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.

八路军渤海军区收复利津城之战******

　　1944年7月至8月，八路军渤海军区遵照上级指示，全面展开夏季攻势，在第一阶段基本解放被敌军“蚕食”两年多的益(都)寿(光)临(淄)广(饶)“四边地区”取得重大胜利基础上，发起了以解放利津县城为中心任务的第二阶段夏季攻势。

　　利津县城位于黄河下游濒临渤海入海口的西岸，它既是日军设在鲁北渤海湾一带最大的战略支撑要点，也是日伪“蚕食”“扫荡”抗日根据地的重要兵力和物资屯守基地。当时，盘踞在利津城内的敌人除日军一个分遣队外，主要是伪华北绥靖军第8集团军第27团、7个伪保安中队、伪县公署宪兵队、伪警察等，总兵力2000多人。利津县城防城高池深，工事坚固，城外周围分布着9个据点，可谓易守难攻。

　　按照作战部署，八路军渤海军区首长决定由直属团主力担任攻城主攻任务，并以两个连兵力协同地方部队部署于小清河以南监视和牵制邻县敌军；军区特务营，第四军分区地方部队，垦利、沾化独立营和军区直属团一部，分别攻打盐窝、张许据点；其他各外围据点由各区中队和民兵相机攻取，各县武装大队设伏于利滨公路两侧，负责阻击惠民、滨县增援之敌。

　　8月11日，八路军渤海军区部队在司令员杨国夫指挥下，投入军区直属团、特务营和第四军分区部队，兵分数路发动奇袭，先后拔除了利津县城盐窝等9个外围据点。

　　16日晚，渤海军区参战部队对利津县城发起总攻。战斗打响后，军区直属团向城东门发起进攻，在控制城门楼后沿城墙向城内推进，与守敌展开巷战，经过激烈战斗，相继攻克了伪团部，伪县府、新民会、伪保安大队部。17日下午2时，渤海军区另一支攻城部队攻克西门及城西南碉堡，和已经攻入城中的部队内外夹击，将残敌驱赶至城西北角一座院落内。黄昏时分，爆破手通过连续爆破，炸开了院墙，八路军战士冒着硝烟冲进院内，将日军指挥官、企图化装逃走的伪团长及其手下300多人活捉。几个日军企图跳城逃跑，被埋伏在城外的八路军战士击毙。

　　18日拂晓，滨县增援之敌200余人进至利津城西关，渤海军区守城部队与敌人展开激战，上午8时许将其彻底击溃。至此，收复利津县城战役胜利结束。此役，渤海军区部队全歼守敌，缴获大小炮14门，轻重机枪29挺，长短枪1000余支，子弹10万余发，电台5部、电话总机2部、电话机22部、汽车2辆、战马50余匹，粮食75万公斤。

　　利津县城被收复后，渤海抗日根据地不仅得到进一步的扩大和巩固，与相邻各战略区的联系也得到了打通和改善，同时为即将到来的全面反攻奠定了胜利的基础。（孙兵）