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.
雪具装备国产化的风口已来临?******
欣苒第一次接触滑雪是在2015年,“那是北京成功申办冬奥会的第一个雪季,和朋友到北京南山滑雪场开启了滑雪‘初体验’。我们在羽绒服上贴了暖宝宝,雪鞋和雪板也是租的。”这个雪季,欣苒在崇礼万龙滑雪场完成了“开板”仪式,此时她已装备齐全,雪服亮眼。欣苒表示,自己大部分装备都是国产品牌。滑雪装备主要覆盖了滑雪服、雪板、固定器、雪鞋、头盔、雪镜、手套等,全套下来价格在几千元到几万元不等。“我第一套滑雪服是国外品牌,仅衣服和裤子就花费近万元。现在国内专门做滑雪装备的品牌逐渐多了起来,雪服的价格自然是亲民又划算,每个雪季前都会去磁器口挑选新雪季的‘皮肤’。”
进口滑雪装备五千元起,国产品牌配齐只需两千元
1月10日,新京报贝壳财经记者来到北京磁器口“雪具大厅”,三层楼高的建筑中,雪具店几乎充斥着每个角落。虽是工作日,但前来采购的滑雪爱好者同样络绎不绝。在二层的冷山雪具店中,李宁滑雪服占据着店铺货架的显眼位置。“这几款雪服到货量不多,刚上架就卖出去好几套,现在码已经不全了。”店员介绍道。
一对情侣从多款滑雪手套中挑选了一副国货,他们告诉新京报贝壳财经记者,“舒适度挺不错,还带护腕,这款一百块左右,而国外品牌则要贵三四倍。”正在选购护具的李女士则表示,现在越来越多的雪友倾向选择国产品牌配件,“性价比高太多了。”在冷山雪具店不远的雪上飞雪具店,将三款国产单板摆在店铺的橱窗内,每款单价在1000元左右。据店主介绍,之前店铺以零售欧美品牌为主,受到冬奥冰雪热的影响,公司也开始生产自己品牌的单板,瞄准滑雪入门级爱好者。“配齐一套进口的单板、固定器和单板鞋大约5000元起,而一套国产品牌配齐只需2000多元。”
虽然在滑雪服、滑雪配件方面,国产品牌崭露头角,但在硬核装备的选择上,伯顿(Burton)、Capita等国际品牌则更受欢迎。一位资深滑雪爱好者认为,目前国产滑雪装备更多以性价比占领一定市场,但是像雪板、头盔等装备,欧美品牌在设计、安全性及知名度等方面可能会更有优势,“不过对于大多数初级玩家来说,其实也体验不出太大差别。”
全球超90%滑雪装备需求,由中国供应链支撑
然而,支撑起整个国际装备市场的却是中国供应链。公开资料显示,中国贴牌代工支撑了全球超过90%的滑雪装备需求。以伯顿雪板为例,这个创始于1977年的美国品牌在滑雪界知名度颇高,目前天猫上一块雪板售价在3000至6000元不等。该品牌曾在公开采访中表示,到2018年,其大部分雪板都是中国制造的,只有部分高端产品线由奥地利生产。伯顿在中国的代工厂也逐渐增多,据官网资料显示,该品牌的雪鞋生产工厂设在湖南郴州,部分雪板工厂位于江苏昆山,而连接雪鞋与雪板的固定器工厂则设在广东深圳。另有媒体报道,山东嘉祥是全国最大的滑雪手套生产基地,年产手套600多万打,年销售额15亿元,拥有上千种手套产品的生产加工能力及60余项专利产品。中国市场的滑雪手套六成以上来自这里,其出口量也占行业出口总量的76.38%。
当曾经的小众冰雪运动开始转变成为大众消费后,雪具装备国产化的风口也逐渐来临。据CBNData联合天猫体育发布的《2020冬季新活力生活趋势报告》显示,去年12月里,滑雪装备的销量同比上涨了13倍,南恩、Nobaday等国产新锐品牌,集体进入“十大Z时代喜爱冰雪品牌榜单”。资本市场也同样向着这条赛道靠拢。2020年4月,高瓴资本与伯顿成立合资公司;2014年成立的奥雪文化,以自媒体起家推出“零夏”和“Nobaday”两大滑雪品牌后,于2021年先后完成了两笔融资;2021年2月4日,滑雪垂直领域互联网服务商去滑雪(GOSKI)宣布获得2000万元人民币的A+轮融资,去滑雪的负责人表示公司将把关注点放在原创滑雪装备上。
智研咨询发布的《2021-2027年中国滑雪装备行业市场发展模式及战略咨询研究报告》数据显示,2014年,我国的滑雪装备行业市场规模为32.2亿元,到2020年这一规模已拓展至126.9亿元,年复合增长率超25%。不过,未来中国滑雪品牌能否在行业中站稳“脚跟”,仍需品牌的努力及市场的检验。
新京报贝壳财经记者 于梦儿