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.

作为汉人的穆涛******

　　穆涛，汉人也。

　　穆涛本籍河北廊坊，中岁移居今之西安汉之长安，是被贾平凹挖去，办一份《美文》杂志。汉字之好，叩其本义，神气活现，比如这个“挖”字：一个老农，盯住邻家一棵苗，看来看去，心想是个好苗，于是抄一柄小锄，连根带土挖了去，种到了自家院里。

　　从此穆涛办《美文》，搞“大散文”，文章风云，大就是美。很快，此人陕西话说得好了，陕西的人与物了然于心，一个河北人幽州人，不远千里来到长安，在陕西如鱼得水、泯然众人，端的好本事。

　　我与穆涛相交二十多年，早年间彼此都还不老，此人颇有些任诞疏狂，有五陵少年气、有乡间名士风。这些年来，穆涛发愤读书，日渐厚了、重了、望之俨然了，渐渐有了先生气象。穆涛读书与我不同，我是无事乱翻书，天上地下四面八方，而远远地看穆涛读书，看来看去看出了此人沉着有大志，人家走的是韩愈的路子。韩文公文起八代之衰，以道统为己任，“非三代两汉之书不敢观，非圣人之志不敢存”。穆涛呢，后一句估计他暂时不敢想，前一句他真是照着做，这些年所读皆是先秦两汉之书，所写也都是先秦两汉之事。

　　汉人穆涛，就是由此而来。汉人说的不是汉族人，说的是，穆涛此人给自己找一个位置，要做汉朝人、做一个汉代儒生。韩愈复古原道，要从文明的根源解决问题，越古越好，上追夏商周三代，最终不得不落实到两汉，因为，三代之学其实都是经过汉学整理定型，不经两汉便近不得三代。穆涛心气高傲，为自己找一处生命、知识、文章的根底，取法乎上，从河北跑到陕西，扎下根来，或许就是为了定位两汉。

　　两汉茫茫苍苍，雄浑朴茂，上总三代，下开万流。站在两汉的位置上，上看下看、左看右看，看山看水看人看岁月，看历史看文化看社会看人心，所见未必深微——汉家本来不以深微取胜，不是九曲十八弯、不是狮螺壳里做道场，大汉是长风万里，纵横天下。以汉为位置，好处就在大，观其大、取其大，于是有了这本《中国人的大局观》。

　　此书从三代说起，从时间和天象说起，一本书从头说到尾，就是站在汉学立场，谈中国文明与文化的天、地、人。所谓大局，说到底就是这个天地人的格局。三代肇造，汉代大成，绵延至今，千变万化，但华夏文明的大局仍是那个大局。所以，一个中国人，立起这个大局观，便是行于世间的安然坦然。（李敬泽）