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.

嘉义市长选举，民进党继“九合一”选举后再吞一败******

　　【环球时报综合报道】继上月“九合一”选举惨败后，民进党再吞一败。

　　嘉义市长选举因无党籍候选人黄绍聪11月2日去世，台“中选会”依法公告停止该项选举，并定于12月18日投票。结果国民党籍市长黄敏惠得到59874票，以27084票的巨大优势碾压民进党候选人李俊俋，顺利连任。2018年的“九合一”选举，黄敏惠当时在蓝营分裂的情况下拿到58558票，最后只以2302票的微弱优势击败寻求连任的民进党候选人涂醒哲。

　　黄敏惠再下一城后，国民党在“九合一”选举中总共拿下14个县市执政权，在北港溪以南，嘉义市也是国民党唯一执政县市。黄敏惠18日下午在支持者簇拥下发表当选感言，她对民进党当局喊话说，“这是基层团结对高层发出声音，请兑现铁路高架化全额补助、盖轻轨的承诺”。国民党主席朱立伦表示感谢嘉义市民出门投票力挺黄敏惠，国民党不会有一丝自满或任何一丝高兴，仍会持续努力另外两场“立委”补选，包括明年1月8日的台北市“立委”补选以及接下来的南投县“立委”补选。

　　资深媒体人黄扬明称，黄敏惠再度连任，不仅是第四度担任嘉义市长，更是台湾地方自治史上在同一县市任职时间最长的民选首长。据了解，嘉义市自1982年改制后共有11届市长，其中黄敏惠担任第7、第8、第10以及刚当选的第11届市长。《中国时报》19日称，嘉义市政治板块绿略大于蓝。黄敏惠打“政绩牌”、长期勤耕基层获得肯定，而且国民党此次展现团结，“全党护一人”，相比之下民进党的李俊俋选前5个多月才被征召参选，被质疑不接地气，加上绿营地方分裂、11月底“九合一”选举惨败等因素，导致李俊俋在嘉义市惨败。

　　针对再次败选，民进党代理党主席陈其迈对选举结果表示尊重，称民进党会持续检讨、反省。台“立法院副院长”蔡其昌19日称，民进党已启动检讨机制，会汇整出检讨方向。但民进党“立委”何欣纯在脸书上质疑，没有大破大立，就没有大开大合，“我们的检讨到底是什么？”“中广”董事长赵少康19日称，选民觉得给民进党的教训还不够，“苏贞昌还在那里，民进党真的有检讨吗？”他批评民进党所谓检讨都是打擦边球、虚晃一招，没有真正检讨核心问题，推估台北“立委”补选，选民还是会继续教训民进党。网友纷纷留言称，“派系斗争不团结，样样涨价的民生问题，高官不愿倾听民意。选举挫败，还不倾听、检讨，台湾未来堪忧”。

　　《联合报》19日称，“九合一”败选后，民进党检讨小组归纳的意见多半不知所云，除了怪年轻人怕上战场，还怪抖音洗脑年轻人不投票，令人啼笑皆非。而在11月26日大败后，12月18日嘉义市长选举又败，民进党不少人担心明年1月的台北“立委”补选也可能以败选收场，即明年1月15日补选党主席上任前，民进党将面临三连败。文章称，岛内民众没有耐心等待民进党重整，“若没有自省能力，继续与民意脱节，下一个失败很快就要来临”。(张 若)