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.
“一只平凡的小猪”过亿捐款引关注,幻方内部人士:是自愿捐款******
一则捐款信息让头部量化私募公司幻方量化在岁末年初火了一把。
1月9日晚间,幻方量化发布公告称,2022年度幻方量化共计向慈善机构捐赠2.2138亿元。除此以外,公司员工“一只平凡的小猪”个人向慈善机构捐赠1.38亿元。以上合计3.5938亿元均已完成打款,将支持15家慈善机构的23个公益项目。
“过去的几年,幻方量化及员工每年拿出收入的相当一部分投入公益,回馈社会,累计捐赠超过 5.8 亿元。”幻方量化在公告中表示。
“均是自愿捐款。”一位幻方量化内部人士对记者说道。
捐款3.5938亿元是什么水平?同花顺iFinD数据显示,2022年上半年,A股4901家上市公司中,对外有捐赠的公司为2892家,捐赠总额为54.76亿元,分上市公司来看,2022年上半年长江电力捐赠额2.71亿元居榜首,宝丰能源以2.5亿元紧随其后,伊利股份位列第三,捐赠额为2.17亿元。
而上述消息发布后,不少网友对“一只平凡的小猪”的真实身份十分好奇。一位业内人士猜测能一次性捐这么多钱“可能是老板或者股东”。幻方对此未作回应。
要知道2022年上半年非银金融行业共计捐赠1.65亿元,幻方量化员工“一只平凡的小猪”个人捐款金额据这一数字仅仅相差0.27亿元。
事实上,除幻方量化外,还有多家量化机构同样在慈善方面大举投入。比如鸣石基金资助了陕西省长武县巨家镇中心小学300名师生的计算机设备升级、支持了上海广慈残疾儿童福利院60余名残疾儿童的技能教育、上海财经大学数理金融实验室建设和数理人才培养等。
但不少业内人士还是对幻方量化如此巨额的捐款数额感到惊异,“钱从哪里来”成了大家共同的关注焦点。
据上述幻方量化内部人士透露,目前幻方量化规模在600亿元左右。按照业内人士的计算,如果一年管理费在1%~2%之间,年收入大概在6~12亿元之间,即使刨掉给渠道的提成(一般20%),“也是一笔不小的收入”。
私募排排网数据显示,幻方量化近一年收益为12.26%,到目前为止的年化收益为18.05%。旗下共有502只基金。
近年来一些主观多头私募同样积极投身于公益事业。在2022年1月18日东方港湾2022年线上投资策略报告会中,公司人士表示截至当前时点,东方港湾向慈善机构、各类地方捐款累计已超人民币1.3亿元。
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)