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.
二十大代表风采丨柯晓宾:坚守高铁安全一线 诠释大国工匠精神******
中新网北京10月13日电 题:柯晓宾:坚守高铁安全一线诠释大国工匠精神
中新网记者 刘育英
扯断一根头发的力度大约在1800毫牛,手工调整片弹簧结构的触片仅为这个力道的十分之一。“只有上帝亲吻过的手才能将力道控制得如此精准。”中国通号西安工业集团沈信公司电器中心调整三班班长柯晓宾就长了这样一双手。
柯晓宾所从事的工作,是对继电器的接点进行调整。“高铁有三大技术系统:控、车、路。继电器作为列车运行控制系统的‘神经元’,大到车站的控制中心,小到一个信号灯,每一个电路的切换都离不开它”,柯晓宾向中新网记者介绍。
继电器手工调整工作在全世界都是难题,人工调整精确度是机器调整所不能及的,国外的公司也都是通过人工调整精确度。调整接点间距的误差需要控制在0.05~0.1毫米之间,调整触片的力度要控制在200毫牛左右,稍有瑕疵就会直接影响电气特性和性能指标导致前功尽弃。
柯晓宾所在的中国通号西安工业集团沈信公司是一家“隐形冠军”企业,也是中国最大的铁路信号继电器生产基地。公司年产量近60万台,国内市场占有率达70%以上,广泛应用于国内外铁路和城市轨道交通领域。
“对继电器的调整工作,难点之一是对力度的掌握;其次是需要左右双手同时进行调整”,柯晓宾介绍,为确保接点片一次就能调整到位达到规定指标范围,一个动作有时候就要练几十遍甚至上百遍。
为了能使双手调试力度相当,柯晓宾专门买了握力器,反复练习手腕力度,仅用半年多的时间,她就已经能够独立承担调整继电器任务,完全胜任岗位。2010年至今,她先后获得“中央企业青年岗位能手”“中央企业技术能手”“全国技术能手”等荣誉称号,逐步成长为调整线上“大师级”的人物。
2003年,20岁的柯晓宾从铁路机械学校毕业后,进入中国通号西安工业集团沈信公司工作。2010年,柯晓宾参加当年的全国职业技能大赛,学习了关于继电器的理论知识。在此之前,柯晓宾在手法上、技能上已经积累了非常多的经验,而理论学习,让她明白了许多实践操作背后的原理。
通过多次比赛,柯晓宾逐步成长,并获得“全国技术能手”称号,职业道路也变得开阔。从“是什么”到“为什么”,理论与实践的融会贯通,产生了化学反应,这份工作变得有意思起来。
前两年,公司有一款继电器的新产品问世,相对于老产品,安全性、可靠性、使用寿命都得到了很大的提高,但是该继电器的一个项点返修率非常高。柯晓宾带领QC小组成员开展课题攻关,通过不断的试验和调试,解决了该继电器在调整序的瓶颈问题,显著降低了返修比率。
“这件事给我的触动非常大,通过我们调整序职工的努力,竟然可以解决继电器设计生产方面这么大的难题。”2017年柯晓宾创新工作室成立以来,柯晓宾带领团队攻克生产难题29项。
柯晓宾所在的调整序,是一个工匠精神薪火相传的“明星”工序。2012年,柯晓宾的师父崔宝华当选党的十八大代表。2017年,柯晓宾当选党的十九大代表。2018年,柯晓宾的徒弟牛菲菲当选为共青团十八大代表。
2022年,柯晓宾又成为党的二十大代表。谈到履职的体会,柯晓宾表示,随着时间的推移,愈发感觉首先要把自己的本职工作做好,练好过硬本领,担实岗位责任,严格要求自己,在工作中发挥模范标杆作用;其次,遇到任何困难、挑战,要能够站出来迎接挑战,关键时刻冲锋在前,克服困难,解决问题。(完)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)