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.
“阳康”后还会再次感染吗******
社区监测数据显示,截至2023年1月6日,河南省新冠病毒感染率为89.0%。“阳康”后再次感染的概率高吗?如何防护?“复阳”与再次感染有何不同?
1月9日,河南省疾控中心主任郝义彬说,相较于此前的其他变异株,奥密克戎变异株的传播力、免疫逃逸能力都有所增强,但根据流行病学研究和临床观察发现,“阳康”后3—6个月内发生新冠病毒再次感染的概率比较低。同时,去年12月份以来我省开展的本土病例基因测序结果显示,BA.5.2分支占94.5%,BF.7分支占4.4%,BA.5.2.20分支占1.1%,我省现阶段流行的毒株仍以BA.5.2为优势毒株,暂未发现新的变异株,所以短期内再次感染同一变异株的可能性较小。
河南省新冠病毒感染医疗救治专家组组长、郑大一附院副院长张国俊介绍,新冠病毒感染有十大症状:发热、干咳、乏力、嗅觉味觉减退、鼻塞、流涕、咽痛、结膜炎、肌痛和腹泻,一旦出现这十个表现中的一个或者几个,做抗原检测或者核酸检测显示阳性就可以确定感染新冠病毒了。
“复阳”与二次感染有什么区别?“这是两个概念。”张国俊说,当患者感染新冠病毒康复后核酸检测再次出现阳性的情况即是复阳,复阳患者的CT值一般大于35,多认为是体内病毒的一些片段,没有传染性,也没有致病力。从复阳发生率来看,既往原始毒株有5%到15%的复阳率,目前奥密克戎毒株的复阳率总体并没有增加。
二次感染则是康复后的患者在一定时间跨度后,再次出现新冠病毒感染相关症状,核酸检测CT值一般小于35,可能是因为患者的免疫功能下降造成了二次感染。据介绍,奥密克戎的二次感染率是早期毒株alpha的5倍,达到了3.31%。
如何预防二次感染?
郝义彬认为,预防再次感染最好的办法仍是落实好个人防护措施,包括戴口罩、注意手卫生、勤通风、接种疫苗等;老年人和儿童康复后,要尽量减少聚集、保证良好的卫生习惯、合理膳食加强营养;“阳康”6个月后积极接种新冠疫苗,以强化免疫屏障等。
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)