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.
套娃式充会员 智能时代看电视反而更麻烦了？******
智能时代看电视反而更麻烦了？
近期，“看个电视太费劲了”的话题登上热搜。有网民发视频吐槽智能电视视频App收费高，通过电视机下载的视频App看电视剧、电影、动画，居然要分别收费。视频发出后，收到了很多网友的点赞和留言。不少网友表示“你说出了大家的心声”“怀念原来的电视，现在都变味了”“一年下来看电视的费用都高得离谱，导致现在电视机都成了摆设”。人们常说技术改变生活，但网友们的共鸣又不禁让人发问：为何智能电视时代，看电视反而更麻烦了？
其实，网友的吐槽不是否认电视技术的进步及其给人们生活带来的便利。智能电视不仅屏幕尺寸大、分辨率高，而且更加轻薄，便于人们节约使用室内空间。从观看体验上说，大家不用再卡着时间等电视台直播，也不用为错过某个精彩的节目或影视片段而遗憾，随时暂停、随心点播，人们有了更多选择权。这种在观赏电视节目时前所未有的掌控感，是技术向前发展才可能出现的。
人们对以往电视的怀念，或许有美好的怀旧情绪在其中，但恐怕更多指向之前看电视时的清爽和纯粹。那些年的老电视，外表显得笨重，且没有兼容太多功能，而新的技术条件下，电视的内涵和外延在不断扩展，电视节目的生态也在改变。随着新兴媒介的兴起，人们对影音视听的要求也不是旧式电视能满足的，智能电视厂商由此展开技术和价格上的竞争。不过，也正因如此，许多视频内容供应方深度融入电视产销环节，利益主体更加多元复杂，让智能电视不再只是一块大屏那么简单。
以往也有网友反映过“套娃式充会员”这类现象，电视用户的直观感受就是充完一个会员并不能完全“通关”，也不能看到所有的影视内容。若是要“一充再充”，那么看视频的费用自然就变高了。实际上，在新的售卖和营销模式之下，电视已经成为视频内容分发和聚合平台，电视厂商和内容供应方，以各式各样的会员体系和充值规则，决定着内容的开放和共享程度，最终影响着电视观众的选择。不同App间的定价与竞争策略，涉及节目的版权和收益，这也会让用户在观看电视和选择服务时，有分散和割裂之感。
可以说，即便是平日玩转网络的年轻人，在接触电视会员充值模式时，也会感到不适应。另外，电视观众中还有不少老年人和青少年，他们对相关操作并不熟悉，看电视时也可能误充会员。流行的“客厅营销”改变了电视和内容行业的市场“打法”，但如果只有不断地充会员才能“解锁”智能电视，也会让可以活跃家庭气氛的电视渐渐受到冷落。当用户开始“用脚投票”，转而抛弃电视拥抱其他收视观影媒介，这种用户的流失，对电视行业和会员体系恐怕并不是件幸事。
随着社会版权意识的提高，人们越来越愿意为优质内容付费，但丰富的内容供应、明晰的会员权益、合理的收费标准、便捷的使用体验等，同样是下一步电视行业提升用户口碑和使用体验的发力点。只有立足用户痛点解决问题的企业，才能收获更多用户，占领更大市场。
白毅鹏 来源：中国青年报
