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.
长城“最隐秘的暗门”现身******
本报记者 韩梅
近日,天津大学建筑学院教授张玉坤团队宣布,河北省秦皇岛市明长城段发现一处突门实物遗存。作为长城暗门家族中最隐秘的一员,突门生动地传承着中国古代长城建筑、军事以及文化智慧。
首次构建暗门“家族图谱”
“近几年,我们在明长城全线调研中首次构建了暗门的‘家族图谱’,并发现了其中最隐秘的类型——突门。”团队成员、天津大学建筑学院特聘研究员、博士生导师李哲介绍,发现突门的长城段位于秦皇岛附近,是2000多年前史书有关突门记载的首次实物发现。
突门作为一种古代防御设施,早在2000多年前的春秋战国时期就有类似设施的记载,《墨子·备突》篇中对突门做了专门的著述,暗门(突门)“藏于九地之下为暗,动于九天之上为突”。此后,唐、宋、明,甚至清代学者都有记述,但现代相关研究论文却寥寥无几,一直没有发现对应的实物。突门是所有暗门中最为秘密的出口,外面用一层砖砌上,从外面看和城墙一样,让敌人无法分辨。突门没有被击破的时候,完全是隐蔽状态,打仗时一旦需要出兵制敌,里面的士兵可以迅速击碎表层墙,就跟鸡蛋破壳一样,士兵破墙而出,侧面夹击敌人,甚至可以把火炮从突门推出来击退敌人。
已确认明长城有220处暗门遗存
长城的门洞就其规模而言,可以分为三类,其中较大型的是“关”,属于古代连通塞外与内地的重要地理门户,一般设有重兵屯集防守,如居庸关、黄崖关等;中等是“口”(边口),如慕田峪口、张家口等;最小的即为“暗门”。所谓“暗门”,顾名思义,就是伪装隐藏起来、不公开的门。其所以设置乃是攻防需要。“由于历史的原因,长城上的暗门遗存较少,且散落暗处,不为人知,甚至被忽视和误解。”李哲说。
团队2003年启动对长城的研究,2004年起开始将无人机低空信息采集技术应用其中。2018年年底启动长城全线实景三维图像采集工程。4年多来,跨越10省区对明长城全线进行无盲区数字化测绘,用无人机拍摄的200余万张照片,制作完成平均厘米级精准的三维数据库,终于将明长城内外构造清晰明了地呈现在世人眼前。
暗门洞口一般宽0.6至1.6米,高1.5至2.5米,其中最窄的仅容单人、最宽的可通马匹对行;从结构上,暗门可分为石或木质过梁式和砖或石质拱券式。
时至今日,暗门实物遗存已甄别130余处,其中绝大多数为砖石遗址,集中分布于京津冀晋的蓟镇、真保镇、宣府镇、大同镇等区段。陕甘宁青明长城因夯土结构不易保存,目前仅发现2处暗门;此外依靠古代舆图整理出西部段41处暗门。许多暗门没有专属名称及门匾装饰,在已确认的220处暗门遗存中约一半属于此类。
封锁下的隐秘通道
“长城暗门(突门)的发现和挖掘,说明长城除了作为防御入侵的‘边墙’,还有另外一个身份——封锁下的隐秘通道,体现了中国古代朴素辩证的思维方式和深厚博大的规划思想,突门的发现和挖掘使得墨子时代的军事智慧有了实物传承。”张玉坤接受记者采访时说。
“暗门为人们开启了积极防御的新认知,打破了以往视长城为保守、封闭性象征的认识局限。”张玉坤说,沿着长城广泛分布、功能丰富、式样完备的暗门家族及其背后的巧思设计表明,即使是在宏大繁巨的军事工程体系建设中,古代中国人仍然执着于对政治局势、战争规律、防卫环境的细致把握,并将其贯彻于精密的工程设计之中,展现出惊人的统筹能力和严谨的实干精神。
长城国家文化公园建设对长城文化景观资源的挖掘与阐释、利用的深度与广度提出了更高的要求。团队对暗门功能、类型、分布的深入分析有助于原真性解读长城各类设施及整个防御体系的建设意图和运作机制,从整体视角撬动一系列新的遗址价值认知,引领长城文化景观资源的深度挖掘。
暗门看似细枝末节,但却能够牵引出多层次的长城历史认知。这说明无论是长城文保管理还是文化园建设,应保持对遗址细节的敬畏,立足于对长城遗存进行全面系统观察研究。