两岸同胞“云拜年”蔚为风潮 祝福中传递交流心愿******
(新春见闻)两岸同胞“云拜年”蔚为风潮 祝福中传递交流心愿
中新社北京1月27日电 (朱贺)“愿两岸春暖花开，望两岸共向美好未来，期待两岸民众早日聚首一堂……”癸卯兔年春节，两岸各界人士以视频方式向同胞拜年蔚为风潮，同胞们在拜年词中传递祝福，讲述期盼恢复交流、共享团圆的心愿。
连日来，“两岸同胞拜大年”话题在大陆社交媒体中讨论热烈，截至27日已获超1.2亿次阅读量。有网友表示，在穿越海峡的新春祝福中看到了“两岸一家亲”，望两岸早日冲破阻隔、团圆美满。
近年两岸关系复杂严峻叠加新冠疫情等因素，令两岸交流颇为不易。北京联合大学台湾研究院副院长李振广接受中新社采访表示，在此背景下，两岸同胞坚持以“云端”方式互叙亲情，充分证明台当局出于政治利益的阻挠无法阻断两岸血脉相连的骨肉亲情和彼此牵挂。
祝福跨海而来，思念绵延不断，尽快恢复交流成为今春两岸同胞的共同心声。正如中国国民党前主席洪秀柱在拜年视频中所言，希望两岸各领域的交流都能恢复热络，携手同心，和衷共济。
前台北市议员罗智强、台湾统一联盟党主席戚嘉林、台湾新党主席吴成典、台湾人民共产党主席林德旺等党派人士，也通过拜年视频表示，愿两岸恢复交流，携手并进。台北市议员秦慧珠向上海市民拜年，她谈到，上海和台北是姐妹市，希望疫情后可以互相拜访，互助合作。
“期盼未来一年两岸文化纽带愈加坚韧。”台北书院山长、文化学人林谷芳在拜年视频中表示。京剧梅派传人梅葆玖大弟子、台湾京剧艺术家魏海敏则在祝福中表达了新年到大陆登台演出的心愿。致力于两岸交流二十余年的台湾知名画家李沃源期待，未来带更多台湾同胞到大陆交流，也欢迎大陆画家好友赴台采风。
春节是两岸同胞共同的历史文化传承，也是彼此心灵契合的重要桥梁和纽带。家庭是两岸血脉相连、融合发展的缩影，两岸夫妇的拜年祝福也格外动人。
在北京生活12年的台胞律师林敏睿与来自山东的妻子在北京度过第四个春节，与孩子们共祝两岸同胞新春快乐。台湾青年林宇阳和来自西安的太太王曼则回到台湾过年，他们希望海峡两岸同胞都能相亲相爱，相向而行。
在各地过年的台青和台生也通过镜头表达新春祝愿。在大陆创业多年的台青徐韬返台与家人团聚，他期盼两岸共同发展、共享繁荣；浙江临海潭子茶屋负责人陈彦桦则希望，更多台湾青年主动融入祖国发展，让两岸青年间的合作“兔”飞猛进；就读于中国人民大学国际关系学院的台生曹耿豪留校过年，他说，大陆的伙伴都对自己照顾有加，让他在此有了家的感觉，倍感温暖。
“拜年过程中，两岸同胞感觉彼此的感情更深、更浓了。随着更多台湾同胞来大陆求学、工作、生活、扎根，这种联结会越来越深厚。”李振广期待未来两岸交流更密切、更便利，为台海和平稳定筑牢坚实基础。(完)
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.
