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.
2021年中国水土流失面积较十年前减少27.49万平方公里******
中新社北京1月12日电 (记者 陈溯)中国水利部副部长朱程清12日在北京表示，2021年中国水土流失面积较十年前减少27.49万平方公里。
水土保持状况是反映生态环境质量的重要综合性指标。当天，国新办召开新闻发布会，介绍中国水土保持有关情况。
朱程清表示，近年来，中国水土保持工作取得显著成效，水土流失面积和强度持续呈现“双下降”态势。据水利部最新监测，2021年全国水土流失面积267.42万平方公里，较十年前减少27.49万平方公里，强烈及以上等级面积占比由33.8%下降至18.93%。水土流失治理有效改善了农业生产条件和农村人居环境，促进了地方经济社会发展。
近日，中国官方印发了《关于加强新时代水土保持工作的意见》(简称《意见》)，为今后一个时期中国加强水土保持工作提供指引。《意见》提出，到2025年，中国水土保持体制机制和工作体系更加完善，管理效能进一步提升，人为水土流失得到有效管控，重点地区水土流失得到有效治理，全国水土保持率达到73%。到2035年，系统完备、协同高效的水土保持体制机制全面形成，人为水土流失得到全面控制，重点地区水土流失得到全面治理，全国水土保持率达到75%。
“水土保持率是指区域内非水土流失面积占国土面积的比例。”中国水利部总规划师吴文庆表示，截至2021年底，全国水土保持率为72%。在现有267.42万平方公里的水土流失面积中，有122.92万平方公里主要分布在沙漠、戈壁腹地和高寒高海拔地区，这些是不宜治理或不需要治理的，在需要治理的面积中，综合考虑水土流失规律、自然地理条件及技术经济等因素，最终只有52万多平方公里有望彻底“销号”，其余的只能实现强度降级。“剩余的水土流失面积都是‘难啃的硬骨头’，提升水土保持率的难度也越来越大。”
为实现《意见》目标，吴文庆表示，下一步将把林草地水土流失作为“减量”的重点，提高林草地植被覆盖度，提升林草生态系统水土保持功能，把坡耕地和侵蚀沟作为“降级”的重点，大力推进坡耕地水土流失治理、黄土高原淤地坝建设、东北黑土地侵蚀沟治理。同时，进一步创新监管方式，严控新增人为水土流失，加大对在建项目集中扰动期的水土流失防治力度，推动全社会走绿色、低碳、循环发展之路。(完)
