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.
《中国影视蓝皮书》:五年征程,整装再出发******
光明网讯(记者 陈凡玉)2023年1月1日,《中国电影蓝皮书2022》《中国电视剧蓝皮书2022》(下称《影视蓝皮书2022》)于第九届丝绸之路国际电影节西影特别单元举行新书首发仪式。
《中国影视蓝皮书》是由北京大学影视戏剧研究中心与浙江大学国际影视发展研究院合作推出的年度“影响力影视剧”案例报告,由北京大学陈旭光教授与浙江大学范志忠教授主编,北京大学出版社出版。《影视蓝皮书2022》为蓝皮书系列丛书的第五套,今年是蓝皮书评选活动的第五年。五年间,影视蓝皮书系列承担起了见证“年度影像发展史”、分析“年度影响力”个案、架通产学研一体化的桥梁等重要作用,在学界业界和社会上都产生了较大的影响力。
在新书首发仪式上,陈旭光对《中国影视蓝皮书》的历史、发展和未来做了主旨报告。他认为,中国电影进入“互联网+”新时代,以短视频营销等为代表的新型媒介影响着中国电影的生产与传播,而中国电影代际导演也呈现出老中青共同奋进,共建中国电影的格局。总体来讲,新主流电影与想象力消费类电影共同并行是近年来中国电影发展的重要现象。电视剧方面,新主流电视剧探索单元剧的叙事策略,具有宏大叙事的开拓精神,尝试以小人物视角来展现时代巨变,创新乡土人情的新风貌。产业方面,剧场模式发展强势,网台共生关系形成。
据悉,2022年度“十大影响力电影”与“十大影响力电视剧”评选工作暨《中国电影蓝皮书2023》《中国电视剧蓝皮书2023》的编撰工作,也已于1月3日正式启动。今年,《影视蓝皮书2023》将以“影响力”为关键词,经过三轮严格筛选,选出“2022年最具代表性的10部电影及电视剧作品”。评选先由影迷剧迷在线上进行大规模投票,从40部初名单中评选出各30部影视作品,再经北大、浙大的学生代表选出20佳,最后综合全国50位影视学者、评论家的意见决定最终的十佳作品。
《影视蓝皮书2023》将以评选出的十佳作品为个案,深入剖析中国电影、电视剧行业年度10大重要现象,归纳2022年度中国影视产业创作与发展的特征和规律,以此见证并推助中国影视创作的质量提升、影视产业的升级换代与电影工业美学的理论建构。
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)