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.
北京:今年朝阳区将建设升级80家博物馆******
原标题:大力推进“五城”建设 推动文旅事业高质量发展 今年朝阳区将建设升级80家博物馆
昨日(3日),政协北京市朝阳区第十四届委员会第二次会议开幕。记者从会上获悉,朝阳区将大力推进博物馆之城、阅读之城、艺术之城、双奥之城、时尚之城“五城”建设,推动文化和旅游融合、高质量发展。2023年,朝阳区将完成80家博物馆建设和提升改造,推进“博物馆进商圈”,打造“文化+商圈+旅游”联动格局。
全区已建成城市书屋42家
“2022年,朝阳区加强智慧图书馆体系建设,‘朝图预借’平台实现办卡、借阅一键完成。微阅轩、书穹格艺术馆2家城市书屋建成,目前,全区共建成42家城市书屋。”据朝阳区文旅局相关负责人介绍,朝阳区开展了114场“喜迎二十大悦读阅朝阳”主题全民阅读活动,线上线下参与人次约1032万。
近年来,朝阳区不断创新“阅读之城”建设模式,通过打造阅读空间、活动品牌、推广人才、协同发展、指数评估等“五个体系”,构建“15分钟阅读生活圈”,将书香洒遍朝阳各个角落,让阅读成为市民生活新时尚。目前,朝阳区已拥有80多家品牌特色书店,各类书店共计324家,数量居全市首位。
在设施建设上,朝阳区通过持续完善公共阅读服务网络,升级阅读环境,延长开放时间;加快推进24小时自助图书机数字化、智能化升级改造,优化空间点位分布;研究制定朝阳特色阅读空间建设标准和运营管理办法,培育一批特色鲜明、书香浓郁的示范阅读空间,形成了完善的阅读空间示范体系。
结合市民阅读新需求,朝阳区还探索出“馆社”“馆店”“馆校”“馆医”合作模式,建设“店中馆”特藏城市书屋,构建“阅读之城”数字平台,成立“城市阅读联盟”,引导和扶持民间阅读组织承接重大阅读项目、开展公共阅读活动,积极打造全民共建共享的阅读协同发展体系。
永通桥完成修缮即将开放
朝阳是京城大运河文化带的重要节点。2022年,作为北京著名三大古桥之一的永通桥(又称八里桥)完成主体修缮工作,预计将于今年对外开放,并完成了《通惠河漕运图卷》数字化展示项目。
永通桥是大运河文化带北京段最知名的古桥,已被收入世界文化遗产名录,“长桥映月”美景就源于此桥。它位于朝阳和通州交界处,始建于公元1446年,为三孔石拱桥,南北长50米、东西宽16米,中间孔高达8.5米。
2021年,永通桥大修工程正式启动。修缮内容主要包括局部拆砌鼓闪(错位)部位的桥身砌体;清除后做桥面沥青路面,恢复条石桥面等。永通桥桥面石板约800平方米,多年来历经数次修缮,条石的材质、大小不一。现存条石约有2000多块,最古老的有将近600年历史。本着“修旧如旧”的原则,此次修缮将桥面以及周边的条石全部还原到原位,并查阅古籍,咨询专家、学者,找到相同材质的条石贴补缺失部位,尽可能保持古桥原貌。
创建国家文旅消费示范城市
据介绍,2022年,朝阳区发布了北京首个以“博物馆之城”为主题的系列报告——《2022年朝阳区博物馆之城建设发展研究》,构筑以“六聚”为特征的现代文博事业“朝阳范式”。评定推选14家博物馆之城建设示范单位,扶持补贴18家非国有博物馆发展,培育4家类博物馆。全力推动朝阳区多层级博物馆协调发展。实施博物馆五进工程,启动遇见博物馆、博物馆进商圈等文化活动,打造沉浸式、共享型、多元化的朝阳商圈文化空间,提升文博惠民公共服务水平。
在此基础上,2023年,朝阳将继续推进“博物馆之城”核心区建设,推进实施《朝阳区博物馆之城建设方案》,完成80家博物馆建设和提升改造。开展策展人培训,高质量推进“博物馆进商圈”项目,打造“文化+商圈+旅游”联动格局。
2023年,朝阳还将创建国家文化和旅游消费示范城市,深化夜间文化和旅游消费集聚区建设,继续开展文旅融合“三十工程”。完善文旅融合发展的市场服务体系,以文旅消费街区、地标等建设为依托,完善提升旅游购物场景吸引力和竞争力。在朝阳已有的各类资源基础上,通过数字技术与媒介,激活城市文旅消费,推进文化生态和谐共生和可持续发展。(赵婷婷)