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.
红树林基金会执行理事长刘明达：修复后的红树林湿地水鸟的生物多样性显著增加****** 中新网蒙特利尔12月8日电 红树林基金会执行理事长、阿拉善SEE生态协会监事刘明达在COP15第二阶段会议“坚持人与自然和谐共生 共建清洁美丽世界”边会上表示，在红树林湿地的修复中，我们发现修复后的红树林湿地水鸟的生物多样性显著增加，水鸟开始大量使用修复后的红树林湿地，雷州湾越冬勺嘴鹬几乎占到其中国越冬种群的一半。 当地时间12月7日，COP15第二阶段会议“坚持人与自然和谐共生 共建清洁美丽世界”中国角边会在加拿大蒙特利尔举行，边会由生态环境部环境与经济政策研究中心、中国新闻社主办，中国新闻网承办。  红树林基金会执行理事长刘明达在边会案例分享上发言。尹灵摄刘明达介绍，红树林是生长在热带、亚热带地区海岸潮间带，以红树植物为代表的木本植物群落，被称为“海上森林”。它既有森林的特征又有湿地的特征，能发挥地球之肺的作用，又能发挥地球之肾的作用，是鱼类、甲壳类、候鸟的宝贵栖息地，具有非常高的生态价值。对于滨海地区来说，红树林湿地不仅能投提供生计来源，更是重要的天然防御墙，能够防风消浪，抵御风暴潮、海啸，防止海岸侵蚀。 “但是，这么重要的生态系统，在过去几十年却遭到了非常大的破坏，全球的红树林面积减少了三分之一，中国更是一度损失了超过70%。” 刘明达说。 雷州湾位于中国广东雷州半岛，属于典型的红树林湿地生态系统。这里与中国很多沿海湿地一样面临着入侵物种、社区发展等威胁与挑战。 刘明达表示，全球性的入侵物种——互花米草，也是雷州湾红树林湿地生态系统最重要的威胁。“我们基于雷州湾的生态-经济-社会调研，确立了刈割-翻耕-覆膜的综合治理手段，完成了80亩入侵物种互花米草的清理，实现红树林湿地的修复，提升红树林生态系统质量和功能，尤其是提升了濒危物种勺嘴鹬的栖息地质量。” 刘明达介绍，雷州湾也是迁徙水鸟重要的停歇地。在红树林湿地的修复中，我们发现修复后的红树林湿地水鸟的生物多样性显著增加，水鸟开始大量使用修复后的红树林湿地。全球仅存800只的勺嘴鹬是雷州湾的湿地明星，吸引了大量的公众。随着社会化参与的深入，我们对雷州湾勺嘴鹬调查更为深入，雷州湾越冬勺嘴鹬几乎占到其中国越冬种群的一半。 “雷州湾的案例仅仅只是海岸带湿地生态系统保护的冰山一角。”刘明达表示，生物多样性的保护进入了新的时代，我们期待“2020年后全球生物多样性框架”为实施和主流化提供工具和解决办法；减少对生物多样性的威胁；确保生物多样性得到可持续利用，以满足人们的需要。让人与自然都有可持续的未来。(完)
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