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.
《纵有疾风起》：中年群像里的奋斗叙事新注脚******
作者：何天平
人到中年，生活就一定是安安稳稳、功成名就吗？近日，热播中的电视剧《纵有疾风起》给出了否定答案。该剧讲述了男主唐尘（靳东 饰）在遭遇未婚妻烁冰（宋佳 饰）“背叛”、公司破产等一系列变故后，组建“草根”创业团队，人到中年东山再起，并最终取得事业爱情双丰收的故事。电视剧开篇讲述了意气风发的男主人公唐尘因“背叛”而破产，无奈遣散了职工，开启了一无所有、负债累累的人生。看到这里，很多观众十分不理解烁冰的行为，唐尘何尝不是？他伤心难过、借酒浇愁、一蹶不振……就在这时，既是曾经多年同窗又是知心朋友的沙舟伸出了援助之手，不断鼓励让唐尘重燃斗志，决定东山再起。
人到中年，东山再起，谈何容易？更何况商场如战场，资金、团队、场地等都成为摆在唐尘面前的大难题。面对难题，唐尘只能顶着巨大压力迎难而上。在唐尘的软磨硬泡下，沙舟为儿子攒下的学费成为了他们的资金，这样情比金坚的友情让人动容；笔触犀利的记者沙舟、口才卓绝却总胆小犯怂的律师祝燃、深谙游戏规则的“狗仔”侯志、朝气蓬勃的落魄富家女白鹦陆续被唐尘收入麾下。剧情展开，靳东饰演的唐尘带领着四位不同专业出身的伙伴披荆斩棘、各显神通，拿下一个又一个项目。
纵观剧情，电视剧《纵有疾风起》在讲述男主创业历程的同时，同时还包裹并探讨着爱情、婚姻、亲情等亲密关系的相处之道。当律师祝燃与唐尘推心置腹探讨各自的婚姻、爱情问题时，祝燃的一番话对唐尘犹如“当头一棒”，醍醐灌顶般地让唐尘醒悟，原来他从对烁冰曾经的忽略中回过神来，这一刻他渐渐明白相互尊重、相互理解这种抽象词语的真正意义。其实，除了唐尘与烁冰的感情问题，剧中沙舟和祝燃各自的婚姻也反映了现实很多夫妻的问题，侯志和白鹦则表征着一种年轻人之间的爱情，侯志和父亲之间拧巴的亲情亦然，电视剧《纵有疾风起》对多重亲密关系进行了深入描摹，颇能让观众有所共鸣、与之共情，进而让该剧展现出了强烈的正向意义。
此外，剧中有很多充满浓郁轻喜剧色彩的情节桥段，这些情节时常能逗笑观众，也会在笑过之后发现眼角含泪，带给了观众很多惊喜。比如男主创业初期团队成员各显神通剧情像极了“西游队伍”升级打怪，而团队姓氏之间的相似点也让观众会心一笑。剧中诸如此类的笑点不胜枚举，这些诙谐的笔法让整部剧在紧张严肃，甚至危机重重的公关事件里显示出了幽默的力量，带来快乐、释放感极强的观剧体验。简言之，《纵有疾风起》在轻喜剧的外衣包裹下，显示出了力图传达给观众人生要有无所畏惧之勇气的精神内核。
电视剧《纵有疾风起》在剧情上体现了较强的冲突感，剧情跌宕起伏、悬念重重，展现了商场如战场的紧张激烈。当然，轻喜剧色彩带给观众诙谐轻松的观剧体验，在轻松的作品氛围中向观众传递出“纵有疾风起，人生不言弃”的勇气和力量，用颇具真实感的剧情诉说着人到中年的人生，没有标准答案，只有人生不言弃的拼搏精神。
（作者系中国电视艺术交流协会影视艺术专业委员会副秘书长、中国人民大学新闻与社会发展研究中心研究员）
