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.
“再坚持一下”就是胜利******
12月19日凌晨，卡塔尔世界杯完美收官，阿根廷队如愿以偿捧回大力神杯。回望28个日日夜夜，许多参赛球队以其出色表现赢得了球迷的尊重，克罗地亚队就是其中一支。
先后挑落比利时、日本、巴西、摩洛哥等强队，支撑克罗地亚队一路走来的，是坚不可摧的韧性。1/4决赛对阵巴西队，比赛打到加时赛时先失一球，克罗地亚队没有自乱阵脚，更没有自暴自弃，以一如既往的坚韧完成了逆转，追平了比分，并最终凭借点球大战将夺冠热门巴西队淘汰出局。
赛场如战场。当身处危局、险局、残局、僵局甚至败局时，我们靠什么实现逆风翻盘，争取最后的胜利？
早在1938年，毛泽东同志就在《抗日游击战争的战略问题》一文中给出了答案：“被迫处于被动地位了的时候，这时的任务就是努力脱出这种被动……往往有这种情形，有利的情况和主动的恢复，产生于‘再坚持一下’的努力之中。”
纵观世界杯赛场，当一场比赛进入加时阶段，双方球员的体力消耗已近极限，此时已不单纯是技战术的对抗，更是意志力的较量。打仗亦是如此，战争的残酷尽人皆知。所谓狭路相逢勇者胜，就是当生与死的考验来临之际，心理与生理的抗争达到极限之时，看谁能咬紧牙关“再坚持一下”。无数事实证明，最终的胜利，往往属于坚持到最后的一方。
在我军的战争实践中，以少胜多、以弱胜强的战例不胜枚举。英勇顽强的战斗意志和战斗作风，是夺取战斗胜利的重要因素之一。“被动中始行，主动中胜出”的中国工农红军万里长征即是如此。金一南教授在《为什么是中国》一书中写道：“惊天地、泣鬼神的两万五千里长征，连‘战略转移’也是后来的说法，最初讲的是‘突围’，其实当时只是夹缝中求生存。”
夹缝中求生存是何等之艰难！长征路上，红军历经大小近600场战斗，一次次面临绝境，陷入至暗时刻，又一次次从危境中解脱，获得新胜利。将时间轴再拉长一点，强渡大渡河、飞夺泸定桥、血战孟良崮、鏖战松骨峰、坚守上甘岭……我军取得的每一场伟大胜利，无不得益于“再坚持一下”的强大韧性。
徐向前元帅曾说：“当你最严重最困难的时候，也是敌人最严重最困难的时候，常常是当你因困难在决心发生动摇的时候，而恰恰正是敌人对胜利感到绝望的时候，这种时机是最紧要的关头，这种时机决定于何方能坚持，何方能熬过这最后的五分钟，何方就能取得胜利。”在解放战争时期的晋中战役中，攻打运城的解放军部队进攻多次受阻，战斗形势险峻。危急关头，时任晋冀鲁豫军区第一副司令员的徐向前向全体官兵发出“坚持最后五分钟”的战斗命令。在战斗号令的鼓舞下，攻城官兵军威大振，攻山头、拔要塞，接连拿下运城、临汾等地。晋中战役得以成为我军以少胜多、以弱战强、以攻克守的经典战例。
其实，不论是“再坚持一下”，还是“坚持最后五分钟”，二者皆是强调“困境中保持韧性”的重要性。实现中华民族伟大复兴的道路并非一片坦途，我们要学会时刻与困境相伴，在困境中树立决战决胜的信心，时刻葆有战争年代英勇顽强的战斗作风，做到关键时刻冲得上去、危急关头豁得出来。只要韧性在、信心在，我们就能穿越荆棘，前进的脚步就不会停止。（汪娜）
