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.
【学习贯彻党的二十大】陈竺：以执政党为师，建设高素质中国特色社会主义参政党******
连日来，各民主党派、工商联和无党派人士高度关注、持续热议中共二十大，认真学习贯彻二十大精神。大家纷纷表示，要紧紧围绕中共二十大绘制的宏伟蓝图、确立的奋斗目标和作出的战略部署，切实履行好参政党职能，主动参与全过程人民民主实践，在以中国式现代化全面推进中华民族伟大复兴的新征程上作出新贡献。即日起，“统战新语”陆续刊发各民主党派中央主席、全国工商联主席和无党派人士代表的学习心声。
中国共产党第二十次全国代表大会承前启后、继往开来，在党和国家历史上具有划时代里程碑意义。习近平总书记所作的大会报告，立意高远、思想深邃，大气磅礴、催人奋进，全面回顾过去五年工作和新时代十年以来的伟大变革，全面擘画以中国式现代化推进中华民族伟大复兴的宏伟蓝图，是中国共产党团结带领全国人民夺取中国特色社会主义新胜利的政治宣言和行动指南，是一篇马克思主义纲领性文献。
大会选举产生中国共产党新一届中央委员会，二十届一中全会选举产生新一届中央领导机构，习近平总书记继续担任中共中央总书记，以习近平同志为核心的新一届中共中央领导集体，充分体现了包括农工党同志在内的全国人民的热切期盼和共同心愿。
大会通过《中国共产党章程(修正案)》，将中共十九大以来习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的新发展和中国共产党理论创新、实践创新、制度创新成果载入新党章，特别是明确“两个确立”是党在新时代取得的重大政治成果，顺应时代要求、体现全党意志、反映人民心愿。
农工党全体同志将深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，自觉在思想上政治上行动上同以习近平同志为核心的中共中央保持高度一致。
当前和今后一个时期，农工党将把学习宣传贯彻中共二十大精神作为首要政治任务，切实把思想和行动统一到大会精神上来，把智慧和力量凝聚到落实大会各项决策部署上来。迅速掀起学习热潮。立即召开理论学习中心组学习会、中央常委会、省级领导班子和农工党十七大代表培训班，先学一步、学深一层。将学习中共二十大精神纳入“矢志不渝跟党走、携手奋进新时代”政治交接主题教育重点内容，组织开展内容丰富、形式多样的宣传教育活动，引领农工党做到学思用贯通、知信行统一。以中共二十大精神统领各项工作。紧密围绕中共二十大绘制的宏伟蓝图、确立的奋斗目标和作出的战略部署，深入践行新型政党制度，紧扣助推健康中国、美丽中国建设和促进人口长期均衡发展积极建言献策；坚持以执政党为师，努力建设高素质中国特色社会主义参政党，做中国共产党的好参谋、好帮手、好同事。
(来源：统战新语微信公众号 作者陈竺系农工党中央主席)
