。 中国为何能保持外资流入的强劲势头? 一是容纳外资的潜力。简言之,中国市场利用外资的比例和中国资产在全球机构的配置,与中国经济的全球地位相比还存在较大差距。 富达国际全球首席投资官安德鲁·麦福睿直言,多元资产组合对投资者来说非常具有吸引力,相对于中国市场规模,中国资产在全球仍处于“低配”,且在未来仍有增长潜力。 据联合国贸易和发展会议统计,2021年中国外商直接投资达到创纪录的1810亿美元,位列全球第二。但中国FDI(外国直接投资)的流量和存量占GDP比重分别仅有1%和11.9%,这两项指标在全球吸引外资最多的前二十大经济体里,排在19位,作为世界第二大经济体的中国,对外资而言“蓝海”依旧。 二是引入外资的能力。栽好梧桐树,引得凤来栖。坚持扩大开放和改善营商环境,中国在政策支持、制度改革上联合发力,让外资入华更为高效便捷。 可以看到,中国今年进一步压减外商投资准入负面清单,逐步放宽重点领域准入门槛,持续减少市场准入限制;把沈阳、南京、杭州、武汉、广州、成都6个城市纳入服务业扩大开放综合试点;发布《鼓励外商投资产业目录(2022年版)》,进一步营造市场化、法治化、国际化的一流营商环境。 金融市场双向开放也始终在路上:拓宽沪深港通标的范围,正式启动互联互通下ETF交易;建立健全境外机构投资者参与交易所债券市场制度;正在研究制定外资适用特定短线交易制度的政策等。中国亮明开放态度,为外资进入资本市场注入信心、拓宽通道。 三是留住外资的魅力。希望搭上中国成长的“顺风车”才是外资“加码”的核心诉求,没有谁想错过中国经济向好前景背后的“掘金”机会。 当前,中国大部分经济数据已有所恢复,宏观基本面周期性向上的趋势逐渐确立,不少机构对中国明年GDP增速的预测也颇为“光明”。 国际货币基金组织预计,2023年中国GDP增速为4.4%,比2023年的全球平均预期增速高出1.7个百分点。国际金融论坛最新报告称,2023年全球经济增长将达2.8%,中国经济有望增长4.6%,明显高于全球经济增速。 必和必拓首席执行官迈克·亨利近日出席路透社举办的一场会议时称,中国具备未来20年经济持续增长所需的所有基本要素,而中国经济发展的内生动力将不断增强。 外媒唱衰中国经济却挡不住外资“用脚投票”迈向中国。正如摩根士丹利中国首席经济学家邢自强近期在展望中国经济前景时所言,中国吸引外资流入的故事并没有结束。(完) (文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎) [责编:天天中] 阅读剩余全文() |