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.
特写：“跳水皇后”郭晶晶的三次转折与四个建议******
中新社香港11月22日电 题：特写：“跳水皇后”郭晶晶的三次转折与四个建议
中新社记者 韩星童
11月22日，香港理工大学(理大)赛马会综艺馆内，掌声雷动，一袭黑裙衬粉色衬衫的郭晶晶，在众人簇拥下入场，随即向台下师生挥手致意，笑眼弯弯。
这是理大85周年校庆系列活动之一，邀请郭晶晶以“拨水见光·追逐梦想”为主题举行讲座。
演讲由一张郭晶晶运动员时期的出水照开启，那是她前半生的缩影。长达22年的职业生涯，带来荣耀，挫折与痛苦亦如影随形。“成功就是强迫自己坚持下去，因为有的时候不是看到希望才坚持，而是坚持下去才看到希望。”
学习跳水，对郭晶晶而言实属误打误撞。年幼的她为了克服对水的恐惧，在教练来学校挑选跳水队员时，她举起了手，“那时候我听到水，就以为是学游泳。”结果第一天走入跳水训练场地，年幼的郭晶晶吓坏了，拉着母亲的手掉头就走，被门口的教练拦住，教练说，既然来了，就试试。
这一试，就整整22年，试出了一位“跳水皇后”。
郭晶晶的人生也从这里开始转向，与跳水结下不解之缘。所以郭晶晶给予现场同学们的第一个建议，就是培养对专业的兴趣爱好，“干一行不如爱一行。”
2000年失落的悉尼奥运会，则是郭晶晶的第二个转折。那年她二度出征奥运，迫切地渴望金牌，导致身心状态差过预期，最终仅收获两枚银牌。“大家都在庆祝夺冠的时候，只有我万念俱灰，对不起自己这么多年的努力，也对不起教练。”
有同学举手提问：“当你没能达到目标，怎样与自己和解？因为我们做实验也常常失败。”引得台下一阵会心的笑声。
郭晶晶坦言，低潮期给予她思考的空间，促使她的心态发生转变。“我开始从自身出发，明白战胜自我是走向成功的关键，过程比结果更重要。”这令她成功卸下过重的得失心，转而享受训练。于是我们在奥运赛场上总能看到郭晶晶镇定自若地走上跳板，完成一次次堪称完美的翻转与入水。
“但其实我每次踏上跳板都很紧张，感到自己心脏扑通扑通跳。”郭晶晶笑道，奥运舞台永远没有板上钉钉的事情，每场比赛都是从零开始。也正是这种不确定性，当2008年北京奥运会舆论理所当然认定她必将卫冕，无形之间向她施加了压力。
她主动提起这段往事，是为以自身经验回应一位同学的提问：如何面对亲友的期待？她说不要太过受外界目光影响，脚踏实地做自己应该做、能做的事，自然会有好的结果。
而29岁选择退役，随丈夫霍启刚移居香港，又是第三次转折。“香港对我来说很陌生，当时确实很担心。”但随着时间一天天过去，她逐渐尝试融入这个拥有独特历史文化的国际都会，也能在记者的要求下相对流利地用粤语作自我介绍。
所以郭晶晶勉励青年人不要害怕为梦想闯荡，亦不用畏惧人生分岔路口的迷茫。勇敢追梦，必定拥有充满无限可能的未来。
讲座在阵阵欢呼和掌声中结束，理大学生金岳告诉记者，自己从小就是郭晶晶的粉丝，“那时候看奥运会，我都会搬起小板凳坐到电视机前看郭晶晶跳水，甚至在她入水的那一刻会激动得跳起来。”今天终于圆梦听偶像分享经验，她最大的收获就是做一件事一定要坚持，不要拘泥于中间的坎坷。
理大学生臧婉滢则从郭晶晶同样由内地移居香港的经验获得共鸣，“她提到刚来香港时面临朋友少、语言不通的问题，也分享了如何克服这些困难的经验，受益匪浅。”(完)
