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.
江西省人大代表:建议在职业院校设置非遗相关专业******
中新网南昌1月12日电 (记者 李韵涵)正在召开的江西省两会上,江西省人大代表、国家级非遗夏布绣代表性传承人吴婉菁建议,要加强江西省非遗传承与职业教育融合发展,深入研究江西职业院校非遗相关专业设置的必要性和可行性。
据了解,江西现有国家级、省级非遗代表性项目558项,包括传统戏剧、传统舞蹈、传统美术等10个类别,其中国家级非遗代表性项目88个、省级代表性项目470个。
“江西在非遗保护和传承方面开展了丰富的工作,并投入了大量资金支持,极大增强了非遗项目影响力、社会参与度、市场认可度,取得了一定成效。”吴婉菁表示,但从非遗传承现状来看,最欠缺的是非遗传承产生内生产力和造血功能的传承人。
吴婉菁认为,能有效推进江西非遗项目的高质量传承和发展,承担起非遗传承人培养重任的非职业院校莫属,特别作为地方性院校的职业教育,在担负培养技术实用性人才任务的同时也肩负着服务地方经济社会发展,推进地域文化发展的重任,是保护、传承非物质文化遗产的一支重要力量。发挥地方职业院校的独特作用,既是非遗传承事业之所急,也是职业院校教育突破发展之所需。
为此,吴婉菁建议,深入研究江西省职业院校非遗相关专业设置的必要性和可行性,建立相关部门参与非遗相关专业设置评估机制,精准、合理做好职业院校该专业的设置。
吴婉菁表示,还要逐步解决职业院校非遗专业教师资匮乏问题,保障学校专业建设可持续发展;积极探索联合办学,创新教学模式,吸纳专业人才强化师资队伍,积极搭建非遗实训平台。
在课程安排上,吴婉菁认为,应邀请行业专家及部分非遗代表性传承人参与教学计划制定和调整,在兼顾实践和理论基础上,科学、系统做好江西职业院校非遗相关专业的课程安排。
此外,还应加大对非遗传承行业的扶持力度,促进非遗传承行业健康壮大发展,提高非遗传承专业学生就业选择面和就业质量,解决职业院校非遗传承专业后续生源少,发展后劲不足的问题。(完)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)