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.
刑侦题材剧拍出新意******
刑侦题材电视剧《狂飙》近日开播,该剧由于会集了大批实力戏骨,自官宣以来就备受关注。《狂飙》聚焦扫黑除恶,在《人民的名义》《沉默的真相》《扫黑风暴》等一系列影视剧对这一题材深度开掘之后,《狂飙》要如何突出重围,又要如何拍出新意?
记者 宋说
立体写实的群像
《狂飙》讲述了自2000年起,意气风发的刑警安欣(张译饰)与一直受欺负的鱼贩子高启强(张颂文饰)相识,而后随着高启强逐渐偏离正途,安欣意识到在京海市社会发展的背后,正是以高家兄弟为首的黑恶势力暗流汹涌,两人分道扬镳并展开了长达20年的正邪较量。2021年,在全国开展扫黑除恶常态化的背景下,中央督导组雷霆出击,安欣协同专案组彻查强盛集团有组织犯罪团伙及其背后的保护伞,最终京海市得以拨云见日。
《狂飙》前五集的重点笔墨都放在高启强的身上,讲述了他的“黑恶”成长史。高启强本是在菜市场卖鱼的鱼贩,父母双亡的他辛辛苦苦供养弟弟妹妹读书,却被混混敲诈欺凌,还被诬陷入室抢劫,在经历了这些意外事件后,他被卷进了与黑恶沾边的是非中,并逐渐迷失在“钱”与“权”中越陷越深,身份从一个鱼贩变成了当地涉黑组织的头目,甚至把他名下的强盛集团做成了京海市数一数二的企业。
除了安欣和高启强两个主要人物,剧中行事狠毒的黑社会头目徐江、老谋深算的泰叔、敏感多疑、头脑活络的高启盛等角色,也在短短几集中展现出了特色鲜明的人物性格和丰富的心理层次。《狂飙》中塑造的角色都有自己的情感和生活、欲望和动机,人物和剧情非常有看点。
《狂飙》的台词设计和镜头设计有很深的意味。面对省教育整顿驻点指导组的到来,京海市市委副书记、市长赵立冬说“顶多是一阵风”,京海市公安局常务副局长安长林说,“不会吧,这么大的霹雳应该会下大雨”,然后他转头问京海市市委常委孟德海,对方并没有说话,只是喝了一口水。短短一场戏充满隐喻和张力,为整部剧奠定了疑云重重、波诡云谲的基调。
深入的人性挖掘
大尺度加上悬疑和推理,《狂飙》将扫黑除恶题材讲述得非常“有猛料”,在拍摄手法上,《狂飙》的不少镜头语言都设计得很有深意,当高启强陷入误杀危机,坐上唐小龙兄弟的车逃跑时,镜头与逃逸的车反方向拉伸,隐喻着高启强等人已经走上了与人性和正义背道而驰的犯罪道路,导演以巧妙的拍摄手法让剧情在紧张刺激之外,还延伸出更多值得观众细细咀嚼、反复品味的深刻层面。
该剧主创表示,作为一部扫黑除恶题材剧,《狂飙》的立意不止于讲述一段精彩绝伦的黑白较量,而是更多地深入到对人性的挖掘和对现实的反思上。
与其他同类题材剧集不同,反派的“发家史”是《狂飙》的叙事重点之一。剧集的介绍里说,“该剧是黑恶势力崛起的编年史,细数了黑恶毒瘤非法生长的升级路;是扫黑除恶坚决斗争的回忆录,横跨了20年的时代变迁,展示了黑白较量与复杂人性。”《狂飙》在每集开篇都有一个特别的设计:以扫黑督导专员、省教育整顿驻点指导组组长徐忠的口吻独白,对调查过程进行反思。在不断追问之中,“公生明,廉生威。唯有执法者严守公正廉洁,才能立于不败之地,成为一柄永不生锈的钢刀”的答案,也在戏里戏外敲响了警钟。
近年来,扫黑除恶题材的影视作品佳作不断,这些剧集的剧情大多在精彩绝伦的黑白较量方面下足功夫,其中口碑和收视率比较高的爆款,还加入了不少对人性的深入挖掘,以及对现实的反思。比如《扫黑风暴》里孙红雷饰演的李成阳,他看起来无情却最有情,清醒而又混沌,纯真而又世俗,勇敢而又怯懦,他的矛盾使他不断充满着变化和动态发展,容纳了我们目之所及和想象中的最多人性特质。
(《齐鲁晚报》 2023年01月19日)
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)